Hailwood's World Championship Honda 350-4 comes to Broadford! Feb 09

The priceless machine is owned by Bob Heath, himself a highly successful racer with no fewer than 11 Isle of Man Manx Grand Prix wins to his name. Heath is also a former works rider and factory tester for BSA. In 1966, Hailwood won six of the eight 350cc Grands Prix he contested on the RC173 Honda, which was replaced with the 297cc six-cylinder RC174 for the 1967 season. The factory gave the 1966 machine to Hailwood in appreciation for his title win. For most of the 1970s, it was displayed in the Donington Park museum, along with two of Hailwood's 500cc 4-cylinder Hondas and a large collection of his trophies. At one stage, the crankshaft of the 350-4 was removed for renovation, and mysteriously disappeared.

Some years after Mike's tragic death in 1981, his widow Pauline decided to sell part of this collection, including the now-incomplete 350. Heath, who formed a highly successful business making replacement helmet visors, decided he had to have the machine, and secured it at auction for a total cost of _169,000 in 1997. Then began the daunting task of returning the machine to running condition - a two-year process that involved building a new crankshaft, including rods and pistons, from scratch, as well as renovating the rest of the DOHC 4-valve engine and six-speed gearbox. Since its completion in 2000, Heath has demonstrated the Honda at numerous events, including the Goodwood Festival of Speed, where the sound of the four open megaphones at 13,000 rpm is a real crowd stopper. Special dispensation has been obtained to allow the raucous Honda to run in its original unmuffled trim at Broadford. Bob Heath and the RC173 Honda will take to the track during the Star Sessions on both days of the Broadford event, along with a galaxy of other former racing greats on a mouth-watering line up of racing machinery, many of which have not been seen in public for years.

For more information contact the event coordinator, Peter Drakeford, on 0422 299 003.