Motorcycle Hero: Jim Redman

20 May 2016

Motorcycle Hero: Jim Redman

Honda's Grand Prix victory trendsetter

John Newman

Motorcycleheroes

Grand Prix motorcycle racing started in 1949, but it wasn't until the '60s that Honda, now the world's most successful racing manufacturer, really came onto the scene. And if there's one rider in particular who Honda has to thank for setting this foundation for world domination, it's Jim Redman.

James Albert Redman MBE was born in West Hampstead, London on 8th November 1931. His emigration to Rhodesia came 21 years later, soon accompanied by his three siblings – all of whom, by this time, were orphaned.

Redman's father had committed suicide in 1949 after his involvement in WW2, as a driver of ammunition lorries in north Africa. His mother died of a cerebral haemorrhage just 27 days later. Redman and his one-year-older sister, Jackie, had to fight to keep their remaining family together, as authorities wanted to take their 11-year-old twin brother and sister to an orphanage.

A race to the top

After this tragic and heartbreaking start, Redman began to focus on his racing career by gaining experience on his home (now Rhodesia) tracks. He became affiliated with John Love, a Rhodesian racer, who would impart his knowledge to him in exchange for Redman's help maintaining Love's bikes. Redman rode his first bike race in 1954, coming seventh on Love's 500cc Triumph Grand Prix twin. In 1957, and on an AJS 7R single, he won the 350cc South African Championship.

By 1960, Redman had moved back to Europe in search of Grand Prix success. He managed to gain factory rides in selected races with Honda during part of the season and was regularly scoring top-six places. By 1961, he had secured a contract with Honda as a works rider and, just one year later, he had won his first two World Championships (in the 250cc and 350cc classes).

The speed at which Redman raced to the top was astonishing. By now he was easily one of Honda's best riders. He had also gained incredible influence within the team and in 1963, after threatening to quit in dismay at then Honda manager, Roy Armstrong's tactics, was appointed new Team Manager and Captain.

He quickly became one of the sport's best-paid riders - his salary in '61 was £3,500 and was £15,000 by '65 (the equivalent today of around £72,000 and £270,000 respectively). He won both the 250cc and 350cc World Championships again in 1963, and would win the 350cc in '64 and '65 also, giving him four consecutive years of World Championship success.

'We grew to live with it'

But all this success hadn't come at an easy price. In the early years of the Grand Prix, racing was extremely dangerous. The riders' outfits didn't provide the sort of protection that they do today, and medical facilities left a lot to be desired. Many racers died during Redman's career, and this was something he later claimed he and his colleagues 'grew to live with'.

1962 was a particularly catastrophic year. Five racers were contending for the 350cc title: Mike Hailwood, Tom Phillis, Bob McIntyre, Gary Hocking, and Redman himself. By the end of the season, three of them were dead. Redman later reported asking Hailwood 'what shall we do – stop?', to which Hailwood replied 'No, make a will'.

'Everyone should experience the euphoria of victory'

Had Redman had stopped, he wouldn't have achieved his extraordinary feat in 1964, in being the first rider ever to have claimed three Grand Prix victories in one day (in the 150cc, 250cc and 350cc classes). He wasn't even supposed to be riding in the 150cc class but was standing in for an injured rider, Luigi. He was told he was too tall and heavy to ride such a bike and wasn't expected to get anywhere in the race. Still, he won it, and the other two races, all the while setting new race and lap records, naturally. Funnily enough, Mike Hailwood is the only other rider to have ever achieved this hat-trick, which he did in 1967. Redman has since stated that this was the best day of his life. He was awarded MBE for his achievement.

Redman claims that his strategy in racing has always been to win, and at the slowest speed possible, only going all-out when he really had to; there was no bonus for fastest lap records, but a huge bonus for riding as safely as possible when possible: life.

The incident that ended it all

Redman's career came to an end in 1966, when he was injured racing his RC181 at the Belgium Grand Prix. After being thrown off his bike, breaking his left arm and right leg, he landed in water, apparently having to tell the frantic paramedics to slow down while he explained that he would need to be lifted by his remaining good arm and leg.

The ambulance was taking a long time to arrive, and Redman was refused a helicopter because it was deemed too costly an option. He eventually got picked up by an ambulance which, rather than take him to a hospital as it should have done, took him to the pit. Someone had wrapped a big jacket around Redman once he was out of the water, and he claimed that this is what saved his life. The entire incident, which soon ended his career, aged 35, goes to show the brutality of racing in the '60s and perhaps makes us realise just how professionally such accidents are handled today.

Redman carries on...

Since his retirement, Redman has published two books: Wheels of Fortune (1966) and Six Times World Motorcycle Champion – The Autobiography (2013). Although he'd had other successful business ventures, his passion for racing remained, and in 1995 he took part in and won, the Daytona Speedway race. He once again took up a career in racing, this time as a classic racer and demonstration rider.

Redman still rides today, aged almost 85. He travels a lot, attends many festivals and race days, and has been married three times, claiming that his love for both the female form and bikes is the reason he's remained fit and healthy throughout his life.