Michael Swann chokes back tears following Hall of Fame honour for 12-time Irish and Ulster motorcycling champion
An emotional Michael Swann choked back the tears after he was inducted into the illustrious Hall of Fame at the Adelaide Irish Motorbike Awards and revealed his ‘shock’ at the honour afterwards.
A 12-time Irish and Ulster champion, Swann joins an exclusive club of inductees that includes the likes of Joey Dunlop, Ralph Bryans, Stanley Woods, Ray McCullough, Tom Herron, Robert Dunlop, Phillip McCallen, Brian Reid, Tom Herron, Gary Coward, Ryan Farquhar, Richard Britton, Eddie Laycock and William Dunlop.
Swann, whose son Scott will make the step into the British Superbike Championship this year with the IWR Honda team, said the recognition had come as a huge surprise.
“Big time, yes, shocked,” said Swann at the glittering awards bash on Friday night.
“People ask me all the time who’s won certain things but we vote and there’s a certain criterion we have to vote on, and we keep it serious, but we don’t get to vote on this one – someone else votes.
“I’m so shocked and I’ve said it’s a surprise but I just love this sport, it’s so fantastic it’s unbelievable.
“The downs are massive, the ups are massive, there’s nothing else like it in the world.
“Motorbikes – it’s the best thing in the world and I love riding around the quarry with my friends or riding in a field and doing a grasstrack, or track racing – I love motorbikes and maybe I got it for that, a love of motorbikes,” he added.
“It was a hard year with Scott and we put so much into this year.
“We’ve a couple of friends, it’s a small team with good sponsors, and that gave me so much joy and happiness, and passion to do it with the big boys.”
His son Scott enjoyed the best year of his career in 2024, winning five National Superstock 1000 races to claim third overall in the series, earning the chance to make his BSB debut.