On July 30th 2003 Multi race winning Motorcyclist, Robert Steven 'Hizzy' Hislop died.
Hislop was from a close knit, Scottish Borders family. He grew up in the village of Chesters near the town of Hawick with his father Sandy, mother Margaret and younger brother Garry [his best friend]. Sandy encouraged his boys to be enthusiastic about competitive motorcycling and take up racing.
However his father died when Steve was 17, then Garry was killed in a racing accident at Silloth circuit in 1982 aged 19, Steve's enthusiasm waned and he slumped into an alcohol fuelled depression.
However, a trip to the TT races in 1983 inspired him, and he decided to compete there, with his first win in the 1987 TT Formula 2 Race on a Yamaha.
He went on to become the fourth most successful TT rider of all time with a total of 11 wins, including four victories in the senior race - the TT's premier event. In total, he took the podium an incredible 19 times. But for many domestic fans, the victory held most dear is his win on the rotary-engined Norton in 1992 - the last time an all-British machine won a TT.
Unlike a lot of TT specialists, Hislop was also extremely good on conventional racing circuits and was tipped by many for world championship success. When he won the British 250cc Supercup for Honda in 1990, everything looked set for a glittering career in grand prix, following his countryman Niall Mackenzie.
But promise was never turned into reality, and he never marketed himself in a way which would secure a GP ride. Later, he expressed regret that he had not contracted a personal manager, who could have directed his talents on the bike into a career off it.
He was twice British superbike champion and also won in world superbike and world endurance racing. Hislop excelled at endurance racing and was world champion in 1993 - but again didn't capitalise on this success.
Much of the problem lay with his dual personality. With race fans he was often the most charming, accessible and easy-going of all his generation of riders. However, he was often difficult for teams - despite his astonishing skill on the track.
Even after winning the 2002 British superbike championship, Monster Mob Ducati team owner Paul Bird did not renew his contract, and Hislop was fired from the Virgin Mobile Yamaha team in July of this year - and mid-season sackings of a team's lead rider are rare occurrences.
Injuries did not help his career either. In a miraculous escape, he broke his neck at the 2000 world superbike round at Brands Hatch and then, unaware of the seriousness of his injuries, discharged himself from hospital. In 2002, he suffered horrendous injuries when a safety fence lifted and he hit a solid barrier behind it. Despite this enormous setback, he went on to win the 2002 British superbike championship.
Conscious of the fact that his racing career was coming to a close, Hislop had been taking helicopter flying lessons with the aim of becoming a commercial helicopter pilot.
On July 30th 2003 Hislop crashed his hewlicopter just eight minutes after leaving a friend's home in Hawick to fly solo back to Buckinghamshire. Pics are of Hislpo, and two statues to him, the first in his home town of Moffat, the second at Douglas Bay, Isle of Man. The third pic is a cairn near Teviothead, the scene of the helicopter crash, it reads......
'Hizzy' This cairn was built by a few friends of Steve Hislop, British Superbike Champion, who was tragically killed in a helicopter accident near this site, on July 30th 2003.
Kind permission was granted by His Grace The Duke of Buccleuch.
