JohnSurtees

John Norman Surtees, born on February 11, 1934, and passing on March 10, 2017, stands as a singular figure in the annals of motorsport, distinguished by an unparalleled achievement: he remains the only individual to secure World Championships on both two and four wheels. His career spanned Grand Prix motorcycle racing from 1952 to 1960, culminating in seven World Championship titles, including four in the premier 500cc class with MV Agusta. Transitioning to Formula One from 1960 to 1972, Surtees added the Formula One World Drivers' Championship in 1964 with Ferrari, accumulating 38 motorcycle Grand Prix victories and six Formula One Grand Prix wins across his illustrious career.

Early Career and Motorcycle Dominance

Surtees's motorsport journey began early, influenced by his father, Jack Surtees, a successful south-London motorcycle dealer and accomplished grasstrack competitor. At the tender age of 14, John made his professional debut in the sidecar of his father's Vincent, securing a win before being disqualified due to his age. His first official race came at 15 in a grasstrack event. By 1950, at 16, he commenced an apprenticeship at the Vincent factory, laying a technical foundation for his future endeavors. His talent first gained wider recognition in 1951 when he mounted a significant challenge to Norton star Geoff Duke at the Thruxton Circuit. In 1955, Norton's race chief, Joe Craig, provided Surtees with his first factory-sponsored ride. He concluded the year by outperforming reigning world champion Duke at both Silverstone and Brands Hatch. However, Norton's financial instability led Surtees to accept an offer from the MV Agusta factory racing team. It was here that his exceptional skill and speed earned him the evocative nickname "figlio del vento," or "son of the wind." His tenure with MV Agusta marked a period of profound dominance. In 1956, Surtees clinched the 500cc world championship, delivering MV Agusta its inaugural title in the senior class. This achievement was aided by a six-month ban imposed by the FIM on defending champion Geoff Duke for his involvement in a riders' strike. While the 1957 season proved challenging against the formidable Gileras, Surtees battled to a third-place finish. However, with the withdrawal of Gilera and Moto Guzzi from Grand Prix racing at the close of 1957, Surtees and MV Agusta became virtually unstoppable. Between 1958 and 1960, he achieved three consecutive doubles, winning six World Championships across both the 500cc and 350cc classes. During this period, he won an astonishing 32 out of 39 races and became the first rider to win the Senior TT at the Isle of Man three years in succession, cementing his status as a motorcycle racing legend.

Transition to Formula One

Even while dominating on two wheels, Surtees explored four-wheeled motorsport, undertaking a test drive in Aston Martin's DBR1 sports car for team manager Reg Parnell. This foreshadowed his full-time transition in 1960, at the age of 26, when he made his Formula One debut at the 1960 BRDC International Trophy at Silverstone with Team Lotus. His impact was immediate and significant; he secured a second-place finish in only his second Formula One World Championship race, the 1960 British Grand Prix, and followed this with a pole position at his third outing, the 1960 Portuguese Grand Prix. The subsequent years saw Surtees gain further experience in Formula One. He spent the 1961 season with the Yeoman Credit Racing Team, driving a Cooper T53 "Lowline" under the management of Reg Parnell. The 1962 season continued with Parnell, now with the Bowmaker Racing Team, campaigning the V8 Lola Mk4. These formative years honed his skills in single-seater machinery, preparing him for the pinnacle of his four-wheeled career.

Ferrari and the 1964 World Championship

In 1963, Surtees made a pivotal move to Scuderia Ferrari, a team synonymous with racing heritage and ambition. This partnership proved to be immensely successful, culminating in the 1964 Formula One World Drivers' Championship. His triumph with Ferrari not only marked a career highlight but also etched his name uniquely into motorsport history as the only driver to achieve World Championship status in both motorcycle and Formula One racing. This achievement underscored his extraordinary versatility and adaptability across vastly different racing disciplines.

Adversity and the Tumultuous 1966 Season

The trajectory of Surtees's career was dramatically interrupted on September 25, 1965, when he suffered a life-threatening accident at Mosport Park Circuit in Canada while practicing in a Lola T70 sports racing car. The crash, attributed to a broken front upright casting, left him with severe injuries, including a significant discrepancy in body length. Doctors managed to correct most of the breaks non-surgically, physically stretching his body to reduce the initial four-inch difference to less than an inch. His recovery was a testament to his resilience and determination. The 1966 Formula One season introduced new 3-litre engine regulations, and Surtees, having recovered from his injuries, debuted Ferrari's new F1 car at the BRDC International Trophy at Silverstone. He qualified and finished a close second to Jack Brabham's 3-litre Brabham BT19, demonstrating his immediate competitiveness. Weeks later, at the Monaco Grand Prix, he led the race, pulling away from Jackie Stewart's 2-litre BRM before an engine failure forced his retirement. His tenacity was rewarded at the Belgian Grand Prix, where he navigated a chaotic opening lap rainstorm that eliminated half the field, ultimately winning the race.

The Ferrari Departure

However, the 1966 season also marked a significant and contentious turning point in Surtees's relationship with Ferrari. Due to perennial strikes in Italy, Ferrari could only enter two Ferrari P3 prototypes for the 24 Hours of Le Mans, rather than their customary three. The events surrounding his exclusion from the driver lineup remain subject to differing accounts. Ferrari's official narrative at the time stated that Le Mans rules permitted only two drivers per car, and Surtees was omitted, with Mike Parkes/Ludovico Scarfiotti and Jean Guichet/Lorenzo Bandini forming the two pairings. When Surtees, as the team leader, questioned team manager Eugenio Dragoni about his exclusion, Dragoni reportedly cited concerns about Surtees's fitness following his 1965 accident. Surtees, however, offered a different recollection. He stated that he was initially paired with Scarfiotti. Believing himself to be the faster driver, Surtees argued that he should take the first stint to aggressively challenge the Ford opposition from the outset. Dragoni reportedly denied this request, insisting Scarfiotti start, a decision Surtees believed was influenced by a desire to appease Fiat chairman Gianni Agnelli, Scarfiotti's uncle, who was present as a spectator. Regardless of the precise details, the decision and the perceived lack of support from Enzo Ferrari deeply upset Surtees, leading to his immediate resignation from the team. This abrupt departure is widely considered to have cost both Ferrari and Surtees the 1966 Formula One World Championship; Ferrari finished second in the Constructors' Championship to Brabham-Repco, and Surtees finished second to Jack Brabham in the Drivers' Championship. He concluded the season driving for the Cooper-Maserati team, securing a victory in the final race.

Can-Am Success and Honda Chapter

Following his departure from Ferrari, Surtees demonstrated his continued prowess in other racing disciplines. In the inaugural 1966 Can-Am season, he competed with a Lola T70, winning three of six races to clinch the championship. He outpaced formidable competitors such as Dan Gurney, Mark Donohue, Phil Hill, Bruce McLaren, and Chris Amon, further showcasing his versatility. In December 1966, Surtees signed with Honda for the upcoming Formula One season. The initial races with the Honda RA273 were plagued by mechanical problems, despite a promising third-place finish in the season opener in South Africa. The car was replaced by the Honda RA300 for the Italian Grand Prix, where Surtees delivered a memorable performance, slipstreaming Jack Brabham to secure Honda's second Formula One victory by a mere 0.2 seconds. He concluded the 1967 Drivers' Championship in fourth place. The same year, Surtees also participated in the Rex Mays 300 at Riverside, a USAC road race that pitted leading American oval-track drivers against seasoned Formula One Grand Prix competitors like Jim Clark and Dan Gurney.

Constructor and Retirement

In 1970, Surtees embarked on a new chapter, establishing his own racing team, the Surtees Racing Organisation. For nine seasons, his team competed as a constructor in Formula 5000, Formula 2, and Formula One. Surtees himself retired from competitive driving in 1972, the same year his organization achieved significant success when Mike Hailwood won the European Formula 2 Championship. The Surtees Racing Organisation continued to operate until its disbandment at the end of 1978.

Legacy and Post-Racing Life

After his retirement from active competition and the closure of his racing team, John Surtees remained deeply involved in motorsport. He ran a motorcycle shop in West Wickham, Kent, and a Honda car dealership in Edenbridge, Kent. His passion for motorcycling endured, and he frequently participated in classic events, showcasing vintage racing machines from his personal collection. He also maintained his connection to single-seater racing, serving as chairman of A1 Team Great Britain in the A1 Grand Prix series from 2005 to 2007. Tragically, his son, Henry Surtees, a promising racing driver, died in 2009 while competing in the FIA Formula 2 Championship. In Henry's memory, John Surtees founded the Henry Surtees Foundation in 2010, a charitable organization dedicated to assisting victims of accidental brain injuries and promoting safety in driving and motorsport. Surtees's extraordinary career and contributions were widely recognized. He was the subject of "This Is Your Life" in 1992 and was inducted into the International Motorsports Hall of Fame in 1996. The FIM honored him as a Grand Prix "Legend" in 2003. For his services to motorsport, he was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in 2008 and a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in 2016, having previously been a Member (MBE). In 2013, he received the Segrave Trophy for his multiple world championships and unique achievement across two and four wheels. Oxford Brookes University awarded him an honorary Doctor of Engineering degree in 2015, and he was posthumously inducted into the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America in 2024. John Surtees passed away on March 10, 2017, at the age of 83, leaving behind an indelible legacy as one of motorsport's most versatile and accomplished champions.