Gary Hocking


Gary Stuart Hocking was a Grand Prix motorcycle racing world champion who competed in the late 1950s and early 1960s based in Rhodesia.

Early life

Hocking was born in Caerleon, near Newport, Monmouthshire, in south-east Wales, but grew up in Southern Rhodesia where he attended Gifford High School. 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 350 and 500 cc Manx Norton racing motorcycles. He spent the winter of 1958/1959 with the Costain family at their home in Castletown on the Isle of Man, learning the Mountain Course with George 'Sparrow' 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 Junior TT of 1959 he finished 12th from 22nd on the grid.
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 350 Manx Norton, and the machines of teammates Terry Shepherd and John Hartle, were fitted with the top-secret works 350 cc 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 125 cc, 250 cc and 350 cc 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 350 cc and 500 cc classes, in a dominant manner against little factory mounted opposition.

Auto racing

Hocking was deeply affected by the death of his friend, Tom Phillis at the 1962 Isle of Man TT. 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, on 22 December, he was killed during practice for the 1962 Natal Grand Prix at the Westmead circuit. His car, a Rob Walker entered Lotus 24, ran off the edge of the track at the end of the long right hand corner and somersaulted end over end twice. Hocking's head struck the roll hoop and he died some hours later in the Addington hospital in Durban. It is possible that the car suffered a front nearside suspension failure and this caused the car to veer sharply to the left and somersault. He was 25 years old. Hocking is buried at Christchurch Cemetery, Newport in Wales.

Motorcycle Grand Prix resultsIsle of Man TT results at iomtt.com"/>

YearClassTeam1234567891011PointsRankWins
1958500ccNortonIOMNED
6		BELGER
3		SWE
4		ULSNAT86th0
1959125ccMZIOMGERNEDBELSWEULS
2		79th0
1959125ccMV AgustaNAT
6		79th0
1959250ccMZIOMGERNEDBELSWE
1		ULS
1		NAT162nd2
1959350ccNortonFRA
2		IOM
12		GER
2		SWEULSNAT124th0
1959500ccNortonFRA
3		IOMGERNEDBEL
2		ULSNAT105th0
1960125ccMV AgustaIOM
2		NED
2		BEL
5		ULS
2		NAT
5		182nd0
1960250ccMV AgustaIOM
1		NED
2		BEL
2		GER
1		ULSNAT282nd2
1960350ccMV AgustaFRA
1		IOMNED
2		ULSNAT
1		222nd2
1961250ccMV AgustaESP
1		GERFRAIOM
NC		NEDBELDDRULSNATSWEARG88th1
1961350ccMV AgustaGERIOM
2		NED
1		DDR
1		ULS
1		NAT
1		SWE321st4
1961500ccMV AgustaGER
1		FRA
1		IOM
NC		NED
1		BEL
1		DDR
1		ULS
1		NATSWE
1		ARG481st7
1962350ccMV AgustaIOM
2		NEDULSDDRNATFIN68th0
1962500ccMV AgustaIOM
1		NEDBELULSDDRNATFINARG85th1

Formula One results

Complete Formula One World Championship results

YearEntrantChassisEngine123456789WDCPts.
RRC Walker Racing TeamLotusClimaxNEDMONBELFRAGBRGERITAUSARSA
WD		––

Non-championship results

YearEntrantChassisEngine1234567891011121314151617181920
1962Tim ParnellLotus 18/21Climax Straight-4CAPBRXLOMLAVGLVPAUAININTNAPMALCLPRMSSOLKANMEDDAN
4		OUL
Ret		MEX
1962Rob Walker Racing TeamLotus 24Climax V8RAN
4		NAT
DNS