From Passenger to World Champion
 John, now in his 70s, began his illustrious career on motorcycles in 1949 as passenger for his father, a top sidecar racer.
But by 1950 he was competing in road race events on his own account - initially as a privateer on a modified Triumph Tiger 70 and later on Vincents and Nortons.
By 1953 - at the age of 19 - he had been invited to ride for the celebrated Norton works team. Two years later he was spearheading MV Agusta's 350cc and 500cc campaigns.
In his first year with the Italian team, he won the first of his world titles - the 500cc World Championship.
Over the following four seasons he went on to capture six further World Championships on the legendary red and silver machines - a feat which was acknowledged publicly in 1959 when he was awarded the MBE in the Queen's Birthday Honours list.
Throughout that year and 1960 he continued racing on two wheels for the Gallarate-based concern but, at the suggestion of the late Mike Hawthorn and others, eventually put his skills to the test on four wheels.
Picture: In the chair on Dad's 1000cc Vincent
|