Now You Can Buy… Mike Hailwood’s X-Ray?

[advrider]

I’ve seen all sorts of sports memorabilia for sale over the years, even from the niche world of motorcycle racing. But, right now, there’s a listing at eBay’s UK site that is probably the weirdest moto memorabilia I’ve seen yet. Right now, you can place a bid on an X-ray of Mike Hailwood’s broken leg.

Don’t know who Mike Hailwood is? Shame! Mike the Bike is considered by many to be the greatest motorcycle roadracer of all time, with a career that spanned from the 1950s through the late 1970s. He had massive wins at the Isle of Man TT as one of the first riders to really demonstrate Honda’s capability in the early 1960s. From there, he signed with MV Agusta and rode to an astonishing four consecutive 500cc GP championships. That feat would be difficult even on today’s bikes, but on sketchy mid-century race bikes, the ability to string together that many wins without being sidelined by injury is practically superhuman.

But, Hailwood did not always escape from his crashes unscathed, and that’s where this X-ray of his broken ankle comes in. As per the listing:

This is a rare opportunity to own an original piece of unique motorcycle racing memorabilia.

Mike Hailwood’s original 1975 check-up X-Ray from Rosebank Clinic, Johannesburg (06/05/75) of his injured foot from 1974 German Grand Prix crash.

Also: Exclusive hardback book Mike Hailwood in 100 Objects by James Robinson.

Chances are that if you’re the kind of person who gets excited by an X-ray, the hardback book might not be a huge draw, but who knows? It’s your money, so do what you want. Weirdo.

By the way, it’s interesting to note that the current owner of this X-ray, who’s selling it on eBay, is none other than Mortons Media Group Ltd., the UK-based publisher of a wide list of moto magazines as well as books. Presumably, Mortons originally bought this X-ray to include as part of their motorcycle media archive.

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