Book Review

BOOK REVIEW

MY SON MIKE,

MY SON MIKE, by Stan Hailwood, $1.50 (plus 4% California sales tax, plus 10( mailing and handling). CYCLE WORLD Books, Box 20220, Long Beach, Calif. 90801. Published by Motor Cycle News, England. Available in February, 1967.

ENGLAND’S FAMED REG DEARDON’S foreword to “My Son Mike” states that no words of praise and credit can give Stanley Michael Bailey Hailwood, or “Mike the bike” what he so richly deserves. This is the story of fabled world champion Mike Hailwood’s life-long affair with motorcycles. He began blowing off the competition when he was in his teens, and was hailed as a “natural” by many from the beginning. His story is told candidly and amusingly by his father, Stan Sr., who is almost as much of a figure in international racing as Mike.

Hailwood rode many machines throughout his career, but earned most of his glory on Manx Nortons, MV Agustas, and now, of course, Honda. He also rode AJS, Triumph, Ducati, and like many road racers of international calibre, often returns to an old love of riding his trials Greeves. He began his racing career as ballast on his father’s Cotton sidecar scrambles rig. The long, hard road to the top is detailed with interesting and entertaining anecdotes of Mike and other international personalities. Though printed on inexpensive stock, and more a magazine than a book — all the facts are there, written with the personal insight only a father can convey. JCP