An irreversible childhood accident, that resulted in him losing the sight in one eye, was not the best start in life for Alistair Michael Rogers.
As a child he visited numerous race tracks in the UK, notably Crystal Palace and Brands Hatch, inheriting an interest in motorcycles from his father, elder brother Chris and cousin Peter.
Taking up an apprenticeship in engineering, Mike’s 16th birthday present was, not surprisingly, a motorcycle that offered him the freedom, much-needed independence and self-confidence that he craved.
By a stroke of good fortune, his workmates were motorcycle enthusiasts, competing at club racing events. One day they invited him to come along, and when he expressed a desire to ‘have a go too’ they helped him get started.
His first race was in the production class on a 204cc Ducati, but the death of his brother in a motorcycle road accident in 1963 led to him pausing for a while.
One year later he purchased a 250cc Ducati Mach 1 to compete in production races.
He would ultimately prove to be a high achiever on the club and national scene, ultimately riding that very same machine to success in the 1969 250cc Production TT.
Mike’s first appearance in the TT came in 1967, Diamond Jubilee year, but after a race-long dice with Suzuki man Eddie Crooks for a top-10 place, a mistake on the last lap led to a bent exhaust valve and a non-finish.
The following year was a very contentious and controversial race in which winner Trevor Burgess and runner-up George Leigh were excluded from the results for using expansion chambers on their Ossa and Bultaco machines.
Rogers was briefly credited with sixth place, but the RAC overrode the decision and reinstated the two riders so he was finally placed eighth.
In his 170-page autobiography, Rogers wrote that the 1969 Production TT, the year of his win, was probably the fairest race for years.
The rules defining what a production bike was and what modifications could be made to machines were very strictly enforced.
The result was a very close race in which reliability played a decisive role, enabling the Middlesex man to become the first rider of a Ducati to win a TT.
Runner-up, precisely 30 seconds behind, was Frank Whiteway on a 250cc Suzuki after what was a very close contest. Third, at another 64s, was Chas Mortimer (Ducati) who went on to win eight TTs in a distinguished career.
Mike Rogers retired from racing at the end of that year and died in 2009, shortly after completing the text for the book. His last visit to the island was for the Centenary TT lap of honour in 2007.
The hard-backed book is an interesting read about his life and road racing, primarily throughout the 1960s. It’s an inspirational story.
It is available via Amazon at the price of £27, but as a special offer for the Manx Grand Prix, a handful of copies are available for the price of £22 each (postage and packaging would be at an extra cost). Email [email protected] or phone 695654 for more details.
