1967 Diamond Jubilee | Senior TT Race | Hailwood vs Ago 

That's for sure.

Mr dec you may well be right .If you were able to time travel from their ere to now,they still would be winning most races .

I was there as well, on Sulby Straight ! Good Wishes

I well remember the Race of the Year at Mallory Park September 1964, and long after the race had finished and the crowds had gone, asking a Marshall if I could drive my car (Citroen DS19) around the circuit, he said better ask Mike (Hailwood) and directed me to him. I asked Mike, who I had briefly met a number of times before, and he said of course you can, and told the Marshall to let me through the top gate (Near Hairpin) - He said come back after we are having a bit of a Party with Chris Barber later. Did two/three laps and then went back. Mike appeared genuinely pleased to see me again and asked how I got on. Had a good laugh together as we found had a lot of common interests (3 years older than me and born on the same date 2nd April) and had been to the Belgian Grand Prix the previous year in my Morris Minor 1000. Stayed until late with many of the riders and "Chris Barber & his Jazzmen" playing. Imagine that today, the pits were open and you didn't need a fancy pass to get in. I was very keen on Jazz Bands, and in fact had an Acker Bilk Beard at the time, and was often mistaken for him ! (Maybe Mike thought I was "Acker") Still got the Program Price 2/6p and signed by many riders then including Phil Read, Jim Redman, Mike Duff, Bill Ivy etc Incidentally Mike Won the race on the MV Agusta and was £1000 richer. Huge amount in those days. So no wonder he was happy. He held the 350cc Lap Record from 62-64 at 84.93 mph and the 500cc Lap record at 53 seconds 91.70 mph in 1962 What a great person Mike was, and a terrible loss to Motor Sport. I was not aware at the time I was talking to a Millionaires son, as Mike was so modest and unpretentious, an everyday kind of Guy.

Have just found the booking form copy for the grandstand ticket s Mum bought us just forward of the covered grandstand 12/6p ! Mine is the hysterical voice calling for Mike to hurry up on the Stanley Schofield recordings. I will never forget it.

@@nigelmathewson2915 Wow!I have heard your voice!I always adored SMBH.I saw him in the Senior in 1964,66 and 67.In 1968 I was sitting at the bottom of Bray Hill waiting for the roads to close.I was outside the shop.A gleaming red Aston Martin DB6 pulled up at the junction on my left.I glanced at the driver and it was Mike!He had long hair then.Incidentally I watched the documentary 'An Ordinary Hero' and I was incensed by the way Pauline was made to relive the terrible tragedy of the crash that killed Mike and Michelle.She was terribly upset and I think they should have stopped filming.So I went on the Hailwood website and sent her an email telling her how we all loved her and Mike.Pauline sent me a wonderful reply which I printed out and is one of my most prized possessions.When the perennial question is asked,"Who is the greatest motorcycle racer?"I always reply,"Mike Hailwood is the greatest man ever to race a motorcycle."And it's as simple as that!

Tony thank you for your lovely reply. Both Pauline and David are super people.

I can remember boarding the midnight boat to the Island on a day excursion to this race and crowds were chanting,"AGO...AGO!"I was a Hailwood fan but still adored Agostini.After Hailwood retired Ago basically carried the TT until 1972 which was his last race on the TT circuit.I stood right next to the great man after that 72 Senior ...he was being mobbed by girls some of whom were actually crying with emotion.I had never seen anything like it.But Ago was in no mood to celebrate because his friend Gilberto Parlotti had died in the 125 race earlier that day and Ago swore never to race there again.But he still supported the TT with demo laps and suchlike.He was a great rider and I loved the sound of the 500 MV 3.

True, and what a stylish rider

HAILWOOD. That's H-A-I-L-W-O-O-D. You fucking idiot.

That was the only year I went. Still remember the grass being flatten on the bank at Hillbury as Hailwood went through.

Haha, yeah, that was super subtle. 😃

Three giants - Murray has to be included :)

Peter Roberts, it was Agostini,s 25th Birthday that day.

It was an Italian chain...Regina!

Trivia....Mike wen around to Agostini's hotel in the evening and insisted he came out for a beer with him. He toasted Agostini and publicly declared the better man lost....that is humility of a great man.

I personally met Ago at the Bike Shed show a few years ago & asked him. His words were "I had a lot of trouble with Regina". I was wearing a t-shirt with a large Renold Chain logo on at the time & felt guilty after. At that race, Ago was the ONLY rider not using Renold chain & when he went to the Renold van who were the official chain scrutineers, Ago's chain was a different standard to Renold & therefore didn't have a chain to fit his sprockets.

no it wasn't it was an Italian chain ,Ken Sprayson of Renolds said so at the finish.

The Renold Racing manager Vic Doyle also made a point of it not being their chain at the pits when it happened. I was told by others I know that were there that Vic came running out to the pits waving his arms stating "it's not ours!"

Sounds like Murray had spent some time in Mike's company at a party or two! :-)

@@eventcone Murray adored Mike.He said he was the nicest person he ever knew.

He said he preferred commentating on the TT as apposed to F1, what an accolade. But the latter gave him more exposure.

Phwwaooorrr!! Out in front.good job Sheene wasn't there! He'd have shagged it.