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Brief Biography MIKE HAILWOOD April 2, 1940 - March 23, 1981 Few sportsman have made such an indelible impact on the fast moving worlds of motorcycle and car racing as the legendary MIKE HAILWOOD. The son of a millionaire who bought him the best machinery that money could buy, he quickly cast aside the 'rich man's kid' image which had been thrust upon him to earn the respect and admiration of his peers through the enormity of his talent, the strength of his personality and his outrageous sense of fun. He won nine motorcycle World Championships between 1961 and 1967, then turned to motor racing, following in the wheel tracks of John Surtees, with whose cars he became European Formula 2 Champion and began his Formula 1 career. In time he might well have added a Formula 1 World Championship to his list of achievements, but his motor racing career ended abruptly in 1974 when he crashed his McLaren on Germany's daunting Nurburgring. Disabled by his leg injuries, he retired to New Zealand, where he quickly became bored, and by 1978, at the age of 38, he was back at the Isle of Man, the scene of so many of his earlier triumphs, not only to race bikes once again, but to take on and beat the entire field. His victorious return to 'The Island' has been described as one of the most emotional moments of 20th century sport.  From the book 'A Man Called Mike' by Christopher Hilton   the HAILWOOD story - By Stan Hailwood | p1 | p2 | p3 | p4 | p5 | p6 You and Your First Bike | p1 | p2 | p3 | p4 | p5 | p6 | p7 Stickers/Cards/etc. | Brooke Car | CastrolCard | | GouldLogo | McLauren | MikeIsMagic | MotorcycleNews Mike's Bannna Bread Recipe Favorite Photos Pauline's Favorite | Dave's Favorite | Fans Favorite    Select a Photo Gallery Below Just Mike | Fooling Around | Mike and Family | Mike and Friends | Trophies | Young Mike | Pauline