Hailwood well down

Press, 9 June 1978, Page 4

Hailwood well down

NZPA staff correspondent London The Isle of Man T.T. “comeback hero,” Mike Hailwood, rode into twelfth place in the junior 250 cu. cm T.T. race yesterday. The British world champion of the 19605, who now lives in Auckland, averaged a comparatively sedate 155.98 km/h on the twisting 60.75 km circuit—nearly 7 km/h slower than the race winner, Charles Mortimer (England) also on a Yamaha. Mortimer won the race by 30sec from Charlie Williams (U.K.) and an Irishman, Tom Herron—winner of the 500 cu. cm senior T.T. on Monday. Hailwood said yesterday he had had “no intention of doing anything as silly as .trying to win” prior to the Formula One T.T. last Sunday for machines of up to 1000 cu. cm. Writing a column in the specialist newspaper “Motor Cycle Week” Hailwood said it was only the night before the big race that he really discovered just how fast he could go on his 864 cu. cm Ducati. As he realised he had the required speed to win the race “the old adrenalin started flowing ... it really was just like old times as I worked out my race strategy.” In the event, Hailwood won the

race to give him yet another world championship title and a fairytale start to his first T.T. campaign In more than a decade. “1 must admit I nearly had a little cry, a little weep, when I got off the bike and the realisation that 1 had won hit me. I just couldn’t believe it for a while.’