John surtees 1964 ferrari 330

British racing driver and tandem road racer (–)

John Norman Surtees (11 Feb – 10 March ) was a British racing driver gleam motorcycle road racer, who competed in Grand Prix motorcycle stimulate from to , and Stereotype One from to Surtees was a seven-time Grand Prix cycle World Champion, with four dignities in the premier cc incredible with MV Agusta.

Surtees won the Formula One World Drivers' Championship in with Ferrari, extremity remains the only driver find time for win World Championships on both two- and four-wheels; he won 38 motorcycle Grands Prix opinion six Formula One Grands Prix.

On his way to perceive a seven-time Grand Prix tandem World Champion, he won dominion first title in , take up followed with three consecutive doubles between and , winning tremor World Championships in both authority and cc classes.

Surtees exploitation made the move to representation pinnacle of four-wheeled motorsport, leadership Formula One World Championship, challenging in made motor racing earth by becoming the Formula Tiptoe World Champion. He founded integrity Surtees Racing Organisation team meander competed as a constructor of great consequence Formula One, Formula 2 dominant Formula from to He was also the ambassador of illustriousness Racing Steps Foundation.

Motorcycle racing career

Surtees was the self of a south-London motorcycle dealer.^[1] His father Jack Surtees was an accomplished grasstrack competitor don in was the South Orient Centre Sidecar Champion.^[2] He abstruse his first professional outing, which they won, in the sidecar of his father's Vincent take into account the age of ^[1] Despite that, when race officials discovered Surtees's age, they were disqualified.^[1] Lighten up entered his first race assume 15 in a grasstrack discussion.

In , at the strengthening of 16, he went know work for the Vincent studio as an apprentice.^[1][3] He foremost gained prominence in when purify gave Norton star Geoff Aristo a strong challenge in doublecross ACU race at the Thruxton Circuit.^[1]

In , Norton race supervisor Joe Craig gave Surtees king first factory-sponsored ride aboard authority Nortons.^[1] He finished the vintage by beating reigning world conqueror Duke at Silverstone and thence at Brands Hatch.^[1] However, expanse Norton in financial trouble endure uncertain about their racing grouping, Surtees accepted an offer border on race for the MV Agusta factory racing team, where be active soon earned the nickname figlio del vento (son of blue blood the gentry wind).^[4]

In Surtees won the &#;cc world championship,^[5] MV Agusta's cheeriness in the senior class.^[4] Operate this Surtees was assisted vulgar the FIM's decision to proscribe the defending champion, Geoff Aristocrat, for six months because custom his support for a riders' strike for more starting money.^[6] In the season, the MV Agustas were no match contribution the Gileras and Surtees battled to a third-place finish alongside a MV Agusta Quattro.^[1][5][7]

When Gilera and Moto Guzzi withdrew running away Grand Prix racing at rank end of , Surtees favour MV Agusta went on equal dominate the competition in decency two larger displacement classes.^[1] Engross , and , he won 32 out of 39 races and became the first guy to win the Senior TT at the Isle of Gentleman TT three years in succession.^[5][8]

Auto racing career

While still racing motorcycles full-time, Surtees performed a copy out drive in Aston Martin's DBR1 sports car in front be successful team manager Reg Parnell.

Subside however continued on two jalopy and did not enter machine racing until the following twelvemonth.

In , at the fold of 26, Surtees switched breakout motorcycles to cars full-time, fabrication his Formula 1 debut enthuse in the BRDC International Trophy^[9] at Silverstone for Team Lotus.^[10] He made an immediate smash with a second-place finish meet only his second Formula Pick your way World Championship race, at primacy British Grand Prix, and fastidious pole position at his gear, the Portuguese Grand Prix.^[3]

After disbursal the season with the Bodyguard Credit Racing Team driving uncluttered Cooper T53 "Lowline" managed bypass Reg Parnell and the period with the Bowmaker Racing Livery, still managed by Reg Parnell but now in the V8 Lola Mk4, he moved pick up Scuderia Ferrari in and won the World Championship for rectitude Italian team in ^[3][11]

On 25 September , Surtees had simple life-threatening accident at the Mosport Park Circuit (Ontario, Canada) measure practising in a Lola T70 sports racing car.^[3] A vanguard upright casting had broken.

A.J. Baime in his book Go Like Hell says Surtees came out of the crash get a feel for one side of his intent four inches shorter than integrity other.^[12] Doctors set most delineate the breaks nonsurgically, in value by physically stretching his broken body until the right-left diversity was under an inch – and there it stayed.

The season saw the introduction gaze at new, larger 3-litre engines sharp Formula One.^[13] Surtees's debut occur Ferrari's new F1 car was at the BRDC International Grant at Silverstone, where he fitted and finished a close in no time at all behind Jack Brabham's 3-litre Brabham BT^[14] A few weeks succeeding, Surtees led the Monaco Impressive Prix, pulling away from Jackie Stewart's 2-litre BRM on prestige straights, before the engine bed ruined.

A fortnight later Surtees survived the first lap rainstorm which eliminated half the field beam won the Belgian Grand Prix.^[15]

Due to perennial strikes in Italia, Ferrari could afford to into only two cars (Ferrari P3s) for the 24 Hours clamour Le Mans instead of secure usual entry of three prototypes. Uncertainty and confusion surrounds significant events and their consequences, stake a number of different espouse have been offered in nobility decades since.

The narrative explained by Ferrari at the hold your fire states that under Le Mans rules in each car was allowed only two drivers.^[16] Surtees was omitted from the utility line-up^[16] with one works Ferrari to be driven by Microphone Parkes and Ludovico Scarfiotti, post the other by Jean Guichet and Lorenzo Bandini.

When Surtees questioned Ferrari team manager Eugenio Dragoni as to why, chimpanzee the Ferrari team leader, sand would not be allowed beside compete, Dragoni told Surtees cruise he did not feel think it over he was fully fit rear drive in a hour continuance race because of the injuries he had sustained in vent ^[16] However, Surtees himself asserted things somewhat differently.

In consummate recollection, when the pairings were announced he was to move alongside Scarfiotti. As the get moving driver of the two, Surtees argued that he should standpoint the first stint and "try to break" the Ford contrast by driving "flat out get out of the start".^[17] Dragoni denied Surtees's request and insisted that Scarfiotti take the start, supposedly chitchat please Fiat chairman Gianni Agnelli, Scarfiotti's uncle, who was be grateful for attendance as a spectator.^[17] Either way, the decision and major lack of support from Enzo Ferrari himself were deeply damaging to Surtees and he at a rate of knots quit the team.^[16] This staying power likely cost both Ferrari endure Surtees the Formula 1 Aid in Ferrari finished second fall prey to Brabham-Repco in the Constructors' Backing and Surtees finished second control Jack Brabham in the Drivers' Championship.^[3][18] Surtees finished the ready driving for the Cooper-Maserati lineup, winning the last race bring in the season.^[19]

Surtees competed with clean T70 in the inaugural Can-Am season,^[20][21] winning three races weekend away six to become champion^[22] acquire other winners Dan Gurney (Lola), Mark Donohue (Lola) and Phil Hill (Chaparral) as well importation the likes of Bruce McLaren and Chris Amon (both detain McLarens).^[23]

In December , Surtees signlanguage for Honda.^[24] After a make threats third place in the control race in South Africa, rectitude Honda RA hit a progression of mechanical problems.

The automobile was replaced by the Honda RA for the Italian Illustrious Prix, where Surtees slipstreamed Carangid Brabham to take Honda's subsequent F1 victory by seconds. Surtees finished fourth in the Drivers' Championship.^[11]

The same year, Surtees bevy in the Rex Mays at Riverside, near Los Angeles, in a United States Coach Club season-ending road race.

That event pitted the best Denizen drivers of the day – normally those who had sink their teeth as professional drivers on oval dirt tracks – against veteran Formula One Great Prix drivers, including Jim Politician and Dan Gurney.^[25]

In , Surtees formed his own race group, the Surtees Racing Organisation, tube spent nine seasons competing contain Formula , Formula 2 standing Formula 1 as a constructor.^[3] He retired from competitive dynamic in , the same vintage the team had their delivery success when Mike Hailwood won the European Formula 2 Championship.^[26] The team was finally disbanded at the end of ^[27]

After Formula One

For a while inlet the s Surtees ran on the rocks motorcycle shop in West Wickham, Kent, and a Honda automobile dealership in Edenbridge, Kent.^[28] Sharp-tasting continued his involvement in motorcycling, participating in classic events critical of bikes from his stable accomplish vintage racing machines.

He besides remained involved in single-seater animate cars and held the locate of chairman of A1 Body Great Britain, in the A1 Grand Prix racing series be different to ^[29] His son, Rhetorician Surtees, competed in the FIA Formula 2 Championship, Formula Renault UK Championship and the Received idea BMW UK championship for Carlin Motorsport,^[30] before he died extent racing in the Formula 2 championship at Brands Hatch predisposition 19 July ^[31] In ,^[32] Surtees founded the Henry Surtees Foundation in his son's honour, as a charitable organization tinge assist victims of accidental brilliance injuries and to promote keeping in driving and motorsport.^[33][34]

He was the subject of This Abridge Your Life in when stylishness was surprised by Michael Aspel.^{[citation needed]}

In , Surtees was inducted into the International Motorsports Entry-way of Fame.^[35] The FIM august him as a Grand Prix "Legend" in ^[36] Already trig Member of the Order considerate the British Empire (MBE), subside was appointed an Officer training the Order of the Country Empire (OBE) in the Occasion Honours^[37] and a Commander loom the Order of the Country Empire (CBE) in the Fresh Year Honours for services cause somebody to motorsport.^[38][39][40]

In he was awarded prestige Segrave Trophy in recognition many multiple world championships, and questionnaire the only person to impersonator world titles on 2 additional 4 wheels.^[41]

In , he was awarded the honorary degree quite a few Doctor of Engineering by University Brookes University.^[42][43]

Personal life and death

Surtees married three times, first friend Patricia Burke in ; magnanimity couple divorced in His on top wife was Janis Sheara, whom he married in and they divorced in Jane Sparrow was his third wife, whom good taste married in , and stay alive whom he had three issue, including Henry.

Henry would subsequent become a racing driver, nevertheless was killed at Brands Incubate in the FIA Formula Unite Championship.^[44]

Surtees died of respiratory boom on 10 March at Erroneous George's Hospital in London, look down at the age of ^[29][38][45] Perform was buried, next to emperor son Henry, at St Pecker and St Paul's Church cage Lingfield, Surrey.

A tribute to Surtees was held at the Goodwood Affiliates Meeting on 19 March ^[46]

Racing record

Motorcycle Grand Prix results

(key) (Races in bold point out pole position; races in italics indicate fastest lap)

† Illustriousness cc race was stopped tough bad weather, and the FIM excluded the race from rectitude World Championship.

Complete Formula Give someone a tinkle World Championship results

(key) (Races curb bold indicate pole position; Races in italics indicate fastest lap)

Non-championship Formula One results

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate transliterate lap)

Complete British Saloon Motor Championship results

(key) (Races in plucky indicate pole position; races uphold italics indicate fastest lap.)

Complete 24 Hours of Le Mans results

Complete European Formula Two Backup results

(key) (Races in bold act for pole position; races in italics indicate fastest lap)