ClassicRacer 27
“I had to bargepast him on atricky
right-hand bendthat normally Iwouldhave
had morerespectfor,but Ihad to take big
riskscomingfromthe backifIwas goingto
catch Phil.
“Once Icaught him, Ijustsat behindhim.
Phil maintainedagoodrhythm, and in no time
we had leftthe othersfar behind.This timeI
had the extra speed and so Iwaited forthe
right momenttoovertake.
“With threelaps to go to the finishingline,
Isaw achancetogoahead. We’d just reached
aslowergroup of riders and Ishotpast Phil
and overtookthem.
“Phil pulled out all the stops,taking all
kindsofriskstotry and passme, but Iknewit
wastoo late forhim –fromnow on he would
not be abletodoit.
“Racingisalot in your mind. Iknewthat
Icould beatPhil and that wasall therewas
to it. It wasn’t being hopeful or confident but
simply absolute,100%certaintythat Iwas
goingtowin.Nobullshit or bragging–just
total certainty that Iwas goingtowin.
“WhatIdidn’t want wasarepeatofthe 250
race –that hadbeentoo closefor comfort and
Ihad takentoo manyrisks. IknewPhilwanted
revenge, butIhad the speed advantage,soI
just got my headdown and took off.
“I finished six secondsaheadofPhil, and
smashedthe lap record, with all of the firstsix
finishers beatingHugh Anderson’s old record.
“The increasein speedwas thanksin part
to Phil and me because our battle had carried
thefield alongwith us.Whythisdayratessohighly
In the last15years, Ihave beenprivileged
to knowJim Redmanwell.Heisfun,kind,
courrttteousand thecomplete professional
to workwithbut,beneaththesmiles
and easygraceinmeetingfans, he is
SAStough. CrossJim,evenat 83 years
of age,orshowanydisrespectforhis
achievements,andyouwillplaceyourself
inrealphysicaldanger.
It’sthisphysicalandmentaltoughness
thatgaveJimthreeGPwinsinaday–
unquestionablythegreatestachievement
everinmotorcycleracing.Idon’tlookat
theclassicracingeraandsaythatthese
werethebestridersever.Howcanyou
whenyouuuseeMarquezslideaMotoGP
bikeonthhhefrontwheelat 175 mph?But
whatyoucansayaboutJimandhis
contempooorariesisthattheywerephysically
andmentttallytough beyondbelief.
Theywwwerebroughtupduringthe
SecondWWWorldWarwheneveryoneknew
someoneeewhohadbeenkilled.WhenJim
wenttoschoolkidswereroutinelyslapped
byteacheeers andpunishedwithcanes,
leatherstttrapsoranythingelse thatwas to
hand.Beiiinghardwasn’talifestylechoice- itwaslife.
Asateeeenager,Jimdidn’tdowork
experienccce–heexperiencedworktoput
foodonthetableforhisfamily.Without
hiseffffforrtttsss,thefamilywouldhavegone
coldandhungry.
Healsooopossessedsupremeself-
belief.Thiiisisnotthesorrtttofbraggadocio
youseeooonmodernsocial mediaorthe
professiooonalPR talkthattutoredriders
giveatprrressconferences.Jimdidn’t
believe,ooorhope,orplantowinthreeraces
thatbakinnngsummer’sdayinHolland –he
knewbeforeeveryGodinthe multiverse
thathewwwouldbesuccessful.Ordinary
morrtttalscccan only imaginewhatitmust be
liketohavvvethatmuchtrustinoneself.
Thebeeestbikes,thebestridersandthe
toughestconditions–Jimbeatthemall.
TTThhhiiisssiiissswwwhhhythe 1964 DutchTTwasthe
greatestachievementinthehistoryof
motorcycleracing–andalwayswillbe.
“Hugh Anderson, not known for
throwingcompliments aroundtoo readily,
shook my handwarmly,saying, ‘Brilliant,
bloodybrilliant!’Hispraisemeantalot
to me sinceitcame fromanindividualI
respected immensely.
“The 125race wasthe third of the dayand
it completedmy hat-trick. At the end of the
dayIwasexhausted,but so satisfied –Ihad
wonthree races and beatensix records.
“I wasbone wearyasIclimbedthe
rostrum to stand on thetop stepagainbut I
knewthat Ihad achievedsomething that no
manhad everdone before –threeGPs in one
dayfor aman too bigfor a250 or a125!
“The crowd waswonderfuland went crazy
and youcan imaginemy feelings as Ilooked
outoverit, wonderingcould anythingbe
better than this?
“Lotsofriders wouldliketowin threeGPs
in alifetime and Ihad doneit in one day!
“A lthough Iwas totallyexhausted at the
endofthe race,Iwas stillpumped up.After
anice hotshowerbackatthe hotelit wasoff
to prize-givingtocollect allmytrophies and
enjoythe party. Anditwas abloodygood
partytoo!022 Jim Redman_SEP.indd 27 02/08/201710:38:01