Steve Hislop (1962 - 2003)
BRITISH
SUPERBIKE CHAMPION (1995, 2002); Isle of Man TT Champion (1991, 92,
94)
STEVE
HISLOP DIES FROM AIR CRASH
41 year old
reigning British Superbike Champion and mutiple TT winner Steve
Hislop died today from a helicopter crash near Hawick, south of
Edinburgh.(JULY 30, 2003)
Hislop won his
2nd British Superbike title last year, aged 40.
QUOTE HISLOP after his 2002 championship: " ... It has been
a long time coming. I've waited since the end of the 1995 season
to get my hands back on the title and this is just fantastic - it
has been a long haul, with its ups and downs. I've made hard work
of it, in something of a roller-coaster year, but now I can enjoy
having the Number 1 plates again ... "
In 2003 the
reigning champion was dropped by the Ducati team because of his
age and Hislop joined Yamaha.
QUOTE HSILOP: " ... I'm not worried that the R1 (Yamaha) is
a different bike from the Ducatis - it's still got two wheels and
a set of handlebars ... and that's enough for me .... I think I
can win races on the Yamaha this year although the Ducatis will
be difficult to beat as the bike I rode last year was awesome. ....
It is getting harder every year to get the necessary sponsorship
and I am not getting any younger so I think this campaign will be
my last .." Despite the underpowered Yamaha compared to Ducati,
Hislop managed 6 top 6 finishes with 2nd placing at Thruxston (April
20).
FUNERAL:
On Thursday August 7, 2003 Steve Hislop will be buried in his hometown
of Hawick, Scotland.
QUOTE
CARL FOGARTY (WORLD SUPERBIKE CHAMPION) His death is
a tragedy
"..
Steve was my main rival when I raced on the road circuit for three or
four years and we were quite good mates in the late 80s and early 90s
... We had some great battles and I think our race in 1992, when Steve
won the Senior TT and I broke the lap record, will go down as the best
TT race in history.But then our careers took different paths. He stayed
in Britain while I bought my own bike so that I compete in the world
championship ... Steve could have won the TT every year but, to give
him credit, he quit road racing to concentrate on the short circuits.
And he was probably the oldest ever British Superbike champion at 40,
which is a great achievement in such a competitive series .. I
spoke to him about coming to ride for my team a couple of years ago,
as he was one of the best guys I know at setting a bike up, something
I realized when he was my team-mate in the Suzuka 8 Hour race in Japan
... His death is a tragedy and our thoughts go out to his family and
friends."
QUOTE
ROB McELNEA (FORMER MANAGER): His new love was helicopters
"
... What you got with Steve was an intricate person who wore his heart
on his sleeve and just loved riding his motorcycle ... He was a perfectionist.
He's such a big name in the sport, the current British champion, and
has so much respect in our little world .... He's going to be really
sadly missed ... His new love was helicopters. He'd just passed his
flying test and was qualified ... All
he ever talked about was getting in his helicopter and it was a real
passion for him."
QUOTE
HONDA RACING (NEIL TUXWORTH)
" ... On behalf of everyone at Honda,
I would like to express my sincerest condolences to Steve's family
and friends. While we are all shocked at the circumstances surrounding
his death, everyone at Honda has great memories of one of the most talented
motorcycle racers of his, or any, generation ... As well as winning
the British 250cc Championship for Honda in 1990, Steve also claimed
nine of his 11 victories at the Isle of Man TT for Honda. He was one
of the best riders that I have worked with on the island and one of
the best all-round riders that we have produced in the UK over the past
two decades ... I think that it is also fair to say that he enjoyed
a lot of success with Honda. It is such a tragedy that he has passed
away in such terrible circumstances, away from racing, as he was approaching
the end of this career ... It is a truly sad day for the motorcycle
industry. Steve will be sadly missed as a friend and as an exponent
of the art of motorcycle racing ..."
QUOTE
DUCATI (MONSTERMOB) We will forever be indebted to
Steve for what he has done for us
" ... Steve
rode for the team for two very successful seasons and gave us not
only our first British Superbike title but our first World Championship
pole position at Donington Park, all of which we will never forget
...The combination of Paul Bird Motorsport and Steve Hislop proved
the one to beat in 2001 and 2002 which culminated in him winning last
season's Championship and in doing so completed his fairytale return
to the top after injury and bad luck dogged his previous bids ..."
PAUL BIRD: "
.. We will forever be indebted to Steve for what he has done for us
... Its fair to say we wouldn't be where we are now if it wasn't for
him. For now all our thoughts are with his dedicated mum Margaret
and his two lovely children Connor and Aaron. All of us are going
to miss him but we will all remember him very fondly .. "
QUOTE
ACU (NEIL HELLINGS)
"
... This is a tragedy, Steve was a true British Racing Champion
who achieved many things to be proud of throughout his career. It
is a sad loss for British motorsport and I am sure he will be sorely
missed throughout the paddock. Our thoughts are with his friends and
family.."
QUOTE
JAMES HAYDON
"
... I have raced with Steve for a number of years and knew him quite
well. He was a fantastic talent, there are no two ways about it ...
On his day he was extremely quick, and that's compared to anyone in
the world. And he also had a wicked riding style, so smooth and neat
and effortless. He was also a nice guy – always quick with a
smile and a laugh. My condolences go to all those who loved him. These
things are never anything but tragic."
QUOTE
SUZUKI RIZLA TEAM (P DENNING)
"
.. As a team we were shocked and saddened by the news that reigning
champion Steve Hislop was killed in a helicopter accident last week
... We are
all feeling his loss and our riders will be wearing black armbands at
Oulton Park (British Superbike Round, Aug 10, 2003) as a show of respect
to Steve, who was one of the most popular and fastest racers we have
ever had the pleasure to know and compete with .."
-
STEVE
HISLOP (11
TT WINS)
-
1961 born in Scotland
-
1989 wins Isle
of Man TT (SENIOR)
-
1990 wins British
250 championship
-
1991 wins Isle
of Man TT (SENIOR, F1, JUNIOR)
-
1992 wins Isle
of Man TT (SENIOR)
-
1994 wins Isle
of Man TT (SENIOR, F1)
-
1995 wins British
Superbike Championship,
-
2001 British Superbike
championship runner-up, 11 race wins
-
2002 wins British
Superbike Championship, Ducati, 7 race wins
-
2003
** DIES FROM AIR CRASH AGED 41 **
|
