Mike Hailwood - daring on two and four wheels

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Mike Hailwood - daring on two and four wheels

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Created on April 24, 2020

Text:

Hartmut Lehbrink, ergänzt durch Daniel Reinhard

Photos:

Daniel Reinhard

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Gillfoto CC BY-SA 3.0

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Public Domain / Archiv

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Bruno von Rotz

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Ford/Werk

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GettyImages/Bernard Cahier

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Archiv

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McLaren M23 (1974) - Mike Hailwood at the South African Grand Prix in Kyalami on March 30, 1974

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Private drivers Mike Hailwood and Joseph Siffert, on the occasion of the F1 race at Solitude in 1964

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Mike Hailwood (number 63) and Giacomo Agostini (1) in 1969 at the 500cc race on the occasion of the Temporada Romagnola

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Ford GT40 (1969) - David Hobbs/Mike Hailwood take 3rd place in the 1969 24 Hours of Lemans

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McLaren M23 (1974) - Mike Hailwood in the Yardley-McLaren with Ford DFV at Brands Hatch 1974

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Mirage M6 (1973) at Le Mans 1973 - Derek Bell in number 8 ahead of Hailwood in number 9 - both retired

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Surtees TS9B (1972) - Mike Hailwood's racing car - Rétromobile Paris 2020

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Porsche 917 K (1970) - Chassis 026, GULF paintwork - Geneva Motor Show 2019

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Summary

Mike Hailwood could certainly not be accused of lacking courage. He was one of the few racing drivers who was successful on two and four wheels, even if his motorcycle results overshadowed his successes in racing cars. Coming from a good family, Hailwood loved life and racing, was not deterred by accidents and raced motorcycles and Formula 1 at the same time. He died in 1981 in a car accident in normal road traffic through no fault of his own. This racing driver portrait looks back on his exciting life.

This article contains the following chapters

Ladies' man
A man of contrasts
From two to four wheels
Monoposto outings with varying fortunes
Brave but not rash
Music as a hobby
Wealthy by nature
Last comback
Career/racing results

Estimated reading time: 10min

Preview (beginning of the article)

Nürburgring, August 4, 1974, German Grand Prix. "On the twelfth lap," said the announcer, "there was another accident at Pflanzgarten." I counted the heads of my loved ones. Mike Hailwood was missing, not even returning on foot from anywhere, laughing, some reason for dropping out on his lips as he so often does. Should about.....? In many years in this sport, you learn that the succinct phrase "That`s racing" holds all the possibilities, all of them. Hailwood had to be taken away by ambulance and his Formula 1 career came to an end with this terrible accident. A few minutes before the start, we were still joking around. Mike was more relaxed than anyone else at this dramatic moment. We had been talking about Mozart's opera "Cosi van tutte", which we had seen together at the Salzburg Festival the year before, when one of the pretty Marlboro girls strolled past. Mike spread her thin T-shirt at the neck, risked a glance and was delighted with what he saw: "Look, isn't that lovely?"

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