martin horrocks
TEXT: MARTIN HORROCKS / PHOTOS: UNAI ONA / TRANSLATION: J. ROMAGOSA
John Surtees (1934-2017), who died just over a week ago, was the first and only man to date to win the Formula 1 and motorcycle world championships. But, to tell the truth, there is much more to be said about this character.
His father was a motorcycle pilot and mechanic; Surtees followed in his footsteps and also became an apprentice engineer at Vincent-HRD. At the beginning of his sporting career he prepared his own motorcycles, although he quickly became part of the Norton and MV Agusta teams. Was more cosmopolitan Like the rest of the British riders of his generation, he loved Italy and made the MV Agusta the machine to beat. His subsequent contribution to BMW was also appreciated by the German brand, which gave him a 507 that he kept until his death.
John Surtees: From motorcycles to Formula 1
Once John Surtees won 7 world championships motorcycle dealer became interested in racing cars. Some tests at the Goodwood circuit convinced the main Formula 1 teams that it would be possible to harness his talent in the premier class, so he joined Lotus and finished second in the UK Grand Prix. After a few years in a private team powered by an uncompetitive Cooper, Ferrari decided the time had come to sign him.
Thus began the era of 'Il Grande John' -The Great John-, in which John Surtees was able to complement his technical and competitive talent with his great knowledge of Italian culture. The Maranello cars that he tuned and drove reaped numerous triumphs: The first of these came in 1963, and in 1964 Surtess was proclaimed world champion.
Goodbye Ferrari, hello Lola
It has always been difficult for drivers to maintain their influence at Ferrari, and Surtees began to 'fall from grace' starting in 1966. He gave Enzo Ferrari an ultimatum in a meeting to the effect that either he and his team leader, Dragoni, supported him, or fired him. The Commendator he opted for the latter after the 24 Hours of Le Mans. As had happened on other occasions, Maserati was delighted to welcome you aboard the F1 Cooper-Maserati.
In the same 1966 John Surtees created his own sports team, the Surtees team, which achieved its first major victory by winning the Can-Am championship that year in a Lola T70. The Englishman helped this compatriot brand turn its flagship model into a long-distance GT race winner, even if the use of the new Aston-Martin V8 engines at the 24 1967 Hours of Le Mans was a disaster.
Surtees He passed quickly to the Honda F1 team and raced with the Japanese brand during the 1966 and 1967 championships. As now, the Japanese car was not competitive; in this case, rather than the engine, what was failing was the chassis. The only time Surtees got to the top of the podium with a Honda was at Monza in 1968, thanks to him and Lola having fixed the chassis problem.
The Formula 1 Surtees
In 1969 John Surtees joined BRM, a team in decline led by an incompetent. Thus, and after the good experience in Can-Am, he decided to create his own F1 team.
F1 Surtees cars they were competitive. They never won a premier class GP, but they did win in external races like the one held at Oulton Park in 1971. On the other hand, Hailwood took his to second place at the Italian GP at Monza in the same year. . They were pretty, with an arrow design at the front, and effective thanks to innovations like mounting the radiators at the rear.
For their part, the Formula 2 Surtees did win the world championship under the Rondel team, the first squad of the famous Ron Dennis. They also proved their worth in Formula 5000 / FA, in which F1 cars with American V8 engines competed.
The Surtees were automobiles well built and easy to drive.
John Surtees retired as a driver in 1972 to focus on the technical side and management of his F1 team. They did not accompany him if luck or money, at least in sufficient quantities, so the team was dissolved in 1979 after a few years in decline. He then decided to set up a Honda dealership and enjoy his hobby by attending classic vehicle events such as those organized at Goodwood or Laguna Seca, among others.
The pain of losing a child
The saddest part of his life came a little later. John Surtees was 56 years old and had two daughters from his first marriage when he became the father of a boy named Henry. Henry grew up wanting to follow in his father's footsteps and was about to do so when died to the 19 years struck by a tire from an accident another driver had in an F2 race at Brands Hatch.
From then on John Surtees devoted all his energies to promoting the Henry Surtees Foundation, a foundation dedicated to facilitating the access of young people to motor sports and promoting a safer environment in racing.
I saw John Surtees run many times. Like Clark, Stewart, Hill or Redman, I was part of the generation of British pilots that I grew up with. I remember my teenage outrage when Ferrari fired him, and also my disappointment when the Lola-Aston Martin didn't know how to win at Le Mans. He was there when he won that race at Oulton Park at the wheel of his car. Later a friend of mine set up a business dedicated to restoring F1 and F5000 Surtees and I was able to appreciate closely how well designed and built they were.
I remember seeing John Surtees on a go-kart track, standing with the stopwatch in hand. He was about to take the times of a young driver who started from the center of the grid. There was no assistance or motorhome, just a slightly older father and his child enjoying a day together.
RIP Il Grande John
