Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1980's

; e u.. 0 >w ~ a: (Jl l.O 00 :::J 0") 0 U ....-! (Jl 0 ~ 0 ~ 00 C'J ;>-- ... :I: ro :;; (Above) John Surtees es he looks todey; posing with one of his toys - e 998cc Vincent Speciel he buih for vintege nteing, (Below) Surtees in 1952 on e 500cc Vincent Grey Flesh. John Surtees: Conqueror of two worlds By Paul Carruthers A Cosworth-powered motorcycle making its Daytona debut in the Battle of The Twins class was big news during the recent Cycle Week in Florida, but ironically the man who accompanied the bike from England drew more whispers and stares than the one-of-a. . . kmd bIke Itself. That man was 30 John Surtees - the only person to ever win World Championships on both two and four wheels. At the age oC 22, Sunees rode a CactOry 'MV Agusta~ to the 1956 500cc ~orld Road Raci~gChampionship. EIght years (a~d SIX !Jlore motorcycle World ChampIOnshIps) later, Su~tees won lhe most preslLglOus champlonship on four wheels - lhe Formula One World Drivers Championship - with a Ferrari. Ask any World Champion what it took to win his championship. Then multiply that by seven and throw in yet another title in a totally different sport and you can suddenly begin to understand what Surtees has accomplished. The man is quite simply a racing legend. The story, however, doesn't end with just winning World Championships. After his retirement from racing, Sunees started his own Formula One team where he worked closely in the design and development of the successful Surtees Formula One car. So why did this legend suddenly appear at Daytona Beach? "Bob Graves (the man behind the Cosworth) came along down to Brands Hatch when I was running one of my classic bikes - I had the old Manx Norton - and this sort of inspired him to think about motorcycles again," the silver haired, 52-year-old Surtees said. "They had Velocelles and things like this some years before and then he went to a club race and saw a Nonon Cosworth and it wasn't going very well. ..He went to Cosworlh .s and looked around and found that there were enough pieces for a couple of engines there. So he bought these and I knew of a good mechanic and mentioned him. He said, 'Well, who's going to make a frame?' So there were some lads I know that used to work on my Grand Prix cars who are super enthusiastic and are making their own 250cc motorcycle to race. So we put them all together and the end result was the building of the Cosworth." Surtees and crew accompained the bike across the Atlantic from England to Florida where Australian Paul Lewis rode itto a second place finish in the Battle of The Twins event. It was a good eHon for the bike's firsl race on the high-speed Daytona banking and Surtees' presence alone added instant credibility to the project. "I came to Daytona purely as a friend of the people involved with it," Surtees said. "And I suppose if there are questions in areas where I have contacts or experience, I sort of help on a bitof advice. I came hereas a backup mechanic if necessary and to give any technical advice I could. I had to get stuck into changing the engine on the fiTSt day,''' - - - - . -- Celebreting double 350 end 500cc wins et Monze in 1958. When it comes to technical advice, Surtees has some interesting theories on the use, or misuse of horsepower in modern racing applications. "( emphasize the question of 500s," Surtees begins. "A 500 isa motorcycle of which, a t its optimum sort of performance, there is always only a limit· ed number of people who can ride them and get the maximum out of them. There have always been more people who could ride a 125 and more who could ride a 250 then thl....e . were UUIl could ride a 500. "My own thoughts are th

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