John Williams’ story
Part one: The tale of the man who turned down factory rides to stay a privateer and cut his own path.
Throughout the 1970s, John Williams was one of the UK’S leading racers and although he only had one year as a fully-fledged factory rider, 1976 saw him not only claim a 500cc Grand Prix victory but also become the first rider in history to lap the Isle of Man TT Mountain Course at more than 110mph.
Having already put himself in the record books at the Ulster Grand Prix and North West 200, being the first rider to take a hat-trick at each, the Cheshire rider eventually took a hugely impressive 16 international road race wins only for a crash at the 1978 Ulster GP to claim his life whilst still very much at the peak of his profession. Born in the Wirral on May 27, 1946, John Glynne Williams was of Welsh ancestry with his greatgrandfather being an Eisteddfod (Aberdare) winner. After leaving school, John worked in an ironmonger’s shop before being encouraged to take up an engineering apprenticeship in Liverpool. However, he was born to be a racer and after leaving the apprenticeship to work in a local motorbike shop, he began racing in 1966 on a converted 125cc MV Agusta roadster which he shared with friend Tony Irvine. Money was scarce and, as well as the bike, the duo used to share leathers, boots, gloves and a crash helmet which required a quick change between heats. Two years later, the Heswall rider picked up sponsorship from Vic Camp and riding