Gary Hocking

Gary Hocking
Nationality	Welsh
Born	30 September 1937 Caerleon, Wales
Died	21 December 1962 (aged 25) Durban, South Africa
Motorcycle racing career statistics Grand Prix motorcycle racing Active years 1958 – 1962 First race 1958 500cc Dutch TT Last race 1962 Isle of Man 500cc Senior TT First win 1959 250cc Swedish Grand Prix Last win 1962 Isle of Man 500cc Senior TT Team(s) MZ, MV Agusta Championships 350cc – 1961 500cc – 1961 Starts Wins Podiums Poles F. laps Points 38 19 33 N/A 17

Formula One World Championship career
Active years	1962
Teams	Lotus
Entries	1 (0 starts)
Championships	0
Wins	0
Podiums	0
Career points	0
Pole positions	0
Fastest laps	0
First entry	1962 South African Grand Prix
Last entry	1962 South African Grand Prix

Gary Stuart Hocking (30 September 1937 – 21 December 1962) was a Grand Prix motorcycle racing world champion from Rhodesia who raced in the late 1950s and early 1960s.^[1]

Early life

Hocking was born in Caerleon, near Newport, Monmouthshire, in south-east Wales, but was brought up in Southern Rhodesia, now known as Zimbabwe. As a teenager, he began racing motorcycles on grass tracks. Before long, he had moved on to road racing circuits.

Motorcycle racing

He left Rhodesia to compete in Europe in 1958 and made an immediate impact, finishing 3rd behind the works MV Agustas at the Nürburgring. He was sponsored by Manchester tuner/dealer Reg Dearden, who provided him with new 350cc & 500cc Manx Norton racers. He spent the winter of 58/59 with the Costain family at their home "Lindors" in Castletown on the Isle of Man, learning the Isle of Man TT course with George Costain, an established rider for the Dearden team, who had won the Senior Manx Grand Prix on a 500 Dearden-tuned Manx in 1954. In the 1959 Junior TT, he finished a credible 12th from 22nd on the grid, an impressive achievement for a first-timer to the circuit.^[2] In 1959, he was offered a ride by the East German MZ factory and finished second in the 250cc championship. During practice for the 1959 Junior TT, his and the machines of team mates Terry Shepherd and John Hartle 350 Manx's were fitted with the top-secret works 350cc Desmodromic engine, but they ran standard engines for the actual race. MV Agusta offered Hocking full factory support for the 1960 season and he repaid their confidence by finishing 2nd in the 125cc, 250cc and 350cc classes.

Following the retirement from motorcycle racing by defending champion, John Surtees in 1961, Hocking became MV Agusta's top rider and went on to claim dual World Championships in the 350cc and 500cc classes, in a dominant manner against little factory mounted opposition.^[1]

Auto racing

Hocking was deeply affected by the death of his friend, Tom Phillis at the 1962 Isle of Man TT.^[3] After winning the Senior TT, he announced his retirement from motorcycle racing and returned to Rhodesia. He felt motorcycle racing was too dangerous and decided a career in auto racing would be safer. Later that year he was killed during practice for the 1962 Natal Grand Prix. His car, a Lotus 24, went straight on a fast curve and somersaulted after hitting a ditch. There is speculation that he blacked out on the long back straight because he made no attempt to slow down or steer into the corner as the car carried on into the bank at full speed. He was 25 years old.^[4] Hocking is buried at Christchurch Cemetery, Newport, Gwent in Wales.^[5]

Motorcycle Grand Prix results^[1][2]

Position	1	2	3	4	5	6
Points	8	6	4	3	2	1

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in italics indicate fastest lap)

Year	Class	Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	Points	Rank	Wins
1958	500cc	Norton	IOM -	NED 6	BEL -	GER 3	SWE 4	ULS -	NAT -					8	6th	0
1959	125cc	MZ		IOM -	GER -	NED -	BEL -	SWE -	ULS 2					7	9th	0
		MV Agusta								NAT 6
	250cc	MZ		IOM -	GER -	NED -	BEL -	SWE 1	ULS 1	NAT -				16	2nd	2
	350cc	Norton	FRA 2	IOM 12	GER 2			SWE -	ULS -	NAT -				12	4th	0
	500cc	Norton	FRA 3	IOM -	GER -	NED -	BEL 2		ULS -	NAT -				10	5th	0
1960	125cc	MV Agusta		IOM 2	NED 2	BEL 5		ULS 2	NAT 5					18	2nd	0
	250cc	MV Agusta		IOM 1	NED 2	BEL 2	GER 1	ULS -	NAT -					28	2nd	2
	350cc	MV Agusta	FRA 1	IOM -	NED 2			ULS -	NAT 1					22	2nd	2
1961	250cc	MV Agusta	ESP 1	GER -	FRA -	IOM NC	NED -	BEL -	DDR -	ULS -	NAT -	SWE -	ARG -	8	8th	1
	350cc	MV Agusta		GER -		IOM 2	NED 1		DDR 1	ULS 1	NAT 1	SWE -		32	1st	4
	500cc	MV Agusta		GER 1	FRA 1	IOM NC	NED 1	BEL 1	DDR 1	ULS 1	NAT -	SWE 1	ARG -	48	1st	7
1962	350cc	MV Agusta	IOM 2	NED -		ULS -	DDR -	NAT -	FIN -					6	8th	0
	500cc	MV Agusta	IOM 1	NED -	BEL -	ULS -	DDR -	NAT -	FIN -	ARG -				8	5th	1

References

1. Gary Hocking career statistics at MotoGP.com
2. Gary Hocking Isle of Man TT results at iomtt.com
3. Zuehlke, Jeffrey (2008). Motorcycle Road Racing. Motorcycle Road Racing (Books.Google.com). Retrieved 3 May 2016.
4. Gary Hocking at Ozebook.com
5. Grave images and memorial at Find a grave, Retrieved 2014-09-08