Mike Hailwood

Verified Timeline

Lore & Background

Hailwood's journey began in Great Milton, Oxfordshire, where he learned to ride on a minibike near his home before racing at Oulton Park on 22 April 1957. By 1961, riding for Honda, he made history at the Isle of Man TT by becoming the first man to win three races in one week across the 125cc, 250cc, and 500cc categories. He later won the 1961 250cc world championship on a four-stroke Honda RC162. Switching to MV Agusta in 1962, he became the first rider to win four consecutive 500cc World Championships. In February 1964 at Daytona, he set a new one-hour speed record of 144.8 mph on an MV 500cc before winning that afternoon's GP race. His dominance continued through 1967 when he claimed his twelfth Isle of Man TT victory in the Senior TT against Agostini, setting a lap record of 108.77 mph on the Honda RC181 that stood for eight years.

In Their Own Story

When Honda withdrew from Grand Prix racing in 1968, they paid Hailwood £50,000 to stay off other teams' grids while hoping for his return. Undeterred, he pivoted to car racing, achieving a third-place finish at the 1969 Le Mans 24-Hour race driving a Ford GT40 with David Hobbs. His bravery was cemented during the 1973 South African Grand Prix when he rushed to pull Clay Regazzoni from his burning car after a collision; Hailwood's own suit caught fire, but he returned to help once extinguished by marshals, earning him the George Medal. He drove a works McLaren M23 in 1974, often outpacing teammate Emerson Fittipaldi, until a severe injury at the German Grand Prix forced his retirement from Formula One. In a stunning comeback, he returned to motorcycle racing at age 38 to win the 1978 Isle of Man TT.

Reader's Guide

Hailwood's technical feedback shaped machine development across decades. In 1965, riding for Tom Kirby Team on a BSA Lightning Clubman in heavy rain at Silverstone, he won the Hutchinson 100 Production race with lapping speeds of 83 mph, proving production bikes could compete against factory entries. His versatility extended to endurance racing; he teamed with Dan Shorey to win the Thruxton 500 early in his career. Even after his motorcycle career concluded, he remained active in car racing, competing in the European Shellsport F5000 series from 1969 to 1971 and taking second in the 1972 Tasman F5000 series. His final competitive act on a BSA Rocket 3 at the 1971 Daytona 200 saw him lead before overheating, a machine his son David later demonstrated on the Isle of Man TT course in 2002 before crashing at Governor's Bridge.

Did You Know?

• Hailwood became the first man in Isle of Man TT history to win three races in a single week in June 1961.
• He was awarded the George Medal for bravery after rescuing Clay Regazzoni from a burning car during the 1973 South African Grand Prix.
• Hailwood returned to motorcycle racing at age 38 to win the 1978 Isle of Man TT, decades after his initial retirement.
• In February 1964, he set an average speed record of 144.8 mph on an MV 500cc at Daytona before winning that day's Grand Prix.
• He competed in 50 Formula One Grands Prix between 1963 and 1974, achieving two podium finishes.