Thursday 26 July 2012

Racing Legends Interview


"The man with the JL helmet" – Mick Grant 

Ask any fan of Kawasaki bikes from 1970’s era which rider he remembers as standing out and most will say Yorkshireman, Mick Grant. He and Suzuki’s Barry Sheene virtually dominated top flight racing in the UK for a number of years in the heady days of flares, three day weeks, power cuts and glam rock.

A friendly no-nonsense rider, Mick Grant
Speed trapped at his beloved TT at 191mph on a KR750 that he now owns, Grant became synonymous with the fearsome 750cc triple while also achieving International Grand Prix success on the innovative KR250 tandem twin that would take another Kawasaki legend, Kork Ballington, to multiple world titles.

Having just published his well received and engaging biography, Takin’ the Mick, Kawasaki News UK caught up with Mick Grant and asked him about his classic lime green racing days as well as getting the low down on his thoughts about contemporary racing.

Kawasaki News UK (KNUK): Mick, many poeple will remember the heyday of you on the Kawasaki triples, but how did you actually start out with the big K ?

That was way back in 1973 and via John Durrance who was the main man at Agrati Sales, the Nottingham company that imported Kawasaki bikes before Kawasaki UK was even formed.  
I was asked to ride for Padgetts of Batley at the TT. It started out that I would ride a Yamaha TZ350, but Padgett’s wanted me to ride an H1R, an air-cooled, three cylinder Kawasaki race bike. To be honest, I was in two minds, agreed to ride the Kawasaki as I got a feeling there would be more opportunities but the Kawasaki than being among the hoard of Yamaha riders. It turned out better than me or anyone else could hope for with a third place podium behind Agostini and Pegani
On his way to Isle of Man victory on the H1R 500

KNUK:  The biking scene in the 1970’s was huge in the UK, what do you put that down to?

Bikes in general were more accepted, there were simply more of them about. Remember, there was still a big commuter market then and it was not unusual for many households to have some kind of bike, moped or scooter.

The 1970’s was still a time when cars were expensive compared to bikes and for many people they were the only easily accessible, affordable transport. It kind of fed off itself, the publicity bikes got, the more that sold. Certainly that was why Kawasaki went racing, not just to establish itself as a performance brand, but to create awareness of the whole range as it expanded.

KNUK: Obvious question then, did you have a Kawasaki road bike?

Yes I had a 900cc Z1B which was presented to me in light of the success I was having on the tracks – especially wins at the TT and North West 200. It was not a showpiece though, I had it registered and used it all over the place.

KNUK: And Kawasaki as a company, what were they like to work with as well as the race team and the fledgling dealer network.

Well, from 1975 I had a formal racing contract which lasted four years which gave tremendous security. Of course it was always my ambition to make a living out of racing, but there were so many people vying for rides a contract with a factory team was like gold dust, just like it is now in fact. I have to say it was the best time in my racing career, the bikes, the competition with other riders and playing a part in establishing Kawasaki as a name in the UK bike market were all equally stimulating and important.

It has to be said that there were some people at Kawasaki in the very early days that did not fully understand the need to go racing, but that soon changed when we not only won MCN bike of the year several times in a row, but also sold lots of race bikes as well. Remember, this was a time when manufacturers would produce runs of bespoke racing bikes to sell as there was less emphasis on production based racing back then.

I was in Yorkshire and the bikes were prepared and stored in Bromley, Kent at Boyers run by Team Manager, Stan Shenton. There were few gentlemen riders like Hailwood, but mostly it were lads who had some knowledge of fixing up bikes themselves and so working on the bikes or making suggestions for changes and upgrades was sort of second nature. As Kawasaki Motors UK became established after taking over from Agrati, I tried to do as much as I could racing and promotional wise, I had a great relationship with the UK Kawasaki MD, Mr Ashida. In fact he still stands out as one of the most memorable and impressive figures during my Kawasaki career.

Then, as now, Grand Prix’s were worthy of special attention – the Japanese from the factory gave any Grand Prix entry all their support which was simply amazing to be at the centre of.

KNUK: So that means you got out into the dealer network too presumably?

Yes – I did a lot of road safety work – especially at schools and with young people at dealerships. I used to start the talk by saying “riding on the road is just the same as racing a motorcycle”.. that would really get the kids going, and the teachers too!.. I’d go on to say that you had to look ahead, anticipate and match your speed to the conditions. It was nice to relate to the youngsters and make motorcycles acceptable to the next generation just like the GetOn campaign now being run by the motorcycle industry.

In fact I actually took and passed my advanced motorcycle test at the time on my Z1B 900 which I am proud of. It certainly makes a difference to today when so many racers don’t even have a motorcycle licence to ride on the road.

KNUK: You rode with some of the greats Mick. Who impressed you the most, Sheene, Roberts, Agostini or someone else?

I had a great respect for both Barry and Kenny as riders and businessmen, they were smooth operators on and off the track. Barry especially elevated bike racing to a new status in the UK which all of us owe him a debt for. On balance, I would say that Roberts edged Sheene on riding ability but it was a really fine line between ‘em. Of all the riders that I competed against though, one stands out above the rest, Jarno Saarinen.

He passed away far too young at Imola in 1973, and certainly too young to be more widely recognised for his amazing talent.

Why did I rate him so highly? Well I personally saw him arrive at a track he had never seen before and get on lap record pace within three laps, only a true great could do something like that and man he was fast, really, really fast.

KNUK: As far as your race bikes went, were you hands on or hands off? How much were you allowed to do with the KR750

Well, for the start, there were no electronics or data logging and the like. We had the bike and that was it. In their day the air-cooled 750cc H2R and the later water-cooled KR750’s were really competitive. We had three engine specs from what you might call mild to wild. They were never much trouble and despite being simple piston ported two strokes they never “nipped up” like some of the small ‘strokers I’d ridden. That said the cranks did have a short life and you had to make sure they were changed according to their service limits. For short races we never had any issues, but long races on the stage three motor were more of a gamble as you might say. The bike went like a rocket, but remember rockets also go bang, so we did live on the edge a bit when we used the most powerful motors.

Brands Hatch late 70's with the MCN "Girls"
KNUK: After the triples you had success on the KR series winning the 1977 Belgian 250 Grand Prix. Were the KR’s winners – if you will excuse us – from the word Go ?

In an uncanny repeat of my Kawasaki TT debut on the H1R, I rode an early KR250 at Ontario in 1975 and finished on the podium in third, this time behind Kenny Roberts and Yvonne Du Hammel and ahead of the then World Champion, Walter Villa.

I said to Mick Uchida the Kawasaki UK Managing Director of the time, “We have to have these 250’s, we can win a World Championship with these I am sure”.

The first bikes vibrated a lot but that was because they were a tandem twin design like two single cylinder engines one behind the other but with the cranks joined by gears. Those early examples had both cranks spinning in the same direction – as soon as the cranks were geared to counter-rotate, the vibration disappeared and we had a sure fire race winner on our hands.
When you think of it, there was me, Kork Ballington of course and the likes of Toni Mang, Jean François Balde and even Eddie Lawson among many others who achieved success on the 250 and its bigger 350cc brother.

In fact I rode the first ever KR350 as soon as it was built by the factory race shop in Akashi,  Japan. The race facility was part of the factory complex so we just chimed the KR up in the service road and I whizzed it up and down a few times. It was just like a scene from a slapstick comedy when a guy walked across the road with a ladder over his shoulder as I shot past on a Grand Prix bike…he must have got the shock of his life!

KNUK: For all riders, injury is a dark thought at the back of their mind. What was the worst that you sustained?

I can recall it straight away. It was in 1979 when I was at the NW200 which, although a more simple track than the TT, is just as unforgiving. I slid off and hit what police call “road furniture” or to a layman, a telephone box. For my troubles I broke a number of ribs and, more painfully, my pelvis which was an agonising and long winded recovery.

When people ask me how you avoid injury as a bike racer, my answer is always the same, “try and fall off on the slower corners and you will be alright”. If you can keep a straight face while you’re saying it, the effect is always much better!

KNUK: Given that were are talking about the NW200, how easy was it for you to adapt to road racing?

You have to remember, when I started racing in earnest some of the Grand Prix venues like Spa and Imatra were still genuine road circuits. If you consider the fact that, in Yorkshire, we had an ingrained tradition of riding at circuits like Oliver’s Mount, which is little more than a race round some lanes in a public park, you’ll understand that the TT course almost seemed like a motorway in comparison. 

In the 1970’s we would often finish a race at Brands Hatch on a Sunday in June and have a light aircraft waiting at a local airfield and fly straight to the Isle of Man .  I actually remember one occasion where I landed at Ronaldsway still wearing my leathers and, with my helmet under my arm, caught a taxi to the Glencrutchery Road where Nigel Everett was standing warming the bike up. I got out of the taxi, put my lid on and shot down Bray Hill just in time for my first lap of that year’s TT practice - memorable times indeed!

This was the 1977 TT where the KR750 was clocked at 191mph 
KNUK: Bringing things bang up to date, how do you rate modern racing and racers like Kawasaki WSB rider, Tom Sykes ?

I think it was Sterling Moss who said that in his day it was 50% the car and 50% the driver and that now in Grand Pirx it was 90% the car and only 10% the driver. Well I think there has been a similar effect in bike racing – although not to the same degree. A bike still has to be balanced and the power managed more than a car, but the so-called “rider aids” on modern race bikes – and the degree of adjustability – is something we never had in the 70’s and 80’s.

People say Rossi would shine on whatever he rode, but I don’t think so. Put him on an average bike and he would do better than average but not excel; it’s simply not possible in the modern environment of multi million pound teams

One thing Rossi has got though is the vital element that bonds current and past great riders, a good supporting team.

Someone like Jerry Burgess makes a  huge difference for Rossi, the sort of difference Erv Kanemoto made to Roberts making the rider and team a complete, cohesive and unbeatable racing package. Tom needs to feel that support on and off the bike. Now he is in a fully supported factory team he will have the confidence and support to allow him to concentrate fully on the job in hand.

There’s no doubt he has the talent and the latest ZX-10R is already looking formidable. I think he is a race winner and, with my Kawasaki hat on, I’d like nothing better than see him win on a lime green Ninja.

KNUK: You are obviously still immersed in the current world of racing, but how do you actually fill your days.

Yes, I keep in touch and, thankfully, my advice is sought by today’s crop of riders which is really flattering, but there’s nothing formal, just one ex racer talking to a current one most of the time.
At home I have built up a workshop over the years and I disappear in there for hours on end restoring bikes and generally fettling stuff like the KR750 that was presented to me by Kawasaki and which I still ride at parade laps in the UK and Europe.

I’ve also just finished building a Greeves Silverstone and planning my next visit to South Africa to soak up some winter sun and ride a few bikes, so I can’t complain. Of course there’s the TT and the Manx to look forward to as well and a few other projects on the go including promoting my biography. In truth I don’t have much time on my hands, in fact the days are just not long enough to pack it all in.

KNUK: Ok, we’ll end on the clincher! Tell us if there is anything you would change if you could from your long and eventful career?

In a word,No. Perhaps I could have got into the Grand Prix scene sooner, but that is hardly a major regret. I had 19 successful years doing what I wanted to do which was racing motorcycles. Honestly speaking, I would have done it for nothing if I didn’t have mountains of bills to pay. I am not a millionaire but I haven’t been silly either. And, to paraphrase my book, I’ve never “taken the Mick” and truthfully enjoyed every minute of it. 





Note: This article originally appeared in a shorter form in GO Magazine, the twice yearly publication of the Kawasaki Riders Club. For more information go to: Kawasaki Riders Club web site

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