1969 Mike Hailwood at Mallory Park
How it used to be in’t olden days of racing... 🏍️ 🚗 💨
- Thread starter Exige
- Start date
October 2006 at Valencia - Nicky Hayden on the Repsol Honda RC211V finished 3rd to claim the MotoGP World Title.
“Kentucky Kid” Nicky Hayden began his career on dirt before switching to tarmac, winning the AMA Super-sport Championship onboard a privateer Honda in 1999.
In 2002, he won the AMA Superbike title, the youngest rider ever to do so, and moved up to the MotoGP™ World Championship in 2003, also riding a Honda. Hayden then became the most recent MotoGP™ World Champion from the USA after beating Valentino Rossi to the title in 2006, with the fight going down to the final round in Valencia.
He then moved to Ducati in 2009 to partner Casey Stoner, finding the first year a challenge, before making a vast improvement in 2010 to end the season 7th.
The Kentucky rider moved back aboard a Honda for the 2014 season, riding the Open specification RCV1000R with Drive M7 Aspar. Major injury problems with his wrist seriously affected the season, resulting in surgery to fix the problem and get back on track for 2015.
Named a MotoGP™ legend the same year, the American’s 13th and final season in MotoGP™ was a challenging one ahead of his move to the World SBK paddock in 2016. Already a podium finisher multiple times in World Superbike and taking his first win in Sepang in his rookie season, the legendary American returned to MotoGP™ at the Aragon GP to sub for Jack Miller at Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS, as the Australian recovered from a hand injury.
After scoring points in Aragon, Hayden was back once again at Phillip Island - replacing injured former Repsol Honda teammate Dani Pedrosa in the same team.
Hayden tragically lost his life in a cycling accident after the 2017 Italian Round of World SBK, when he was training on the Rimini coast. He was 35.
The driver of the car received a driving ban together with a one year suspended jail sentence.
Hayden was a true Champion, for his achievements both on track and off.
“Kentucky Kid” Nicky Hayden began his career on dirt before switching to tarmac, winning the AMA Super-sport Championship onboard a privateer Honda in 1999.
In 2002, he won the AMA Superbike title, the youngest rider ever to do so, and moved up to the MotoGP™ World Championship in 2003, also riding a Honda. Hayden then became the most recent MotoGP™ World Champion from the USA after beating Valentino Rossi to the title in 2006, with the fight going down to the final round in Valencia.
He then moved to Ducati in 2009 to partner Casey Stoner, finding the first year a challenge, before making a vast improvement in 2010 to end the season 7th.
The Kentucky rider moved back aboard a Honda for the 2014 season, riding the Open specification RCV1000R with Drive M7 Aspar. Major injury problems with his wrist seriously affected the season, resulting in surgery to fix the problem and get back on track for 2015.
Named a MotoGP™ legend the same year, the American’s 13th and final season in MotoGP™ was a challenging one ahead of his move to the World SBK paddock in 2016. Already a podium finisher multiple times in World Superbike and taking his first win in Sepang in his rookie season, the legendary American returned to MotoGP™ at the Aragon GP to sub for Jack Miller at Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS, as the Australian recovered from a hand injury.
After scoring points in Aragon, Hayden was back once again at Phillip Island - replacing injured former Repsol Honda teammate Dani Pedrosa in the same team.
Hayden tragically lost his life in a cycling accident after the 2017 Italian Round of World SBK, when he was training on the Rimini coast. He was 35.
The driver of the car received a driving ban together with a one year suspended jail sentence.
Hayden was a true Champion, for his achievements both on track and off.
Mrs Sheene, cat, and her son
Michael Dunlop looking back at Guy Martin's 170mph crash at Ballagarey
Silverstone 1980
When you lose the Winter Fuel Allowance but are still expected to race
Jarno Saarinen
May 20th, 1973, the day World Championship Motorcycle racing lost a rider who was destined to join the likes of Hailwood, Agostini, Nieto, Rossi, and Marquez as one of the true greats, if not the greatest.
The only rider in the 74-year history of the sport to win his opening two premier class Grands Prix. The likes of Geoff Duke and Max Biaggi are among a distinguished club of riders who won on their premier class debuts, but only one won on his opening two. A rider who was destined to win both 250cc and 500cc world titles in the same season 12 years before Freddie Spencer became the first and only rider to achieve that double.
Twenty-seven-year-old Jarno Saarinen lost his life in a horrendous multi-rider accident in the 250cc race in the 1973 Grand Prix of Nations at Monza.
It was a crash that also claimed the life of Italian Renzo Pasolini, who had finished runner-up to Saarinen in the 250cc Championship the previous year.
Grand Prix racing and Finland grieved.
Yamaha immediately pulled out of the 500cc World Championship for the season.
Saarinen’s debut season in the 500cc class was nothing short of sensational. After winning the 250cc race at Paul Ricard in France he went on to beat Phil Read’s MV Agusta by 15 seconds on his 500cc debut ride. He almost doubled that winning advantage at the next round at the Salzburging in Austria with his Yamaha teammate Hideo Kanaya second.
Earlier he’d won the 250cc race. It looked a hat trick at the next round in Hockenheim but after a third 250cc win the Yamaha’s chain broke in the 500cc race and his winning run came to an end.
He arrived in Monza for round four with his wife Soili looking to return to double winning ways.
On the first lap of the 250cc race 15 riders crashed at Gran Curve after oil it was suggested had been dropped on the tarmac in the previous 350cc race.
An ominous pall of black smoke rose above the Grand Curve and slowly the riders made their way back to the start the wrong way round the legendary circuit. Saarinen and Pasolini did not return.
May 20th, 1973, the day World Championship Motorcycle racing lost a rider who was destined to join the likes of Hailwood, Agostini, Nieto, Rossi, and Marquez as one of the true greats, if not the greatest.
The only rider in the 74-year history of the sport to win his opening two premier class Grands Prix. The likes of Geoff Duke and Max Biaggi are among a distinguished club of riders who won on their premier class debuts, but only one won on his opening two. A rider who was destined to win both 250cc and 500cc world titles in the same season 12 years before Freddie Spencer became the first and only rider to achieve that double.
Twenty-seven-year-old Jarno Saarinen lost his life in a horrendous multi-rider accident in the 250cc race in the 1973 Grand Prix of Nations at Monza.
It was a crash that also claimed the life of Italian Renzo Pasolini, who had finished runner-up to Saarinen in the 250cc Championship the previous year.
Grand Prix racing and Finland grieved.
Yamaha immediately pulled out of the 500cc World Championship for the season.
Saarinen’s debut season in the 500cc class was nothing short of sensational. After winning the 250cc race at Paul Ricard in France he went on to beat Phil Read’s MV Agusta by 15 seconds on his 500cc debut ride. He almost doubled that winning advantage at the next round at the Salzburging in Austria with his Yamaha teammate Hideo Kanaya second.
Earlier he’d won the 250cc race. It looked a hat trick at the next round in Hockenheim but after a third 250cc win the Yamaha’s chain broke in the 500cc race and his winning run came to an end.
He arrived in Monza for round four with his wife Soili looking to return to double winning ways.
On the first lap of the 250cc race 15 riders crashed at Gran Curve after oil it was suggested had been dropped on the tarmac in the previous 350cc race.
An ominous pall of black smoke rose above the Grand Curve and slowly the riders made their way back to the start the wrong way round the legendary circuit. Saarinen and Pasolini did not return.
The much-missed Gerry Marshall in his works Group 1 RS2000 battling it out with one of the 16-valve Triumph Dolomite Sprints at Cadwell Park on the 1974 Avon Tour Of Britain
Dave Aldana
In the 1970s Aldana was one-third of what could be categorized as racing's three princes. One third of a colorful trio made up of Gary Nixon, Barry Sheene and Aldana.
Were they friends? Sure, as much as riders can be friends in the conventional sense. Sheene was regarded as the nucleus of the trio, and Nixon and Aldana were friends with Sheene.
Were you ever going to see Nixon and David Aldana hanging out together without Sheene? Probably not. But with Sheene as the buffer the three had miles of good fun.
Sheene was Aldana's best man at his wedding.
Sheene, a lifelong and seemingly proud smoker, died early at just age 50 in 2003.
Nixon passed away in 2011 after a heart attack.
Aldana took relatively good care of himself and was still racing competitively well north of his 60th birthday. He's still married to the same woman and lives a very comfortable life. He was one of the riders who, after he cashed in his winnings, bought apartment houses and So-Cal real estate. And, probably of more importance to him, he's still very fast as we speak.
In the 1970s when he rode for BSA and Triumph, then Suzuki, and later Kawasaki and Honda, David saved some money and also played real estate speculator in southern California, something he still does today.
Every year he raced Aldana would buy a lot or two and build a house "on spec". To save money and not complicate things, Aldana and friends built the same house over and over and over again. If you've seen one "Aldana house" you've seen them all.
Lucky in life and lucky in racing, Aldana now says the years that he rode the World Endurance championship--he won the Suzuka 8 Hours in 1981 with co-rider Mike Baldwin--were the best financially, thanks to Honda. "Racing has been very good to me," he says.
In the 1970s Aldana was one-third of what could be categorized as racing's three princes. One third of a colorful trio made up of Gary Nixon, Barry Sheene and Aldana.
Were they friends? Sure, as much as riders can be friends in the conventional sense. Sheene was regarded as the nucleus of the trio, and Nixon and Aldana were friends with Sheene.
Were you ever going to see Nixon and David Aldana hanging out together without Sheene? Probably not. But with Sheene as the buffer the three had miles of good fun.
Sheene was Aldana's best man at his wedding.
Sheene, a lifelong and seemingly proud smoker, died early at just age 50 in 2003.
Nixon passed away in 2011 after a heart attack.
Aldana took relatively good care of himself and was still racing competitively well north of his 60th birthday. He's still married to the same woman and lives a very comfortable life. He was one of the riders who, after he cashed in his winnings, bought apartment houses and So-Cal real estate. And, probably of more importance to him, he's still very fast as we speak.
In the 1970s when he rode for BSA and Triumph, then Suzuki, and later Kawasaki and Honda, David saved some money and also played real estate speculator in southern California, something he still does today.
Every year he raced Aldana would buy a lot or two and build a house "on spec". To save money and not complicate things, Aldana and friends built the same house over and over and over again. If you've seen one "Aldana house" you've seen them all.
Lucky in life and lucky in racing, Aldana now says the years that he rode the World Endurance championship--he won the Suzuka 8 Hours in 1981 with co-rider Mike Baldwin--were the best financially, thanks to Honda. "Racing has been very good to me," he says.
Kenny and Fast Freddie
Bazza at Cadwell Park 26 July 1970 riding a Yamaha 250cc.
A young Kenny Roberts
Hailwood's TT winning Ducati
Giacomo Agostini, Mike Hailwood , & Renzo Pasolini
Monza 1969
Monza 1969
John Reynolds
1980 Daytona 250 race.
This top-class entry 26-lap 250 race at the famous Daytona 200 meeting in America was won by future World 500 Grand Prix champion Eddie Lawson from future World 250/350 Grand Prix champion Anton Mang with future World 500/250 Grand Prix champion Freddie Spencer third.
Also taking part were several UK riders with Chas Mortimer best finisher in 15th with Joey Dunlop 20th (Yamaha). Others on the grid were Steven Cull (smoking Cotton), Derek Chatterton, Neil Tuxworth, Doug Randall and Derek Huxley.
This top-class entry 26-lap 250 race at the famous Daytona 200 meeting in America was won by future World 500 Grand Prix champion Eddie Lawson from future World 250/350 Grand Prix champion Anton Mang with future World 500/250 Grand Prix champion Freddie Spencer third.
Also taking part were several UK riders with Chas Mortimer best finisher in 15th with Joey Dunlop 20th (Yamaha). Others on the grid were Steven Cull (smoking Cotton), Derek Chatterton, Neil Tuxworth, Doug Randall and Derek Huxley.
1971 TT Production 250 race.
There were only 13 entrants (count them in the picture very carefully) but it was a class within a race.
Barry (62) bailed out at Quarter-bridge whilst in second place on lap one.
It was won by Bill Smith from Charlie Williams and Tommy Robb.
Yes that is Neil Tuxworth too. It was a massed start.
The stone wall and lamp posts are still there on the corner of Greenfield Road .
There were only 13 entrants (count them in the picture very carefully) but it was a class within a race.
Barry (62) bailed out at Quarter-bridge whilst in second place on lap one.
It was won by Bill Smith from Charlie Williams and Tommy Robb.
Yes that is Neil Tuxworth too. It was a massed start.
The stone wall and lamp posts are still there on the corner of Greenfield Road .
Bike racing in Jat's day
Randy getting directions
Team USA 1976
Steve Baker, Kenny Roberts, Gene Romero, Ron Pierce, Gary Nixon, Randy Cleek and Pat Evans.
Steve Baker, Kenny Roberts, Gene Romero, Ron Pierce, Gary Nixon, Randy Cleek and Pat Evans.
2012 NW200 Superstock Practice at Ballysally Roundabout.
John McGuinness on the Padgett Honda
John McGuinness on the Padgett Honda
David Jeffries 1972-2003
Jefferies, 30, was riding a TAS Suzuki GSX-R1000 when he crashed during practice at Crosby in the 2003 TT. Triumph rider Moodie was injured when he crashed into the wreckage.
A ‘giant’ of a racing competitor, a Yorkshireman and six times winner Jefferies first rode in the TT in 1996 and took the newcomers award.
He missed 1997 due to injury, but came back in 1998 to finish fourth in the Senior and Production Races.
After showing blistering form at the Northwest 200 Races in 1999, Jefferies came to the Island hoping to repeat his Irish success. He was not denied and joined the elite band of riders to record a hat-trick with victories in the Formula One, Production and Senior. Just for good measure he hopped onto the second spot on the podium in the Junior Race too.
In 2000 he again won three races, Junior, Production and Senior and on the last lap of the Senior took the absolute lap record in 18mins 00.6secs - at a brilliant 125.69mph.
Jefferies, 30, was riding a TAS Suzuki GSX-R1000 when he crashed during practice at Crosby in the 2003 TT. Triumph rider Moodie was injured when he crashed into the wreckage.
A ‘giant’ of a racing competitor, a Yorkshireman and six times winner Jefferies first rode in the TT in 1996 and took the newcomers award.
He missed 1997 due to injury, but came back in 1998 to finish fourth in the Senior and Production Races.
After showing blistering form at the Northwest 200 Races in 1999, Jefferies came to the Island hoping to repeat his Irish success. He was not denied and joined the elite band of riders to record a hat-trick with victories in the Formula One, Production and Senior. Just for good measure he hopped onto the second spot on the podium in the Junior Race too.
In 2000 he again won three races, Junior, Production and Senior and on the last lap of the Senior took the absolute lap record in 18mins 00.6secs - at a brilliant 125.69mph.