Mike Hailwood – MV Agusta 500cc racer –1964 1 hour world record Daytona –photo 1

Description

A superb and rare photo of the absolutely magnificent
Mike Hailwood
seen in world record breaking action during the
February 1964 Daytona world record attempt
with the magnificent
M.V. Agusta 500cc four cylinder factory racer
. He would break the one-hour world speed record with a speed of
144.22 mph
(
232.10 km/h
)
!
In preparation for the 1964 US Grand Prix at Daytona a reporter made a casual mark to Stan Hailwood, Mike’s father who is also visible on this image (holding his hat up in the air close and next to the track), about breaking the established world one-hour speed record while they were chatting in the lobby of the old Daytona Speedway Holiday Inn. British rider Bob McIntyre had the
143 mph
record at that point which was set at the hard and bumpy
Monza
circuit. Stan Hailwood rented the track for the sum of 1,000 US$ and convinced Count Domenico Agusta to let them have a go at the record before the Grand Prix on Saturday. On a spare MV 500 works bike, riding clockwise on the oval, Hailwood broke the record and also
won
the Grand Prix later in the week!
AND
he went on to win the 1964 500cc World Championship that year with MV Agusta!
Mike Hailwood
is one of the greatest racers, if not the absolute greatest, racers of all time. He was known as "
Mike The Bike
" because of his natural riding ability. Later in his career he went on to compete in Formula One auto racing, becoming one of the few men to compete at the Grand Prix level on motorcycles and in auto racing. Mike Hailwood was born at Langsmeade House Great Milton in Oxfordshire, His father, who also raced in the pre-World War II era, owned a large motorcycle distributorship and young Hailwood was raised in relative affluence. He began riding at an early age, starting on a minibike as a small boy. He learned to ride in an eight-acre field near his home and wore an oval track from the constant laps he rode on Sunday afternoons after church. He was educated at
Pangbourne
College
, but left early and worked for a short time in the family business before his father sent him to work at Triumph motorcycles. He married Pauline Barbara Nash on
11 June 1975
and had a son and a daughter. Hailwood first raced on
22 April 1957
, at
Oulton
Park
. Barely 17, he finished in 11th place, but was soon winning on a regular basis. By 1961, Hailwood was racing for a Japanese upstart factory named Honda. Riding a four-stroke, four-cylinder 250cc Honda, Hailwood won the 1961 250cc world championship. In 1962, Hailwood signed with MV Agusta and went on to become the first rider to win four consecutive 500cc World Championships. After his success with MV Agusta, Hailwood went back to Honda and won four more world titles in 1966 and
1967 in
the 250cc and 350cc categories. Hailwood is perhaps best known for his accomplishments at the renowned Isle of Man TT. By 1967, he had won 12 times on the infamous island mountain course including three straight wins during the 1961 event. He won what many historians consider to be the most dramatic
Isle of Man
race of all time, the 1967 Senior TT against his great rival, Giacomo Agostini. In 1968, Honda pulled out of Grand Prix racing, but paid Hailwood £50,000 (equivalent to over £620,000 or US.1m at 2006 prices) not to ride for another team, in expectation of keeping him as its rider upon return to competition. But Hailwood would never return to motorcycle racing on a full-time basis, instead electing to pursue a career in auto racing. While he never attained the success in cars that he had on motorcycles, Hailwood became a respected driver in Formula One and World Sports Cars. He won the 1972 Formula Two European title and earned a podium finish at the 24 Hours of LeMans. He participated in 50 Formula One Grands Prix, debuting in the British Grand Prix on
July 20, 1963
. He achieved two podium finishes, and scored a total of 29 championship points. Hailwood earned the admiration of fans and fellow drivers when in the 1973 South African Grand Prix, he went to pull Clay Regazzoni from his burning car after the two collided on the second lap of the race. Hailwood's driving suit caught fire, but after being extinguished by a fire marshall he returned to help rescue Regazzoni, an act for which he was awarded the George Medal, the 2nd highest gallantry award that a British civilian can be awarded. He left Formula One after being injured at the 1974 German Grand Prix at the Nürburgring. In 1978, after an 11 year hiatus from motorcycling, Hailwood performed a now legendary comeback at the Isle of Man TT. Few observers believed the 38 year old would be competitive after such a long absence. Riding on a Ducati 900SS, he was not only competitive, but managed a hugely popular win. He raced the following year at the Isle of Man TT before retiring for good at the age of 39. He retired with 76 Grand Prix victories, 14 Isle of Man TT wins and 9 World Championships. He was awarded the Segrave Trophy in 1979. The FIM named him a Grand Prix "Legend" in 2000. He was inducted into the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame in 2000 and the International Motorsports Hall of Fame in 2001.
M.V. Agusta
began as an offshoot of the Agusta aviation company which was formed by Count Giovanni Agusta in 1923. The Count died in 1927, leaving the company in the hands of his wife and sons, Domenico (on the photo), Vincenzo, Mario and Corrado. Count Vincenzo Agusta together with his brother Domenico formed MV Agusta (the MV stood for Meccanica Verghera) at the end of the Second World War as a means to save the jobs of employees of the Agusta firm and also to fill the post-war need for cheap, efficient transportation. Count Vincenzo and Domenico Agusta had a passion for mechanical workings and for motorcycle racing. They were determined to have the best Grand Prix motorcycle racing team in the world and spared no expense on their passion. They achieved this goal by hiring some of the best riders of the time, namely Carlo Ubbiali, John Surtees, Mike Hailwood, Giacomo Agostini, Phil Read, and others, and having the best engineers, most notably Arturo Magni. The fire-engine red racing machines became a hallmark of Grand Prix racing in the 1960s and early 1970s, winning 17 consecutive 500 cc World Championships, and 63 World Championships overall. With the death of Count Domenico Agusta in 1971, the company lost its guiding force. The company won their last Grand Prix in 1976 and by 1980, stopped producing motorcycles altogether. The Agusta aviation branch continued on with its successful helicopter business. Interestingly, MV produced their first prototype, ironically called "Vespa," in 1945. After learning of Piaggio's brand new motorscooter of the same name, it was changed to MV 98. The company successfully manufactured small-displacement, quintessential Café racer style motorcycles (mostly 125-350 cc) through the 1950s and 1960s, followed by the big four cylinder 600cc and 750cc bikes in the 1960s and 1970s.
This is a very nice and very rare
non period
photo that reflects a wonderful era motorcycle history in a wonderful way. This is your rare chance to own this photo, therefore it is printed in a nice large format of ca. 8" x 10" (ca. 20 x
26 cm
). It makes it perfectly suitable for framing!
We have more photos of Mike Hailwood on various machines. Please check out our Ebay auctions and take advantage of our shipping discount! You can always contact us for any requests. Please check out our Ebay auctions and take advantage of our shipping discount!
Shipping costs will only be $ 7.00 regardless of how many photos you buy.   For 5 or more photos, shipping is free!
(Note: A. Herl, Inc. does not appear on photo, for ebay purposes only)
No copyright expressed or implied. Sold as collectable item only. We are clearing out our archives that we have gathered from various sources.
All items always sent well protected in PVC clear files
and board backed envelopes.
We have photographs that came from professional collections and/or were bought from the original photographer or press studio! They are all of professional and excellent quality.
After many decades of professionally collecting photographs and posters we are clearing out our archives. They make the perfect gift and are perfectly suited for framing. They will look gorgeous unframed and will be a true asset nicely framed with a border. They are a gorgeous and great asset in every home, workshop, workplace, restaurant, bar or club!
First come - first served. And you can always contact us for your requests. Please ask any questions before the auction ends.