Aboard a specially prepared Ducati 900SS, Mike “The Bike” Hailwood stunned the motorcycling world in 1978 when he emerged from 11 years of self-imposed retirement from mainstram motorcycle racing to beat Phil Read and win the Formula One TT at the Isle of Man.
He first rode the race at the tender age of 18 in 1958. Twenty years later, they said he was out of touch with the sport and its development. They said he was wasting his time, he no longer belonged there. But they were wrong. His victorious return to the island has been described as one of the most emotional moments in motorcycling history.
They say you can’t keep a good man down, and by 'eck he was good.
