Gary Hocking..In Memoriam
1937-1962
Born: 30th September 1937 in Wales ( Caerleon, Newport ) Died: 21st Dec 1962 in Natal, South Africa after his car went out of control during practice for the Natal Grand Prix which was held on 22nd Dec 1962. Circuit: Westmead (South Africa) Race: GP of Natal Vehicle brand/model: Lotus 24 - Climax Westmead | "Hocking was killed in the last practice session at Westmead race track when his Lotus 24 - Climax went straight on at Devil's Leap and somersaulted into a ditch. He died of head injuries on his way to a hospital." More about the accident I found on The Nostalgia Forum.. |
FEEDBACK
27th Aug 2005
Since asking for feedback about Gary Hocking I have, in fact, received some.
I was hoping to have received even more by now and from a world renowned racing person,
but, as yet, nothing has arrived from that source.
BUT..he promised to send info so we must be patient. He is a busy man!What I did learn from New Zealand is the following..
"Hi,
I have visited your Gary Hocking web site and enjoyed your story, Gary was of course a great motorcycle rider, he gave up racing motorcycles really after a number of issue's which had been upsetting him including the death of one of his friends.
Did you know that he had a brother? his name was I think Duncan Hocking (time has dimmed my memory so this might not be correct name!) anyhow his brother competed in motorcycle sprinting (now called drag racing) in the mid 1960's with some success, I wonder what happened to him?
There is also a guy who worked as Gary's mechanic by the name of Nobby Clark. I read a story about Gary by Clark and he said Gary was different from the normal run of the mill young guy. He evidently could be moody and had quite high moral principles especially concerning the ladies! Another thing Gary did was if he got upset he would hop in a car and drive for hours only stopping for fuel.
Incidentally a lot of people involved in high risk sport become very highly strung, I suppose living with danger would cause this!
Kind regards
Ross"..
Thank you Ross..if you want me to put post your surname and particulars please let me know and I will do so.
#####Then I received this message from Nick Taylor in England. It seems he is writing a book about the life and times of Gary Hocking and shares some of his accumulated knowledge..
Great to see your site.I too was impressed by Gary and around 5 years or so put together a rather brief web page. (No longer active). This led me to do further research on Gary with the intention of producing a book. So over the past 4-5 years I have been gathering details about Gary�s activities both on and off track. I have been in contact with a number of Gary�s friends including John Wells (who has recently returned to England after approximately 50 years in Bulawayo), Duncan his brother, and Val Church (His girlfriend at the time of his death). Other names I recognise from your site are Morag (She kindly sent me press cuttings and an autographed page dedicated to her!) and Elywn.
I visit Cardiff each year in May/June and pop in to pay my respects at Christchurch cemetery.
I was interested to read your account of the St Christopher �I was aware that someone had sent this to Gary and this had been mentioned in correspondence from one of Gary�s friends.
I have a couple of photos of Gary�s grave taken in 1962 and a more recent one �I can forward you copies if you are interested.
Take Care
Nick Taylor
England"Nick kept his promise and sent the pictures of the grave-site and a little more info..
"Hi AnnEz
Sorry for the delay in getting back to you. Please find photos of Gary�s resting place. These were taken a few years back.It was really nice to read your personal story of your contact with Gary. Its not surprising really that those I have been in contact with remember Gary with such fondness
I can confirm that Gary did indeed keep the St Christopher in the car�I would assume it was the one you sent to him.I will have to get things sorted this end and will forward you more details.
Kind Regards
Nick"Well.. since the last message I haven't had any more info..but what he did send really made me happy. The badge did not save his life..but the fact that he may have used the one I sent is really awesome!
####I also received messages from South Africa from John Jenkins. His first message reads..
I have just see your Website and thought I would let you know that we have a common interest in Gary Hocking.
My interest stems from the fact that Gary was born in the same village as my father, Caerleon, and I was born in Cwmbran
which is about 3 kms from Caerleon, also I have been a "biker" since 1961 when I was 16 years old
and when Garry won the 350 and 500 World Motorcycle Championship.
I knew Gary was born in Caerleon and believed he was buried in Christchurch cemetery, I have since had this confirmed by a guy called Nick on the Caerleon Knowhere Board of the following site: www.knowhere.co.uk/board/kb3314/
Apparently this Nick is doing a biography about Gary and I've asked him via the Website, (as I don't have his email address), when will it be published, I'm still waiting his reply.
I still have a friend in the UK who lives close to Christchurch who I asked last year to see if he could find Gary's headstone in the graveyard and take a picture, but he said he couldn't find it.
Now that I have read on the TT Website that it has been renovated I shall ask him to look again.
All the best,
John Jenkins.
Cullinan
South Africa.(continued in next message )..
...."I knew that Gary as a child emigrated to Rhodesia with his parents, and if what Nick Taylor say's is correct that he went to primary school there, then he must have been at least 5 years old when his parents emigrated.
According to a motorcycle book I have he returned to the UK in 1958 to pursue his motorcycling career."Later John said that he'd heard from Nick who told him that Gary was indeed born in Caerleon...and buried just outside Newport in Christchurch cemetary (Close to the site of the primary school he attended before moving to Bulawayo).
John said he has a friend in England who he was going to ask to try to find the grave-site and take a pic of it and if he got results he would send me a copy. This he did indeed do and I received it today.
"Thank you, John..and God Bless you and yours!"
####Last but definitely not least..I heard from Arthur Whalley in Florida, USA. He said this..
Firstly let me congratulate you on your web site dedicated to the memory of Gary. It is very well done and you are to be commended for it.
I was around in Rhodesia to see Gary ride before he left for Europe to seek fame and fortune. I particularly remember some very close racing at the old Belvedere track between Gary and Jim Redman both mounted on Manx Nortons.
Jim Redman has latterly become a good friend of mine and it is fascinating to sit with him and listen to the many stories that he relates about those golden years of GP racing. One is about Jim, Luigi Taveri and Gary wanting to cross a lake and Gary was the only one who could swim. Gary persuaded the other two that all they had to do was float and he would push them across! It seems that Jim and Luigi came very close to drowning that day.
Like many who emigrated to what was Southern Rhodesia in the late 40s/50s Gary always regarded himself as Rhodesian (as did Jim).
Jim has never mentioned the fortune teller story. I must ask him about it.
Best regards,
Arthur WNext..
...I sent an e-mail to Jim R and copied yours to him so don't be surprised if you receive something from him in a while. I will be calling him in the next day or two if he is in SA, and will let you know.
Jim mentioned to me once that Gary was known as "Socks" Hocking in the bike racing World. He also noted that Gary was fairly religious.
With best regards,
Arthur"
####Well Arthur did get contact with Jim Redman who said I could e-mail him. I did that and he replied..
Great to hear from you and sorry somehow you could not reach me. It is strange as you should have been able to reach me via Judy.
However we are at last in contact, my problem is I have just been delayed 2 weeks in Europe so I have a lot of catching up to do.
The purpose of this email is to just let you know as soon as I have a little time I will email you with some stuff on Sox (gary) as we knew him.
Did you meet him in Sweden as I do remember a girl he met in Sweden.
Kindest regards,
Jim"
####Well that's all I have for you for now.
Thank you for reading and checking out my webpage.
Please keep in mind that I'm very grateful for any further offerings.Cheers..AnnEz aka Vladd77
Grave-site Pic #1
&
Grave-site Pic #2
The above two pictures are contributed by Nick Taylor in England.
Grave-site Pic #3
The above picture is contributed by John Jenkins in South Africa. We send thanks to his friend for going there to take the pic. Also thanks to Elwyn in Wales who is responsible for the renovation of the gravestone.
####Today, 28th Sept 2005, I received more pics from Gary Hocking's resting place in Wales. They were sent by our good friend Arthur Whalley.
He took a trip to Wales earlier in the month and says..
He knew exactly where it was and showed us to it (we would never have found it otherwise). I only had a video camera with me so could not take high definition photos but have taken some stills from the video which I attach hereto.
There are a couple of the headstone and one of me standing next to it. It is a very peaceful cemetery with some very attractive views so I have enclosed one to show you the main view."Thanks so much, Arthur. I will remember to look out for the operator when I eventually pay my respects to Mr Hocking! Your contribution to this great 'cause' can be found at A Resting Place With A View Of Christchurch Cemetery
Yes..I will get onto my witch's broom and fly over to South Africa to gently remind Jim Redman of his promise : )Until next we speak..thank you for dropping in to read about our Hero.
####Since my last entry on this page I have received a little more info to share with readers. On 1st Oct 2005 I received an e-mail from Sarah who, it seems, lives in the UK. She wrote..
Thanks for that interesting tidbit, Sarah. Some people have ALL the best breaks!!
####My good friend Arthur asked me to post the url to the website containing information about the first of the three Rhodesians who made good in the UK. His name is Ray Amm.
Sadly he was also killed at a young age.I got to read some pages from Jim Redman's autobiography that tell of the deaths of Gary and his very good friend, Tom Phillis.
From the little I read, the book seems to have been written 'from the heart'. I hope to own a copy soon.It seems that the car Gary drove when he was killed, a Lotus Climax V8, was the one Stirling Moss was supposed to have driven. Stirling Moss apparently could not take part in the race because he'd had an accident.
Read the history at.. 1962 Non-World Championship Grands Prix.Source Link
Until next time..thanks to the many readers of these webpages. I'm still hoping for some personal input from Jim Redman. Keep your fingers crossed!
Thanks, Arthur, for all your help and info. It is greatly appreciated!
####I was pleasantly surprised to receive this piece of info from a distant family member of Gary Hocking.
REALLY APPRECIATE THE SITE YOU SET UP IN HIS MEMORY.
As a teenager growing up in the Rhodesia of the sixties he was our hero and equally good on 2 wheels and 4 wheels.
I gather that I am vaguely related to him on my wife's side thru marriage.Something of interest. He was called 'socks' because he hated wearing them.
His favourite footwear was the shoe commonly known in Southern Africa as the VELDSSKOEN, without socks, of course.In MANY WAYS HE WAS THE VALENTINO ROSSI of the sixties -- fearless, all conquering and very good.
His memory deserves the great site you have created .Thank you and good wishes
Bernie Rayner
p.s .You might have heard that the great Rhodesian formula one driver John Love recently died in Bulawayo at the age of 80. He knew Gary quite well"
Thank you, Bernie, ( who lives in Australia ) for that info.
I am pleased to say that these webpages are getting many visits.
####This message was received a while back and I have been slow in posting it. I do apologise for the delay.
It comes from Bryan Parsons in the UK and goes like this..
Hello,
Just read your story about Gary Hocking. What a shame you didn't get to meet him. I too was devastated when I heard of his untimely death. I'd had seen him win the Rhodesian GP only months before and I thought he was fantastic. I was 10 years old and I still can see him now and I am sure he was responsible for my life long love of F1 motor racing.As I grew older John Love was my boyhood hero as he was from Bulawayo where we lived. I loved going to the Kumalo race track in Bulawayo and watching F1 racing. I now live in the UK and having attended several British GP's they are not the same.
Not much of a story about Gary, but hope this finds you.
Regards
####Yesterday I received this e-mail from Durban, South Africa. It comes from Alan Whitfield who lives near the now extinct Westmead circuit where Gary Hocking lost his life. His information brings us ever closer to our biking hero.
Hi Annez
I have just received your web page from Val Church, who was Gary's girl friend in Bulawayo. She was known as Val Chorley in those days.
Gary used to work in the machine shop of the Rhodesia Railways and was a friend of my older brother Eric, who incidentally passed away in Bulawayo on 10th March.
I will never forget how Gary used to ride his road bike with the guys. At the time he rode a Jawa, and made the guys on their more powerful AJS's Nortons, Matchless and Triumph, machines look sick.
My recollection of the nick name Sox, came about as a result of his name being Gary Hocking which rhymed with Stocking and was reduced to "Sox". I have read about him wearing Veldskoon's and no socks, and possibly it was both that resulted in the name Sox.
He lived with the Fay family in Bulawayo and was like a brother and son to them.
Eddie Fay who now resides in Australia was close to him, and possibly retains many of Gary's mementos.
Regards
Alan Whitfield - aka - Pooley.Ps, I now live in Westville Durban which is very close to the old Westmead circuit, and it is now an industrial park, which has road names that relate to the various sections of the old circuit.
I would like you to insert the message as is, as I am trying to get the message about my late brother to Nobby Clark who is in New York, and this may help.
We are sorry to hear about your brother's passing and hopefully Nobby Clark will do me the honor of casting his famous eyes on this page and, in so doing, read your words.Imagine what a reunion it will be when all these great bikers meet up in the 'next phase'..!!
####Nov 2006..
I have neglected to update this page for many months and do apologise. Below find some 'new' entries..
Thanks for placing that story of Gary Hocking on the web site. I had no idea of the history behind that racing driver.
My dad was a 1935 ww II racing champ on 500 cc and I was born in Durban and then moved to Johannesburg in 1961 and I watched all the international races at Kyalami. My epic race to remember for ever was Jim Clark's last race - 1968 - will never forget.
Gary Hocking sounds evocative. I think about him.
Regrds
Luciano Pontiggia
The Hague - Netherlands
####Hi,
I have just found your story on the Gary Hocking site.
I grew up in Bulawayo and was interested in motor sport. I have very fond memories of going to Kumalo track.
My father worked on the Sunday News in Bulawayo and somehow managed to get Gary�s autograph which I still have. I remember the day my father phoned from work to tell me that Gary had been killed in Durban and I too was very upset.
I don�t have any photos of him but enjoy reading whatever I can find about him. Maybe if I get a chance to go to Newport in Wales I should try and find his grave.
Regards
Richard Tudor Owen/UK
####I visited the website of Michelle/Mike Duff and left a message in the Guestbook. I was happy to receive a reply which I am posting..
Hi Annez:
Tak fer din brev. Nice to hear from you. And I am pleased you enjoyed my web site.
I had a look at your Gary Hocking tribute web site. Interesting information. I too was a fan of Gary Hocking. I was fortunate to meet him and to race against him, although I was never in his league. He was a rare talent who could give Mike Hailwood a run for his money. It's ironic he should switch to cars because he thought it was safer, only to be killed racing a car.
I had heard that he suffered from a rare incurable disease that he got from swimming in the rivers of his homeland, Rhodesia. And that in fact when he left the race track in the accident that ultimately killed him he was already slumped over the steering wheel. Don't know if it is true.
I admire your dedication to a great rider. Do keep up the good work.
Cheers,
Michelle
####This story is from Rob Edwards who lives in Wrexham, N Wales and 'thank you so much' for it...
In June 1962 I had just turned 17 years of age. (I am now 61 years old.)
My friend Frank who was about 10 years older than me had been to the TT races in the Isle of Man many times. He told me he was going to the Senior 500cc Race on the Friday (the Finale of the week) and would I like to join him and other mates.
We sailed from Liverpool on the midnight boat on the Thursday night and arrived on the Isle of Man early hours of Friday morning.
When you walk along the promenade in Douglas, Isle of Man, many of the Cafes are open early serving TT breakfasts.
After breakfast we walked to the TT course and made our way to the bottom of Bray Hill which is just over half a mile from the start line. Bray Hill is in a suburban area with nice bungalows and houses lined each side of the road.
To say Bray Hill is steep, is the under statement of the year. Its like going down the steepest slope on a big dipper.
About half an hour before the roads close, cars and motorbikes are rushing around to get to their spot to watch the racing. Then they close the roads to traffic and there is a strange quietness. Then a travelling marshall roars through using the whole road on a powerful motorbike. I was astounded at the speed of the marshall. My friend commented, "You haven't been before, you wait till the racers come through."
The riders started in pairs from the start line in 10 second intervals.
The first two single cylinder machines roared past at an incredible speed, I could hardly believe my eyes at the speed, also the special smell of the Castrol R oil.
I was just getting over the shock of this and Gary Hocking came down on the fabulous 4 cylinder MV Agusta machine (nicknamed The Fire Engine) because of its distinct red colour. He must have been going at least 30 - 40 miles an hour faster than the previous machines, and the screaming sound of the 4 cylinder machine was incredible.
A few more single cylinder machines came past, and then Mike Hailwood appeared on the second MV Agusta chasing after Gary Hocking.
Mike developed enging trouble during the race and had to pull in for adjustments before joining the race again.
Gary won the race, which was to be his last TT race as he was tragically killed in a racing car the following December.
After that first visit to the TT races I was hooked. I have been many, many times since, seeing such riders as Joey Dunlop, David Jefferies, Steve Hislop, John McGuinness, Mike Hailwood and so many superb riders but Gary Hocking will always have a special place in my memory after the experience of that wonderful day.
If anyone hasn't been to the TT races, I have to say the atmosphere is incredible. Watching Bray Hill on the videos is incredible, but if I tried to describe it for the next two hours, you will still get the shock of your life when you go there and watch it live for the first time.
Rob Edwards, Wrexham, North Wales.
####
On 30th September 2007 Gary Hocking would be celebrating his 70th birthday had he still been alive today.I had been wondering how to present this milestone on the webpage when an e-mail I received solved the problem for me. ( Thanks, Owen )
After reading the e-mail I was/am actually relieved that South Africa never had access to television at the time of the accident as I doubt I would ever have been able to put such a terrible sight behind me!
Read on..
I used to work as a press cadet at the various race-tracks in Natal (KwaZulu-Natal) in the early 60's and had access to these motorcycle greats of yesteryear.: Gary Hocking, Jim Redman, Phil Read, Mike "The Bike" Hailwood, Jo Bonnier and others.I recall one race day at the famed Roy Hesketh Circuit (Pietermaritzburg) where Jim Redman had just won his 250cc on a Four Cylinder Honda in the rain, Similarly, Gary won his 350cc race on an AJS in similar conditions. Phil Read too won his 500cc class on an Matchless. Then, the race to overshadow all races took place the following day - where 1st, 2nd, 3rd were all taken by Gary Hocking, Jim Redman & Phil Read on their respective machines.
(They really need to reintroduce a shoot-out between the various classes of motorcycles - for both the MotoGP and superbike categories)
I, as a mere 13 year old kid tore off home on my BSA bicycle - imagining myself to be my hero - Gary Hocking - speeding past the line line of cars creeping down the hill towards the Pietermaritzburg Durban intersection.
I had my head down, my arms bent in true motorcycle fashion - the rain pelting me in my face - sans helmet, when a Ford Fairlane suddenly broke away from it's lane and forced me off the road. I awoke two days later in Greys Hospital with a fractured skull - half my face - one bloody grit/mud-caked mess.
Needless to say, I survived to not only venture to many subsequent motorcycle events in the Natal region, but myself taking up motorcycle racing - albeit only on a 50cc Suzuki - which I set several lap-records on, as I had perfected two distinctive styles of cornering - still in use today.
I preceeded SA "Springbok" Superbike Champion - Richard Borain (my neighbour) whom I used to ride circles around and fellow hometown hero - Kork Ballington, but could not continue, due to financial constraints. My coach and mechanic was none other than former SA Champion Jack Gray. His son too went on to become SA"Springbok" Superbike Champion.
And yes, I was on hand at Westmead when I saw Gary Hocking's Lotus fly upwards - before striking the tree stumps. Being of the press-corps, I found out about his death early on.
Even now, do my eyes mist with tears, as I trul;y admired and loved this man - for I knew - had that gut feeling that he was destined to become World Formula 1 Champion as he had become World MotoGP Champion before.
Owen 'mshengu' Greenland
Washington, DC
(Struggling in The Diaspora)
####
Today, Sunday 30th September 2007, Gary Hocking 'celebrates' his 70th birthday.It's sad that he's not still physically around in the world of Formula 1 racing, but, judging from all the feedback and visits to my webpages, I know that he is always with us in spirit.
'Happy Birthday', Gary and thanks for the memories.
####
*** Just for the record..Jim Redman has written his autobiography, "Six Times World Motorcycle Champion"It was out of print for a while but, according to Amazon.com, is now , once again, available.
I am reading a copy of this book and am enjoying it immensely. It is very well written.
####
In Memoriam
- Vladd's SoapboxVisit my Blog for more feedback & other stuff.
Fighting InjusticeAnnEz / Sweden
Updated Dec 2009
