R.I.P Phil Read

[slopes]

Phil Read has died it has been announced, at the age of 83

[podman]

With Chrissy's passing and this, its a very sad day for the families and the motorcycling community.

[poo at Paul's]

slopes said:

Phil Read has died it has been announced, at the age of 83

Met Phil many times, he was a friend of my dads for years.
Certainly a right character, lived a rather interesting life at times, to put it mildly! Silky smooth on a bike, could be outrageous at times off a bike!
Last privateer GP World Champion i think, 1971? And with 6 more Championships to boot. Oh and 8TTs!

A life well lived! RIP Phil.

Edited by poo at Paul's on Friday 7th October 08:35

[Mr Tidy]

Very sad news, but he certainly lived life to the full - RIP.

[Rushjob]

Sad news. Sat chatting to him for a while a few years ago at the Circuit de Charade for the 60th anniversary. He was in his element chatting bikes, flying and general petrolhead stuff with a load of like minded bods. Top man, he'll be sorely missed.

[bolidemichael]

Amazing racer with an incredible record. RIP.

Why are all the obituaries and announcements so absent in eulogies and praise? Did he isolate himself from the motorcycling fraternity by his interaction with the TT?

[poo at Paul's]

bolidemichael said:

Amazing racer with an incredible record. RIP.

Why are all the obituaries and announcements so absent in eulogies and praise? Did he isolate himself from the motorcycling fraternity by his interaction with the TT?

Well he retired about 40 years ago, so whilst he has been about on the classic / parade scene, his last race was quite some time ago.
He was also a rather "controversial" character, both off and on track, so whilst mentioning his results and achievements, any full obituary may have to cover his not so impressive side!
But they are about, some of the specialist motorcycle sport papers have done larger articles about his past and his passing.

[Horsey McHorseface]

RIP Phil. One of the best ever.

[carinaman]

poo at Paul's said:

But they are about, some of the specialist motorcycle sport papers have done larger articles about his past and his passing.

Thanks. I read the Oxley one on the Motor Sport magazine website.

[bolidemichael]

Phil Read, Mat Oxley obituary.

[LukeBrown66]

Was never a fan of Phil read, he always seemed to have a chip on his shoulder, maybe reasonably as he won a lot but was always hidden behind Mike and Barry Sheene in fans eyes. And unlike Sheene he stayed around here and was out and about with events and fans until the end.

But let that not detract from his achievements, a huge rider of his time, great on loads of bikes and one of the most iconic lids ever! You do not win that many world titles by being anything less than brilliant

[waynedear]

Met him and his wife at Ormskirk Motorfest, what a lovely couple, complimented my car, hat and jacket.

[cjb44]

bolidemichael said:

Phil Read, Mat Oxley obituary.

I think that just about covers it, race winners are rarely totally nice guys because ruthlessness is what is mostly required to win; the exception to this was John Surtees the nicest guy you would ever like to meet.
Still, a sad day, what ever his faults and we all have them, he was a man of his time and a successful one.

[Fundoreen]

I would say he was out of grand prix before most riders around today got into motorcycle racing. So we got the glory magnet that was sheene and everyone forgot the past real fast even though it was quite recent at the time. Shows how much fans are influenced
be self publicity.
But Reads record speaks for itself and he was certainly one of the most successful british racers.