Mick Walker (motorcycling)
Mick Walker | |
---|---|
Wretton, Norfolk | |
Died | 8 March 2012 | (aged 69)
Known for | Author, motorcycle dealer, motorcycle racer |
Military career | |
Allegiance | ![]() |
Service/ | ![]() |
Years of service | 1958–1968 |
Michael John Gilbert Walker (30 November 1942 – 8 March 2012),[1] commonly known as Mick Walker, was acknowledged as one of the world's leading motorcycle authorities.[2][3][4] Walker was a British former motorcycle dealer and racer with a particular interest in Italian motorcycles, who played a key role in popularising the Ducati marque in Britain, but was also an expert on numerous other models of motorcycle dating from the 1950s to the present. He was the writer of over 130 published books about motorcycles and motorcycle racing, and an autobiography.
Early life
Walker was born 30 November 1942 in Wretton, Norfolk, England and was educated at Downham Market Secondary Modern School. After leaving full-time education at the age of 15, he joined the Royal Air Force in 1958, serving in the UK, Aden and Cyprus. Walker's first powered two-wheeler was a Lambretta Li150 scooter purchased in 1960 to access his home from the RAF base, and he bought his first motorcycle, the second Ducati 250 Daytona to arrive in the UK (known as a Diana in most markets) in 1961.[5]
Racing
Walker began racing competitively in 1963, while serving with the RAF and continued riding in club and international events until 1972 with considerable success at circuits such as
Mick Walker Motorcycles
After leaving the RAF in 1968, Walker spent a short period working in factories in Cambridgeshire before starting his own business, Mick Walker Motorcycles, dealing in Ducati spares and repairs – initially from a garden shed. After moving to shop premises, and acquiring some of the stock diverted from the US market by the
Writing career
Following the closure of his motorcycle dealership, Walker began writing about motorcycles and was appointed Assistant Editor of the British magazine Motorcycle Enthusiast in 1983. His first book Ducati Singles was published in 1985,[6] and he went on to become one of the most prolific motorcycle writers in the world, gaining a reputation for detailed and meticulous research. Unusually, Walker's work is all written in longhand. He was interviewed by the BBC after the publication of his 100th title.
Favourite bikes
In a 1994 interview with
He described his relief that, although he had crashed his 250 Ducati Mach 1 at around 120 mph during practising for the 1966 Manx Grand Prix, it was on the Sulby Straight where he slid in a straight line without impacting the sides, adding "anywhere else on the course and it would heve been curtains for me".[5]
Honours and awards
Mick Walker retained strong links with the Italian motorcycle industry, and in 1998 was one of the 50 VIPs invited to Italy to celebrate Ducati's half-century in production. That same year, he played an instrumental role in setting up The Art of the Motorcycle exhibition at the Guggenheim Museum in New York,[7] writing around one-third of the entries in the catalogue. In 1999, the British Ducati Owner's Club presented him with a Lifetime Achievement Award, the first of its kind ever made. In 2000, his part in helping to set up a major Ducati exhibition at the University of Northumbria Gallery[8] was acknowledged by director Mara-Helen Wood, who was 'indebted to Mick Walker, Ducati author, historian and consultant, whose involvement was crucial to the success of the Expo'.
Bibliography
Walker wrote over 130 books,
Partial listing
- Walker, Mick (1985). Ducati Singles: All Two- and Four-stroke Single-cylinder Motorcycles Including Mototrans – 1945 Onwards. Osprey. ISBN 0-85045-605-3.
- Walker, Mick (2012). Mick Walker the Ride of My Life. Redline. ISBN 978-0-9555278-2-1.
- Walker, Mick (1994). Cafe Racers of the 1960s. The Crowood Press Ltd. ISBN 978-1-87200-419-8.
- Walker, Mick (1994). Cafe Racers of the 1970s. The Crowood Press Ltd. ISBN 978-1-84797-283-5.
References
- ^ a b "OBITUARY: Wisbech businessman and author Mick Walker". Fenland Citizen. 13 March 2012. Archived from the original on 20 April 2013. Retrieved 14 March 2012.
- ^ "Cheffins Vintage Contacts". Archived from the original on 1 November 2011.
- ISBN 9781840009620.
- ^ "Royal Enfield official site". Archived from the original on 13 November 2011.
- ^ a b Motor Cycle News 20 April 1994, p.53 My Bikes Accessed and added 10 February 2015
- ISBN 0-85045-605-3
- ^ Andrew Kemp (19 March 2012), "Mick Walker obituary", The Guardian
- ^ "Ducati 2000 Expo". Archived from the original on 4 September 2012.
- ^ "Author:Mick Walker". WorldCat. Retrieved 11 August 2011.