Mike Hailwood (2^nd April 1940 to 23^rd March 1981)

Here I am at the grave of Mike Hailwood, perhaps the greatest racing motorcyclist that has ever lived. His story is doused in tragedy: after decades of defying death at reckless speeds he died in a banal road traffic accident (along with his daughter) aged 40.

“Mike The Bike” as he would be known was born into middle-class comfort in Oxfordshire. He was also born into racing as his dad raced before World War II. When most people were learning to walk Mike was riding a mini-bike in fields near home. He saw his first race when he was ten and the chrysalis that would hatch into legend was born. Leaving school he worked for Triumph Motorcycles so it was only a matter of time before he was racing in earnest. This he did aged 17 and by 21 he racing for Honda, a new company not many people had heard. He became the first man in the history of the Isle of Man TT to win three races in one week.

He was a natural on two wheels and utterly fearless. Aged 22 he signed with MV Agusta and went on to become the first rider to win four consecutive 500cc World Championships. Aged 24 he smashed the one-hour speed record on the Daytona circuit (144.8 mph average speed.) I won’t go into the long list of achievements here but as you can guess he went on to win world titles in 1966 and 1967 for Honda and by 27 had won the Isle of Man TT twelve times. He was the world's highest-paid rider and the silly amounts of prize money bequeathed him a playboy lifestyle. He boarding jets to race circuits across the planet, always returning to London to this bachelor-flat where he kept his collection of sports cars.

By 28 he had moved to South Africa to semi-retire. At this time Honda worshipped him so dearly they paid him £50,000 (now about £700,00) not to ride for another team that year. Perhaps Mike had too much success too early as by 29 he was pursuing a career racing cars. He achieved some respectable results in the world of Formula One and World Sports Cars but never reached previous apexes of success. He upset some car people because he wasn’t "serious" enough. He was serious enough to save another driver’s life though. When he was racing in the 1973 South African Grand Prix he hit another car which set ablaze. When Mike pulled the driver (Clay Regazzoni) from the inferno his own suit set on fire. A fire marshal hosed him down and Mike returned to the burning car to pull Clay from the wreckage. He was awarded a George Medal for bravery (the 2nd highest gallantry award that a British civilian can be awarded.)

He left Formula One after being injured badly aged 34 in the German Grand Prix at the Nürburgring. After this he retired to New Zealand and married the mother of his two young children (she was obviously a model.) Aged 38 after an 11-year hiatus from mainstream motorcycling he staged a now-legendary comeback at the Isle of Man TT races. Observers considered he’d be too old to be competitive but he managed two wins so popular that they brought tears to the strongest men's eyes. He finally retired at 39, establishing a Honda-based retail motorcycle dealership in Birmingham.

Life ended cruelly on Saturday 21st March 1981. With the kids in the car he drove from home to the local chip shop but was struck a truck making an illegal turn. His 9-year-old daughter Michelle died instantly. Mike was rushed to hospital but he died two days later from severe internal injuries (the truck driver was fined £100.) This was all written in the stars according to Mike, claiming a fortune-teller said he would not live to 40 and would be killed by a truck. The reliable source was an ex-girlfriend Elizabeth McCarthy who mentioned the prophesy in her memoir. He’d asked her to marry him but she said he was reluctant to marry someone who could die at any time on a racetrack. He told her about the fortune-tellers doom-laden forecast and said, “...so you see, it won't happen on a track." It didn’t happen on a track but on Alcester Road near his home in Tanworth-In-Arden.

I found his headstone in the small graveyard at the back of the church. This quiet spot that looks out onto rolling fields belies a fast high-octane life of engines screaming at they’re revved to capacity. The headstone’s not different from the others except it’s doubly wide to represent Mike’s daughter. Under that bit of grass you wouldn’t think lay the bones representing 76 Grand Prix victories, 112 Grand Prix podiums, 14 Isle of Man TT wins and 9 World Championships. I did a hearty salute and left.

Some funeral footage is here... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5V6EZ6_UHuE