Mick Grant

For other people named Michael Grant, see Michael Grant (disambiguation).

Mick Grant
Mick Grant at Parliament Square, Ramsey, Isle of Man demonstrating a 1980s Suzuki during a Classic Parade in 2007
Nationality	British
Motorcycle racing career statistics Grand Prix motorcycle racing Active years 1970 – 1984 First race 1970 350cc Isle of Man TT Last race 1984 500cc British Grand Prix First win 1975 500cc Isle of Man TT Last win 1977 250cc Swedish Grand Prix Team(s) Kawasaki, Honda Starts Wins Podiums Poles F. laps Points 25 3 9 1 3 143 Isle of Man TT career TTs contested 16 (1970 – 1985) TT wins 7 First TT win 1974 Production 750 TT Last TT win 1985 Production 750 TT Podiums 16

Mick Grant (born 10 July 1944) is an English former professional motorcycle road racer and TT rider. A works-supported rider for Norton, Kawasaki, Honda and Suzuki, he is a seven-time winner of the Isle of Man TT motorcycle race on various bikes, including 'Slippery Sam', a three-cylinder Triumph Trident. For British racing fans of the 1970s, the soft-spoken, down-to-earth Yorkshireman from Wakefield, provided a sharp contrast to the brash, playboy image presented by Londoner Barry Sheene.

Grant racing in the North West 200 in Portrush, 1975

The son of a coal miner, Grant began his racing career as a privateer, entering his first Manx Grand Prix in 1969 on a Velocette 500 cc, and his first TT in the following year, again using the Velocette and placing 18th in the Junior (350 cc) class on a Lee-sponsored Yamaha TD2.

Later supported by businesses including Clive Padgett, heading Padgetts of Batley, on TD2 250 cc and TR2 350 cc Yamahas, and Brian Davidson of John Davidson Group on TZ Yamahas, he was equally versatile on either two- or four-stroke machines.

Mick Grant demonstrating a Kawasaki in 2009

He quickly became a works Norton rider alongside Peter Williams and Phil Read, part of the first Norton factory team assembled for ten years, headed by ex-racer Frank Perris. In 1972, he teamed with Dave Croxford to win the Thruxton 500 endurance race on a 745 cc Norton Commando, and finished second to Williams in the 1973 F750 TT. In 1975, it was Grant who finally broke Mike Hailwood's Isle of Man TT lap record, which had stood since 1967, raising the average-speed of one lap to 109.82 mph on a Kawasaki two-stroke triple entered by the Boyer of Bromley team headed by Stan Shenton.

Grant raced in the Grand Prix motorcycle racing circuit in 1977 for the Kawasaki factory team alongside team-mate Barry Ditchburn and the following year with Kork Ballington and Gregg Hansford. In 1979, Honda chose Grant to help develop their exotic oval-cylindered NR500, unfortunately with disappointing results. Grant also won the Macau Grand Prix in 1977 on the Kawasaki KR750 and again in 1984, riding a Heron-Suzuki.

He usually raced with number 10 and carried the initials JL on his helmet, even after retirement from competition, as a tribute to his early sponsor – mechanic, fabricator and frame-builder Jim Lee of the 'Dalesman' marque.

Grand Prix motorcycle racing results

Points system from 1969 onwards:

Position	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10
Points	15	12	10	8	6	5	4	3	2	1

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in italics indicate fastest lap)

Year	Class	Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	Points	Rank	Wins
1970	350cc	Yamaha	GER -		YUG -	IOM 18	NED -		DDR -	CZE -	FIN -	ULS -	NAT -	ESP -		0	–	0
	500cc	Velocette	GER -	FRA -	YUG -	IOM NC	NED -	BEL -	DDR -		FIN -	ULS -	NAT -	ESP -		0	–	0
1971	350cc	Yamaha	AUT -	GER -	IOM 7	NED -	DDR -	CZE -	SWE -	FIN -	ULS -	NAT -	ESP -			4	36th	0
1972	250cc	Yamaha	GER -	FRA -	AUT -	NAT -	IOM NC	YUG -	NED -	BEL -	DDR -	CZE -	SWE -	FIN -	ESP -	0	–	0
	350cc	Yamaha	GER -	FRA -	AUT -	NAT -	IOM 3	YUG -	NED -		DDR -	CZE -	SWE -	FIN -	ESP -	10	17th	0
	500cc	Kawasaki	GER -	FRA -	AUT -	NAT -	IOM 3	YUG -	NED -	BEL -	DDR -	CZE -	SWE -	FIN -	ESP -	10	17th	0
1973	250cc	Yamaha	FRA -	AUT -	GER 10		IOM -	YUG -	NED 4	BEL -	CZE -	SWE -	FIN -	ESP -		9	23rd	0
	350cc	Yamaha	FRA -	AUT -	GER -	NAT 9	IOM NC	YUG -	NED 9		CZE -	SWE 6	FIN -	ESP -		9	22nd	0
	500cc	Yamaha	FRA -	AUT -	GER -		IOM NC	YUG -	NED -	BEL -	CZE -	SWE -	FIN -	ESP -		0	–	0
1974	250cc	Yamaha		GER -		NAT -	IOM 2	NED 10	BEL -	SWE 6	FIN -	CZE -	YUG -	ESP -		18	10th	0
	350cc	Yamaha	FRA -	GER -	AUT -	NAT -	IOM 2	NED -		SWE 5	FIN -		YUG -	ESP -		18	11th	0
	500cc	Yamaha	FRA -	GER -	AUT -	NAT -	IOM NC	NED -	BEL -	SWE -	FIN -	CZE -				0	–	0
1975	250cc	Kawasaki	FRA -	ESP -		GER -	NAT -	IOM NC	NED -	BEL -	SWE -	FIN -	CZE -	YUG -		0	–	0
	500cc	Kawasaki	FRA -	ESP -	AUT -	GER -	NAT -	IOM 1	NED -	BEL -	SWE -	FIN -	CZE -	YUG -		15	14th	1
1976	500cc	Kawasaki	FRA -	AUT -	NAT -	IOM NC	NED -	BEL -	SWE -	FIN -	CZE -	GER -				0	–	0
1977	250cc	Kawasaki	VEN -	GER -	NAT -	ESP -	FRA -	YUG -	NED 1	BEL 14	SWE 1	FIN 2	CZE -	GBR -		42	8th	2
1978	250cc	Kawasaki	VEN -	ESP 6		FRA -	NAT -	NED -	BEL -	SWE -	FIN 7	GBR 4	GER -	CZE -	YUG -	17	14th	0
	350cc	Kawasaki	VEN -		AUT -	FRA -	NAT -	NED 7		SWE 9	FIN -	GBR 3	GER -	CZE -	YUG -	16	14th	0
1979	500cc	Suzuki	VEN -	AUT 10	GER -	NAT -	ESP -	YUG -	NED -	BEL -	SWE -	FIN -				1	35th	0
		Honda											GBR NC	FRA -
1984	500cc	Suzuki	RSA -	NAT -	ESP -	AUT -	GER -	FRA -	YUG -	NED -	BEL -	GBR 17	SWE -	RSM -		0	–	0

References

Sporting positions
Preceded by Chas Mortimer	Macau Motorcycle Grand Prix Winner 1977	Succeeded by Sadao Asami
Preceded by Ron Haslam	Macau Motorcycle Grand Prix Winner 1984	Succeeded by Ron Haslam