John Surtees, ‘warrior’ of many talents

F1 Retro – May 2017 click here for full article

The 2024 Goodwood Revival reverberated to the beautiful cacophony of a John Surtees-themed parade, celebrating 60 years since the great man’s Formula 1 World Championship triumph for Ferrari.

In doing so he became the first – and still only – person to win world titles on two-wheels and four.

Doug Nye, a personal acquaintance of the late Surtees, remembers the champion in a May 2017 archive feature.

The diminutive Surtees was known to be a prickly character but to many racing fans, particularly his adoring tifosi, Il Grande John was a sporting colossus.

A run of six world motor cycle crowns began in 1958, Surtees immediately endearing himself to his Italian MV Agusta mechanics by insisting on testing even in the wet.

That devotion to racing and engineering perfection continued into F1 with the Scuderia, culminating in a ’64 showdown in Mexico with Jim Clark and Graham Hill from which Surtees emerged victorious.

Surtees wasn’t just associated with Ferrari success though, but also Honda and Lola in F1 and sports cars respectively.

“These men were heroes,” writes Nye. “And by their deeds they are surely immortal, living on within our minds – we need never believe they are really gone. For me John Surtees was a genuine warrior.”

To read the full story visit motorsportmagazine.com/archive