New Zealand motorcycle racers had been making the trip overseas, to Europe in particular, since the early 1900s and at times experiencing some success. A lad from Ohinewai, inspired by reading race reports from the Isle of Man TT, decided to pack his bags and head off.

Hugh Anderson is arguably New Zealand’s most successful motorcycle racer and the only rider from our shores to win a world Grand Prix title. In fact, he won four – 50cc and 125cc in 1963; 50cc in 1964 and 125cc again in 1965 – and two Isle of Man TTs to boot.

Not content to be the dominant two-stroke rider of his time, when Anderson decided to hit the dirt he cleaned up in the European motocross championship. Deciding to retire from fulltime racing he still dabbled in classic events in the 1980s throughout the world, again with success.

Some have hinted that Anderson was a bit of a machine when it came to racing and was an early adopter of mental skills to get an edge over opponents, which are much used today. They must have worked because he was still racing and winning until 2009, as a 72-year-old.

In an earlier interview with Driven, Anderson said he was forced into fulltime retirement by actions of another. “I stopped racing when I got knocked off at a classic TT event,” he said.

“On the second lap of practice a guy out of control tried to put his bike somewhere it was never going to fit and hit me pretty bloody hard.

“The bike was badly damaged and I got three broken ribs because of his inability to control himself or whatever the problem was.”

Getting taken out by someone decades younger who’s trying to prove a point to a 72-year-old is irksome to say the least, but a good story nevertheless. And if it’s good stories you’re after you can no further this Christmas than getting your mitts on Anderson’s autobiography Being There.

The larger-than-life daring deeds, near misses, accidents, wins, his reputation and contributions to motorcycling chronicled in this book led to Anderson receiving an MBE and being admitted to the New Zealand Sports Hall of Fame.

“The intent was always to write the story but I was also so busy working and looking towards the future that I didn’t have time to think about the past,” said Anderson.

“The kind of book I wanted to write would take time and I needed the time to do it properly.

“I wanted to tell the story exactly how it was and in as much detail as possible so people could get a good feel for what it is like to be there, win a Grand Prix. Also to experience the hard times, the nightmares, the problems, the accidents, pre-race routines and, of course, the good times.

“I had someone who had read the book contact me saying how it told him so much about racing that he never knew and that he’d been moved to tears on several occasions.

Though Anderson may be the star of the show, his Dutch wife, Janny, was and still is his talisman, nurse and the centre of most things.

It’s hard to understand what it must have been like to be married to a professional racer in the 1960s when safety was more of a nebulous concept rather than an actuality.

Anderson was witness to the death of many friends and rivals and he himself suffered numerous injuries along the way.

“When I first meet Hugh I knew nothing about motorcycle racing even though I grew up in Assen where they have the Grand Prix,” said Janny. “My dad used to go but I had no idea.

“I was working in the hospital when Hugh came in after his accident and we meet then.

“It was not glamorous as it is today. In those days a lot of the riders slept in their vans on race weekends but we were lucky enough to have a caravan. Looking back now, it was a great life although people got hurt and people got killed, which was the sad part, but it was exciting going to the Grand Prix.

“It’s been long, hard [getting the book written] and we had our ups and downs on the way. He always said once it was all down on paper it would be a relief as the story would now be all together in a book form.

“It’s now all ready and sitting on the table and I haven’t gone near it. I don’t have to read it; I’ve been here through the whole writing process. Of course I’ve helped proof [read] bits of it and Hugh always told me what he’d written each time. I think it’s a great achievement and I’m very proud of it and him.”

Not content to do the racing, write the book, layout the pages, get it printed and bound, publish it, Anderson is also the distributor.

• The book is available from the man himself at hughanderson@nullclear.net.nz or (07) 853 2711 and can be found in some bookshops.