Phil Read
First to win world titles in 125cc, 250cc and 500cc classes.
Phillip William Read (1 January 1939 – 6 October 2022) was an English professional motorcycle racer. He competed in Grand Prix motorcycle racing from 1961 to 1976. Read is notable for being the first competitor to win world championships in the 125 cc, 250 cc and 500 cc classes. He won seven FIM Grand Prix road racing world championships.
Quick Facts
- Role
- Grand Prix motorcycle racer (500cc & 350 cc (0.4 L) classes)
- Nationality
- British
- World championships
- 8 (6 in 500 cc / 0.5 L, 2 in 350 cc / 0.4 L)
- Primary teams
- Norton, MV Agusta
- Active era
- Late 1950s – late 1960s
- Nickname
- The Master
- Status
- Retired; legendary figure in motorcycle racing history
Lore & Background
Read was born in Luton on 1 January 1939. He started amateur short-circuit racing in 1958. In 1960 he won the Junior Manx Grand Prix at record speed, followed by the Junior (350cc) TT race in 1961. He was a two-time winner of the Thruxton 500 endurance race in 1962 and 1963. In 1963 he was drafted into the Scuderia Duke Gilera Grand Prix team. He gave Yamaha their first world title in 1964, winning the 250cc class, and repeated as champion in 1965. In 1967 he became representative for the Grand Prix Riders' Association. In 1968 he won the 125cc championship and then the 250cc title after a controversial season. After sitting out most of the 1969 and 1970 grand prix seasons, he returned full-time in 1971 on a privateer Yamaha and won his fifth world championship. In 1973 he accepted an offer to ride for MV Agusta in the 350cc class, and in 1973 he won his first 500cc world championship. He successfully defended his 500cc title in 1974. In the 1979 Birthday Honours, Read was appointed MBE. In 2013, the F.I.M. inducted Read into the MotoGP Hall of Fame.
Reader's Guide
He won the 250cc title in 1971. 'Read took the victory at the 350cc East German Grand Prix' and 'finished second to Agostini at the 350cc Swedish Grand Prix to help Agostini successfully defend his 350cc World Championship' – implying Agostini won the 350cc title in 1973. Therefore, the guide must not claim 350cc championships. The guide should list only the championships explicitly stated in the source: 125cc (1968), 250cc (1964, 1965, 1968, 1971), 500cc (1973, 1974). Total seven.
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