One of the most loved riders of all times, Hailwood was the initiator of the "frog" style, with knees pointing outwards. He raced and won in all the classes, including 125, which certainly was not suited to his height. He rode difficult motorcycles such as the MZ 250 and the first Honda 500 to victory. He reached the finish lines despite some frightening falls. He won a TT race even after spending years away from the world of motorcycling and a nasty car accident, still with a manner marked by exemplary fairness with his rivals. Born into a wealthy family in Oxford in 1940, he started racing at the early age of 17 with the help of a sizeable cheque he received from his father that he used to buy a semi-official MV.

He became "official" in 1961, and was MV’s leading man after Hocking pulled out in 1962. He then won four consecutive titles with the 500 from 1962 to 1965. He went to Honda in 1966, and his memorable duels with former team-mate Agostini elated and divided up fans. After turning to car racing with satisfactory results, Mike the Bike made occasional appearances in motorcycle races in 1971 and in brilliant TT exploits of 1978 and 1979. As a mocking sign of fate, he died in an ordinary road accident together with his young daughter Michelle on 22 March 1981.