THE FINAL SEASON
By 1989 Suzuki, running in bright blue and white Durex livery, were really up against it with the 750 being outclassed by its competitors while the big 1100cc Proddie machine was exactly that – big and most definitely a handful. The CBR600 Honda was very much the bike to beat in the Supersport class but, nevertheless, Phil was back for his 15th year of racing and although, at the age of 35, he was entering the twilight of his career he was still more than capable of challenging for race wins. Indeed, the opening round of the Shell Oils Supercup Championship saw him take a strong fourth in the 600cc race and fifth in the F1, proving he was still more than a match for the likes of Rymer, Morrison, Fogarty and co. Third at Mallory Park in the British Championship F1 race further confirmed this. Back at the TT, the week got off to a strong start, with fourth in the Supersport 600cc race, Phil just missing out on the final podium spot (that eventually went the way of team-mate Whitham) by 10.6 seconds. However, as he was turning into the return road, the throttle stuck open and he was thrown off, sustaining bruised ribs, which made it extra tough for the following day’s World F1 race. It started with a 115mph+ lap but this was some 5mph down on the record-breaking exploits of Steve Hislop and his race ended with an oil leak and retirement on lap three. He was back on the results sheet in Monday’s Production 750cc race, in ninth place, although he was almost three minutes adrift of race winner Carl Fogarty, the Suzuki again not the bike to be on. The familiar number 10 then lined up for his penultimate race of the week although, sadly, it would prove to be the final race of his career – the fateful 1300cc Production TT. Riders had expressed their misgivings about the handling characteristics of the big Production machines, with speeds now exceeding the bikes’ chassis capabilities and only 3-4mph down on the F1 and 500cc GP machines. However, it was a full grid that lined up on Wednesday afternoon and an opening lap of 113.89mph saw Phil slot into a strong seventh place, less than 10 seconds adrift of third. During the second lap of the race though, he lost control of his machine at Doran’s Bend and was thrown off, hitting the low stone wall on the right-hand side of the course and sustaining chest injuries. As news spread of the accident, and that of the one involving Whitham, Steve Henshaw and Mike Seward at Quarry Bends, several riders, including Brian Morrison, Ray Swann and Gary Thrush, retired having witnessed the incidents. Indeed, some of them stopped to try and help. Although his injuries were serious, Phil’s life wasn’t thought to be in immediate danger but, after being conveyed by helicopter to Noble’s Hospital, his condition deteriorated and he died a few hours later. Coupled with the loss of Henshaw, another of the sport’s most popular characters, it was one of the darkest days in the history of the TT and somewhat ironic that the unforgiving Mountain Course claimed two of its most ardent supporters; indeed, you’d have been hard pressed to have found someone who enjoyed the TT more than Mellor. The racing world was shocked that the evercheerful Mez had been taken on the course he loved above all others and Paul Fowler’s obituary in Motocourse summed the man up – ‘Phil Mellor was simply the nicest man in road racing. There are few who are loved by all but Phil was unique. I can honestly say I never heard anyone with a bad word about him and he never said a bad word about anyone else. His cheerful approach to everything he did earned him the love of everyone and in a poll for the best liked rider in Britain, Mez would have come out on top every time.’ Those words say everything about Phil Mellor, one of the finest road racers the UK has ever produced.
“RIDERS HAD EXPRESSED THEIR MISGIVINGS ABOUT THE HANDLING CHARACTERISTICS OF THE BIG PRODUCTION MACHINES, WITH SPEEDS NOW EXCEEDING THE BIKES’ CHASSIS CAPABILITIES.”