"They had no idea I had a motorbike," he says. "I
would leave the house every morning at 7.40 am, walk round the
corner into the lane, get on it and go to work. My Mum assumed
I was on the bus". For months he got away with it until,
by chance, he was rumbled.
"I was driving through Eastbourne," he says. "I
had to stop at a zebra crossing. Who should cross the road but
my mother. I had a scarf rapped around my face and head. Only
my eyes were showing. But she still recognised me.
When I got home that evening my mother said to me, "That
was you, wasn't it?" I admitted it was and that I had had
the bike for six months. That was it. They accepted it. My father
came and had a look at it and said that it was a fine bike and
nothing was ever said after that.
From then on Mick's career as a motor bike
racer took off.
"At 17 I got a Suzuki 200 cc for £100. Me and my
friends would tear around the countryside around Eastbourne.
I fell off a number of times and was caught once for doing 90
mph along King's Drive past the Hospital.
"I then got a 100 mph six gear 250 cc Suzuki and that's
what made me decide to go racing. Firstly I thought it would
be safer racing on a track than on the roads and, secondly, I
just wanted to go faster. Then I really got the bug and bought
a 110 mph 250 cc Montesa and in my first race at Lydden Hill,
just outside Dover, I came sixth."
"It didn't take me long to make an impact. In only my fourth
race, at Brands Hatch, I came first. But I had problems. I couldn't
really afford to race; it was an expensive business. At the time
I could only afford to take part in ten/twelve races a year but
I would still win half of them even though I was up against older,
more experienced riders. I think I just had the knack for racing
due to the amount of time I spent racing around on the roads."
The following years saw more bikes and a few crashes, but the
winning streak continued. 1977, however, was a real breakthrough
year. In one British Championship race meeting he won the big
invitation race and got the outright lap record for the Lydden
circuit, together with the princely sum of £120, the equivalent
of three weeks wages at the time.
In 1978 John Groombridge, a local motorcycle dealer and racing
fan based in Heathfield, East Sussex decided to sponsor him.
He bought him two new Yamahas worth £3,000 each and Mick
rode for him for the next couple of years until a couple of injuries
forced a temporary retirement at the end of 1979. However, by
1982 he was not only back in the saddle again, but had been offered
sponsorship by Tony Dunnell, an ex-racer from Seaford and now
one of the country's leading Classic racing sponsors. Mick rode
Tony's bikes until 1990, the highlights being four rostrum finishes
in the Isle of Man, the Mecca for all motorcycling fans.
From 1991 to 1998, Mick was sponsored by another big road racing
fan, John Snow, who runs his own business near Dorking. This
time he was given a brand new, state of the art, 250cc Yamaha.
Again, as well as winning races all over the UK, there were another
three rostrum finishes in the Isle of Man. In 1994 Mick started
to ride Classic bikes for John Snow, with a Seeley G50 as the
main bike. He won numerous races around the UK including a "Man
of the Meeting" award at the Pembrey circuit in Wales (and,
yes, he has the tee shirt to prove it). He also lapped the Isle
of Man at over 100 mph which, at the time, was fairly impressive
on a Classic 500, producing about 50 bhp.
In 1999 Mick made another switch and started riding a £30,000
Manx Norton for Roger Winfield, another ex-racer from Ashburnham
near Battle. In five years he firmly established his reputation
on the continental circuit and was Mick then rated one of the
top Classic riders in Europe.
In 2003, after 30 years of motorcycle racing and approximately
15 crashes, one of which resulted in him flying over the handle
bars of his bike at over 100 mph, he decided in was time to take
a year off. He also needed a back operation the following year
but the doctors recommended some time off from racing to improve
the chances of such an operation being a success. "So I
stopped riding," he says.
"I found that I didn't miss it as much as I thought and
after the operation, instead of going back to racing, I decided
to go back to my second favourite hobby." Which is why
today Mick is in demand as a top horse photographer.
"I've never ridden a horse in my life let alone even sat
on one, but photographing them is always a thrill. They seem
to have a presence, remarkably different characters and a confidence
all of their own. They're all individuals which makes them all
the more interesting."
Today Mick has clients all over the South East. He has also
been commissioned to take photographs as far away as Ireland
and Italy. He is obviously destined to make his name in the world
of horse photography as he did in motorcycle racing, but hopefully
without the accidents.
Thirty years of international motorcycle
racing. Fifteen crashes. Two broken bones.
Ask Mick Robinson which was his most spectacular
crash.
"It was at Eastbourne railway station," he'll
tell you. "Don't ask me how but I managed to flip a Ford
Capri off the platform so it landed upside down on the railway
line. It was quite spectacular, I can tell you."
