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Showing posts with the label John Surtees

Saturday Sporting Icon - John Surtees

In terms of motorised dominance, John Surtees sure gave it a good go. He remains the only person ever to win world championships on both two and four wheels and holds an infamous reputation for walking away from Enzo Ferrari. There is no question - from his inaugural race in 1950 to his retirement in 1972, he established himself as one of the greatest racing drivers who had ever lived.  To truly break down the man's success, it's probably simplest to divide his success into 3 sections - Motorcycles, Formula One, and Le Mans.  On two wheels, Surtees was pretty much unstoppable. From 1956 to 1960, he won 68 out of the 76 races he entered on both 350cc and 500cc engines and won seven world championships for the famed Italian MV Augusta. As the son of a British Motorcycle Champion, it was destined for the man from Tatsfield, England to follow in the family business and by the time he was 11 he had already had the technical proficiency of any professional mechanic and rider. In add...