PEOPLE
It is safe to say that no motorcycle racer has ever divided public opinion more than Phil Read MBE, who died in October last year at the age of 83. There were many who rightly admired him for his achievements (after all, his eight World Championships could in no way be ignored). There were many more that perceived his intense self-belief as arrogance and disliked him accordingly. Neither of those attitudes appeared to affect the man himself. With his mental clarity engendered by the aforementioned intense self-belief allied to massive self-confidence, he always did things his way. To him, his actions were clear and logical. And right from the early days of his career, it was ever thus.
One of the most insightful magazine pieces about Phil was written by well-respected motorcycle journalist, David Dixon, who was the first to describe him as an enigma. As such, his comments are well worth repeating here: “Phil is one of our most accomplished riders but there are so few who know him offtrack that he has remained something of an enigma. Before the start of a race his attitude is tense and he seems to become oblivious to all around him. You may get an answer from him but it is liable to be brusque and almost inaudible. You may find at this point that he has little time for people and things that do not directly concern him. So you wander off and mentally tab him as unapproachable, maybe even rude. This is unfortunate, for away from the noise and bustle of the pre-race atmosphere at the track he presents a different picture altogether – much more at ease and full of boyish fun”.
It was
