HBD John Surtees

The only person to win the World Championship on two- and on four wheels has turned 81 today. John Surtees won the 500cc Motorcycle World Champion in 1956, 1958,1959, and 1960. He also took the 350cc Championships in 1958,1959, and 1960. Though he started off riding on a Norton, he briefly switched to EMC and than back to Norton, and later to EMC, NSU, BMW and finally on MV Agusta, on which he captured all of his world titles.

In 1960, when he was still on top of his game on two wheels, he switched to four with Team Lotus driving the Lotus 18. In 1961 he drove a Cooper T53 for Yeoman Credit Racing Team but never finished higher than 5th. The following year was quite disappointing with just one race in which he retired with a Lola Mk 4. In 1963 his luck turned when he signed on with Scuderia Ferrari and secured a couple of podium finishes, including a win. The following year he won the championship with a V6 Ferrari 158, and in 1966 he finished the championship in second place. In 1967 he switched to Honda Racing and in 1970 he went out on his own with Team Surtees. but they were never competitive enough.

All in all a great career!

In 2007 I shot a picture of him while driving his old Honda V12 at the Goodwood Festival of Speed.

Source: wikipedia
Photo credit: own files.