Sir John Surtees?

[youngman]

Surely there can be no finer achievement in the history of world motorsport than being a world champion on two and four wheels.
Can anyone tell me if there's a reason why he's not as worthy as Brabham, Stewart, Moss and Co.

[Roop]

Good question...!

[CanAm]

And not forgetting Can-Am champion in 1966. Deserves a medal just for driving the Chaparral 2H.
I think there's already an online petition for a knighthood. Have a search in the archive.

[FourWheelDrift]

And running his own F1 team and the Great Britain A1GP team before leaving to manage a new 125cc team in next years championship. Oh and being Mercedes driver of choice for demonstrating the pre-war W125 and W154 Grand Prix cars at Goodwood and Grand Prix. He is always doing something.

[lord summerisle]

Throughly nice chap too, as is his son...
John was out driving his 1960 Lotus 18 at Spa last weekend as a special thing during the Classic Bike meeting. Got to meet him in the afterwards, while watching the British GP



short clip

[youngman]

Yes, there maybe the answer in your responses - he is a 'proper' bloke and may just have decided against the notion.

Reseach is necessary as you say.

[rude-boy]

Mr Surtees, for all of his fine achievements, also has something of a reputation for upsetting people. I suspect he has upset a number of people whose influence is wide and varied.

[FourWheelDrift]

rude-boy said:

Mr Surtees, for all of his fine achievements, also has something of a reputation for upsetting people. I suspect he has upset a number of people whose influence is wide and varied.

Only Jody Scheckter than springs readily to mind, but then John did want to kill him after he had wiped out the entire Surtees team with a 1st lap shunt at the British GP of 1973.

[absolutely]

Why? What has he done more than Nigel Mansell or Damon Hill?
Sir Jackie started his own F1 and won a race, he has done alot for safety in road cars and racing, he won 3 championships.

[FourWheelDrift]

absolutely said:

Why? What has he done more than Nigel Mansell or Damon Hill?
Sir Jackie started his own F1 and won a race, he has done alot for safety in road cars and racing, he won 3 championships.

Try looking up John's racing record, more Championships than all of those mentioned above added together. And he has run race winning teams.

[youngman]

I see that this was discussed on Atlas F1 in December 2005. Doug Nye has a bit to say but nobody seems to nail it down.

I wasn't aware that Brabham or Moss were fund raisers nor does that seem to be an essential ingredient for a knighthood but no doubt it helps.

[absolutely]

FourWheelDrift said:

absolutely said:

Why? What has he done more than Nigel Mansell or Damon Hill?
Sir Jackie started his own F1 and won a race, he has done alot for safety in road cars and racing, he won 3 championships.

Try looking up John's racing record, more Championships than all of those mentioned above added together. And he has run race winning teams.

He won 1 Formuula One World Championship, thats all that matters to the public, I respect him as a racing driver but why should they Knight him? Very few drivers have been Knighted, Colin Chapman should have been Knighted. I'd rather see Ron Dennis get one.

[Eric Mc]

absolutely said:

FourWheelDrift said:

absolutely said:

Why? What has he done more than Nigel Mansell or Damon Hill?
Sir Jackie started his own F1 and won a race, he has done alot for safety in road cars and racing, he won 3 championships.

Try looking up John's racing record, more Championships than all of those mentioned above added together. And he has run race winning teams.

He won 1 Formuula One World Championship, thats all that matters to the public, I respect him as a racing driver but why should they Knight him? Very few drivers have been Knighted, Colin Chapman should have been Knighted. I'd rather see Ron Dennis get one.

Ahem - what about his multiple World Motorcycle Championships. In the era he won those, motor cycle racing was arguably more popular in Britain than Formula 1 car racing was.

[stockhatcher]

wasn't he awarded an obe in the last birthday honours?

http://www.octane-magazine.com/news/octanenews/223...

[belleair302]

OBE = Other Buggers Effort.

[FourWheelDrift]

In case anyone needs to read up a bit - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Surtees

[absolutely]

FourWheelDrift said:

In case anyone needs to read up a bit - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Surtees

He seems like a grumpy old man now.

[youngman]

He's not grumpy at all but perhaps a bit pedantic. Things have to be right and his way but heh.....
he's the only person in the world that has ever achieved what he has.

You don't have to care for the man anyway, that's unimportant - what is important is that his country honours him for regularly being the best in the world at his chosen sports. Oh, and surviving to old age.

There must be a hidden agenda somewhere.

[Mojocvh]

FourWheelDrift said:

In case anyone needs to read up a bit - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Surtees

Thats a hell of a listing. So if he did get the establishments back up guess he now thinks stuff them or there abouts......

[MonkeyHanger]

absolutely said:

He won 1 Formuula One World Championship,

Remind me how many F1 Championships Sir Stirling Moss won ?