Four-time road-racing world champion New Zealander Hugh Anderson will shortly be inducted in the MotoGP Hall of Fame, alongside Jorge Lorenzo and Max Biaggi.
Anderson will be the final inductee for 2020.
Anderson made his first GP appearances in the 500cc and 350cc classes in 1960, taking a podium in the latter. Two years later he added the 125cc and 50cc classes to his resume, becoming a race winner in both.
That set his course and for 1963 the New Zealander took on the 125cc and 50cc World Championships in earnest, taking the crown in each class.
He retained the 50cc crown the following year to make it back-to-back titles and was third in the 125cc title fight, reversing that in 1965 as he regained the 125cc crown and was third in the 50cc class. Anderson retired in 1966 after taking an impressive 25 Grand Prix wins and four titles in just six years.
Hugh Anderson: “How I felt when receiving the news? At first, apprehension: Do my relatively modest achievements warrant this honour? Will I, can I, do justice to this invitation?
“Some hours later I felt a feel good sensation envelope me. A gratification that, after all this time, the modern world has not forgotten the past and the riders of a very much different era still have some value. A question of the history of our sport being recognised at the highest level. Thank you.”
Lorenzo, Biaggi and Anderson now join a long list of greats that have been made MotoGP legends an d that list includes Giacomo Agostini, Mick Doohan, Geoff Duke, Wayne Gardner, Mike Hailwood, Daijiro Kato, Eddie Lawson, Anton Mang, Angel Nieto, Wayne Rainey, Phil Read, Jim Redman, Kenny Roberts, Kenny Roberts Jr, Jarno Saarinen, Kevin Schwantz, Barry Sheene, Marco Simoncelli, Freddie Spencer, Casey Stoner, John Surtees, Carlo Ubbiali, Alex Crivillé, Franco Uncini, Marco Lucchinelli, Randy Mamola, Kork Ballington, Dani Pedrosa, Stefan Dörflinger, Jorge Martinez and the late, great Nicky Hayden.
Words by Ian Dawson
© Photo by Andy McGechan, BikesportNZ
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