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Mike Hailwood. Stanley Michael Bailey Hailwood, MBE GM (2 April 1940 – 23 March 1981) was an English professional motorcycle racer and racing driver. He is regarded by many as one of the greatest racers of all time.
Mar 24, 2021 · Learn about Mike Hailwood, the British rider who won 76 Grand Prix races and 14 Isle of Man TT races. He was killed in a car crash in 1981, 40 years ago.
- Dustin Wheelen
- Daily News Writer
- dustin.wheelen@rideapart.com
'Mike the Bike' rides again: The tragic story of Mike Hailwood told in new documentary. Rated 'the greatest motorcyclist who ever lived', his feats and bravery are recalled for a new...
- How Did You First Meet Mike Hailwood?
- So You Stayed in Touch with Mike After That?
- What Was Mike Like as A Man?
- Mike Was A Multi-Millionaire, But Did He Have An Extravagant Lifestyle?
- He Was Quite A Shy Man by Nature, Wasn’T He?
- So How Did He Deal with All The Attention That Fame brought?
- And He Was Idolised by The Rich and Famous Too, Wasn’T He?
- He Was A Talented Musician Too…
- What Was The Funniest Thing You Ever Saw Him do?
- Did You Go on A Bike with him?
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I was working for the Daily Mirror in 1961 and the sports editor had an idea to do something about the TT as so many people went to it back then but no-one really covered it. So we decided to do a special edition on the TT. I hadn’t heard of Mike Hailwood but his father Stan put me onto him. Stan had a genius for promotion so he arranged for me to ...
When I got back from the TT, Stanley Hailwood wrote to me from his house in Nassau saying he noticed how well Mike and I got on and he pointed out that this was very rare for Mike as he was quite reserved. So Stan encouraged me to keep up my friendship with Mike but I suspect his real motives were business because any story we ran on Mike was seen ...
There was no level of arrogance or conceit or self-importance at all. It was a remarkably humbling experience to be with someone like that and there was an absolute parallel with Bobby Charlton. I’ve been friends with Bobby forever; I’ve done books with him, been on holidays with him and the similarities between him and Mike, despite their massive ...
No, he was quite reserved in his lifestyle, not extravagant at all. He had a beautiful house on the Thames at Bray but he didn’t have huge collections of Ferarris and speedboats, even though he could have afforded whatever he wanted. Stan Hailwood kept his money to himself. He would buy race bikes for Mike but that was it, he didn’t hand out money ...
Yes, he would much rather have a quiet night in with a few friends and a few vodka/lemonades than be at a party or a celebrity do. Even better, if he could sit in a corner and not be recognised and enjoy a great live jazz band, he was in his element. The last thing Mike was was showbiz, he had absolutely no interest in self-promotion. I was asked t...
If Mike could have avoided all the attention then he would have, for sure. It was as if everybody knew that, if they could trap him in a corner, then Mike was well-mannered enough to give them time. He would never, ever push past someone or push someone out of the way. And he was never rude enough to say, “I haven’t got time.”
Yes, it was surprising how many people knew about him. We were at a nightclub in London, just minding our own business, and Tom Jones came over and said to Mike, “I just want to shake your hand, it’s my absolute treat to shake your hand.” Me and Mike just sat open-mouthed! Many years later I was at the Indy 500 with Nigel Mansell who was driving fo...
Very much so. I went to his house at Bray one time and he had a jazz band playing at his party and when I arrived there was Mike playing drums with the band and then switching to piano. I was amazed. He was a fantastic musician, completely underrated. He was self-taught on piano, drums, and the accordion.
We were flying to the Daytona 200 and the woman in front of him put her seat right back so Mike’s knees were getting crushed. When he tried to ask her nicely to put her seat up she told him to bugger off. Later, her shoes appeared under her seat so Mike took them and filled the toes with wet newspaper and let it go rock hard. We saw her stumbling o...
No, he was bad enough in a car. He was taking me to his apartment in London once in an Iso Grifo grand tourer and I remember coming over the Chiswick Flyover backwards as he’d got into a spin. We did a full 360-degrees then he carried on without blinking. He just turned to me and said, “sorry about that.”
Ted Macauley, former Mirror journalist and friend of Mike Hailwood, reveals the legend behind the TT comeback. Learn about his humility, musical talent, racing achievements and more in this exclusive interview.
Apr 6, 2020 · Nick Harris, a motorsport journalist and commentator, shares his personal and professional admiration for Mike Hailwood, the nine-time World Champion and Isle of Man TT legend. He recounts his stories of Hailwood's achievements, bravery, tragedy and legacy in motorcycle racing.
Jul 7, 2014 · A tribute to the legendary motorcycle racer Mike Hailwood, who died in a road accident in 1981. The article recounts his achievements, personality and legacy in motorcycle and car racing.
Nov 2, 2023 · Learn about the life and achievements of Mike Hailwood, the greatest motorcycle racer of all time, who also won world titles in Formula 1. Read how he survived a horrific crash and saved a rival driver's life.
