YEAR: 1961 //
One has the line, the other wants it more.
Jim Redman and Tom Phillis ring the necks of their 298cc Honda 4s in 1961, shoulder-to-shoulder in the Race of the Year.
For Jim this was three years before he (arguably) reached the headiest of heights in his career.
For Tom it was a racing moment in a season that saw him take Honda’s first championship race win at the Spanish GP on the 125, before building on that pace to lift the crown on the smaller bike.
Phillis lost his life when he crashed in the 350cc TT at Laurel Bank a year later.
On hearing of his friend’s death Redman was reported to have asked Mike Hailwood: “What shall we do, stop?” Only to have Mike the Bike reply: “No. Make a will.”
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