MIKE HAIL WOOD'S MACHINES
Until 1965 Mike Hailwood was signed to the prestigious MV Agusta team, whose dominance in the World Championship 500cc class seemed limitless. But at the end of the 1965 season Hailwood signed to the highly ambitious and progressive Honda factory.The move kick-started one of the most exciting battles in motorcycle history – that of Honda and MV Agusta. And for the 1966 season all eyes were on Honda’s riders and weaponry, especially one particular 250cc: the mighty Honda Six.
In Part Seven, Firing on all six cylinders, Rachael Clegg tells the story of the ’66 season’s Six.
LATE IN THE 1965 RACING SEASON, A HEAP OF envelopes dropped on Mike Hailwood’s doormat. Among them was a letter with a Japanese stamp on it. It was a telegram from Honda, a telegram Mike hesitated to open for some time.
“I looked at it for ages without thinking about opening it,” he said in
