Mike Hailwood - The Fan’s Favourite

Never in the history of motorcycle racing has there been a more popular champion than ‘Mike-the-Bike’ Hailwood. In this new study, which comes almost 30 years after Mike’s untimely death, Mick Walker examines his long career. From his first race, aged 17, at Oulton Park in April 1957, to his final race at Mallory Park in June 1979, Mike rode in more races than any other rider, and he could ride any bike. In his time he straddled everything from a 49cc Itom single-cylinder two-stroke to a 1000cc Dunstall-Suzuki GS1000 four-cylinder superbike. He could switch capacity sizes and makes at the same meeting on the same day. His many achievements he could count 12 TT victories, 10 World titles and 76 Grand Prix victories. Mick Walker’s book describes Mike’s long and varied career, concentrating on the racing years and the motorcycles.