SIGforum
John Surtees 1934-2017
March 10, 2017, 04:30 PM
oilpatch29John Surtees 1934-2017
The only man to win World Championships on two and four wheels.
Link
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March 10, 2017, 05:22 PM
TMatsThanks, it's been a long time since I closely followed Formula 1, but when I was young I was a big fan. I remember Surtees very well and his Ferrari ride. That was a great period in racing history for drivers, Surtees, Jim Clark, Jackie Stewart, Graham Hill, Dan Gurney...and the list goes on.
Never knew he was a MC racer. Looks like he lived a fairly long and comfortable life. Rest in peace
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despite them
March 10, 2017, 05:44 PM
Sailor1911RIP, Big John.
Place your clothes and weapons where you can find them in the dark.
“If in winning a race, you lose the respect of your fellow competitors, then you have won nothing” - Paul Elvstrom "The Great Dane" 1928 - 2016 March 10, 2017, 05:50 PM
BisleyblackhawkI had the pleasure to meet him at the Barber Motorsport Museum in Birmingham Ala. back in 2010 and watch him make a few laps for the crowd in a vintage blue and white Ferrari...
He was a pleasant and dignified gentleman...
RIP Mr. Surtees.
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Making the best of what ever comes our way
Forget that blind ambition and learn to trust your intuition
Plowing straight ahead come what may
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March 10, 2017, 06:50 PM
JD83quote:
Originally posted by TMats:
Thanks, it's been a long time since I closely followed Formula 1, but when I was young I was a big fan. I remember Surtees very well and his Ferrari ride. That was a great period in racing history for drivers, Surtees, Jim Clark, Jackie Stewart, Graham Hill, Dan Gurney...and the list goes on.
Same here-they were my heroes when I was a kid, esp. Jim Clark. Saw them all at the German Grand Prix in '65.
BTW-the BBC documentary about this period-"Grand Prix: the Killer Years" is available on Amazon Prime.
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March 10, 2017, 07:16 PM
valkyrie1One of the Classics has past, RIP...
March 11, 2017, 12:16 PM
220-9erWinner of the first Can-Am series in 1966 too.
Later built cars for the Formula 5000 Series and Formula 1.
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March 11, 2017, 01:27 PM
SIGnifiedWhat a life - we should all be as lucky
Godspeed Mr. Surtees.
"Pacifism is a shifty doctrine under which a man accepts the benefits of the social group without being willing to pay - and claims a halo for his dishonesty." ~Robert A. Heinlein March 13, 2017, 05:04 PM
sjtillJD--thanks for the tip on the documentary. Think I'll watch it soon.
Edited to add: there are a bunch of documentaries you get linked to when you pull up the Grand Prix: The Killer Years video. Looks like great stuff! I'm going to be stuck in a snowstorm here in MD the next two days, now I've got some fun stuff to watch!
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March 13, 2017, 07:23 PM
JD83quote:
Originally posted by sjtill:
JD--thanks for the tip on the documentary. Think I'll watch it soon.
Edited to add: there are a bunch of documentaries you get linked to when you pull up the Grand Prix: The Killer Years video. Looks like great stuff! I'm going to be stuck in a snowstorm here in MD the next two days, now I've got some fun stuff to watch!
You are welcome-yeah, you might get a link to the Steve McQueen documentary about the making of Le Mans-interesting but tragic story-for him. Also the Porsche 911 documentary is good.
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March 14, 2017, 09:03 AM
sjtillI watched The Killer Years documentary. Good interviews including a number with Surtees, Jackie Stewart, Jackie Ickx. In the documentary there is a brief clip of James Garner as a race driver--remember "Grand Prix" the movie? When I saw it the carnage seemed excessive, but in the interview Jackie Stewart says his chances of survival were one in three. Very interesting documentary.
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“Remember, remember the fifth of November!"
March 14, 2017, 09:17 AM
TMatsquote:
Originally posted by sjtill:
I watched The Killer Years documentary. Good interviews including a number with Surtees, Jackie Stewart, Jackie Ickx. In the documentary there is a brief clip of James Garner as a race driver--remember "Grand Prix" the movie? When I saw it the carnage seemed excessive, but in the interview Jackie Stewart says his chances of survival were one in three. Very interesting documentary.
I haven't seen it, but I was a Jackie Stewart fan and know that he became a real champion for driver safety--particularly after the death of Jim Clark.
I recall a story he told about the filming of the movie "Grand Prix." Stewart went off the track and into the trees at the infamous Nurburgring, infamous because of the trees so close to the track waiting for any driver who left the course. I believe Jim Clark died at the "Ring."
Stewart's car crashed into a tree, rupturing the fuel cell (more likely, simply a tank in those years). His car was filling up with racing fuel and Steward said his eyes focused on the gauges in front of him which were still operating under electrical power.
Suddenly, he heard a helicopter overhead and was immensely relieved at help coming to get him out of the car before it exploded.
Turns out the helicopter was filming racing scenes for "Grand Prix" and they weren't overhead to help at all.
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despite them
March 14, 2017, 10:05 AM
220-9erquote:
Originally posted by TMats:
quote:
Originally posted by sjtill:
I watched The Killer Years documentary. Good interviews including a number with Surtees, Jackie Stewart, Jackie Ickx. In the documentary there is a brief clip of James Garner as a race driver--remember "Grand Prix" the movie? When I saw it the carnage seemed excessive, but in the interview Jackie Stewart says his chances of survival were one in three. Very interesting documentary.
I haven't seen it, but I was a Jackie Stewart fan and know that he became a real champion for driver safety--particularly after the death of Jim Clark.
I recall a story he told about the filming of the movie "Grand Prix." Stewart went off the track and into the trees at the infamous Nurburgring, infamous because of the trees so close to the track waiting for any driver who left the course. I believe Jim Clark died at the "Ring."
Stewart's car crashed into a tree, rupturing the fuel cell (more likely, simply a tank in those years). His car was filling up with racing fuel and Steward said his eyes focused on the gauges in front of him which were still operating under electrical power.
Suddenly, he heard a helicopter overhead and was immensely relieved at help coming to get him out of the car before it exploded.
Turns out the helicopter was filming racing scenes for "Grand Prix" and they weren't overhead to help at all.
Jim Clark died at Hockenheim in a Formula 2 race but the unprotected trees next to the track are what got him. All of those tracks were incredibly dangerous back then. Given the lack of safety standards for both cars and tracks, and minimal medical facilities, it's surprising many more didn't perish.
Look for "1", another good documentary about the same time frame.
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March 14, 2017, 12:24 PM
JD83quote:
Originally posted by 220-9er:
Jim Clark died at Hockenheim in a Formula 2 race but the unprotected trees next to the track are what got him. All of those tracks were incredibly dangerous back then. Given the lack of safety standards for both cars and tracks, and minimal medical facilities, it's surprising many more didn't perish.
Look for "1", another good documentary about the same time frame.
You're right,-I was there. Clark was in the lead-a big lead-and when he didn't come around
again people started speculating about engine trouble etc. and after another lap or so
it was announced he had crashed. I heard a day or so later that a couple of kids had run out
into the track and he had swerved to avoid them.
In "Grand Prix: The Killer Years" Clark's mechanic states that Clark had a bad feeling about
the Hockenheim race-and that he and other drivers particularly hated the track-which says a lot
because of tracks like Spa, Nurburgring.
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March 14, 2017, 05:22 PM
RipleyA little before my time as an F1 fan but I regularly raced Surtees in one of the greatest racing sims, Grand Prix Legends. Those more in the know said the AI -- artificial intelligence -- programmed into the various drivers was on point. You had to give Surtees a wide berth, he was a madman.
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