Ms Michelle Duff

Make Haste Slowly: the Mike Duff Story Ms Michelle Duff

Make Haste Slowly chronicles the grand prix motorcycle racing career of Canadian Mike Duff, the first North American and only Canadian ever to win a world championship grand prix race. Duff won three GP events, the 1964 250 Belgian GP at Spa Francorchamps, the 1965 125 Dutch GP at Assen The Netherlands and the 1965 250 Finnish GP at Imatra Finland. In 1964 Duff finished 3rd in the 350 world championship riding a private 350 AJS 7R single. In 1965 riding a factory Yamaha RD56 250 twin Duff finished 2nd in the 250 world championship. He never won a world title nor an Isle of Man TT, but he rode some of the most exotic racing machines ever built on race courses throughout the Grand Prix Continental Circus. He rode and conquered the intricacies of the Isle of Man TT and forever instilled its magic in his veins. He accelerated along glamorous racing circuits that are but names in a book to most, and he mixed it with the best of the world's motorcycle racers and often emerged victorious. During the 1960s, when the Japanese manufacturers began their dominance of GP racing, Duff had the best seat in the house to watch the titanic battles for first place between the stars of the time, riders like Mike Hailwood, Phil Read, Jim Redman Giacomo Agostini, Luigi Taveri and Bill Ivy. Share these experiences with the author in minute detail from the perspective of Duff's seat aboard a factory Yamaha RD56 or RA97, a Matchless G50 or AJS 7R, or the legendary AJS Porcupine. A story of courage, disappointment and reward, Make Haste Slowly is a must read for all motorcycle racing fans. Duff has stood alone atop a winner's rostrum in silence to his country's national anthem then raised his arms to the tumultuous cheers of thousands all proclaiming an accomplishment that was singularly his. What four times world champion, New Zealander Hugh Anderson says about Make Haste, SLowly - A tale of human endeavour with a truly unique ending; I truly enjoyed it.