HERO OF THE TWO WORLDS DRIVERS

Surtees and Ferrari went their separate ways in F1 in 1966, after his victory at Spa-Francorchamps, in torrential rain. No other motorcyclist has ever managed to triumph in Formula 1 and, indeed, nor has it happened the other way around. Precise, meticulous, technically skilled, John Surtees embodied an extraordinary passion and talent. His race results with the Maranello Scuderia speak clearly: one world title, six wins, 24 podiums, eight pole positions and one fastest lap, in Formula One alone. In 1964 Surtees also won the Syracuse GP, which didn’t count for the championship. It was a form of protest against the sports authorities for not giving type-approval to the 250 LM as a GT car. At the last two races, in the US and Mexico, the Ferraris competed in the colours of the American team NART (white and blue) of importer Luigi Chinetti. In the end he beat Hill by a single point, thanks in part to teamwork with Lorenzo Bandini.

HERO OF THE TWO WORLDS DRIVERS

He then won two races that didn’t count for the World Championship in Pergusa (Italy) and Kyalami (South Africa).Īfter a difficult early period, dropping out of a number of races, the turning point came with triumphs at the Nürburgring and Monza, which helped him to close the gap on drivers of the calibre of Graham Hill and Jim Clark. In 1963 he immediately won an important victory with the Ferrari F1 at the Nürburgring and second place at Silverstone, both legendary circuits. In 1962 he signed for Enzo Ferrari for the next season, an opportunity he could not pass up! Surtees among other things, that year already raced with the 250 GTO at home in the UK and in the Manufacturers’ Championship. He began racing in F1 in 1960, aged 26, while still competing on bikes, proving able to handle both. Surtees also helped Maranello to the Constructors’ title in 1964, and the World Endurance Sports Car Championship from 1963 to 1965, winning the 12 Hours of Sebring and twice at the Nürburgring, as well as at Monza in 1966.

His remarkable life is the story of where we come from, and an inspiration to defend the ideals he held dear.His honours include three world titles in the 350 cc class and four in the 500 cc between 19, with MV Agusta (where he also earned the Italian nickname ‘figlio del vento’, or ‘son of the wind’), and, of course, the Formula 1 World Champion title in 1964 with Scuderia Ferrari. Finally, as a revered elder statesman, he was instrumental in the overthrow of the Bourbon Dynasty in the Revolution of 1830.įrom enthusiastic youth to world-weary old age, from the pinnacle of glory to the depths of despair, Lafayette never stopped fighting for the rights of all mankind.

After his release, Lafayette sparred with Napoleon, joined an underground conspiracy to overthrow King Louis XVIII, and became an international symbol of liberty. Returning home a national hero, he helped launch the French Revolution, eventually spending five years locked in dungeon prisons. He was a soldier, statesman, idealist, philanthropist, and abolitionist.Īs a teenager, Lafayette ran away from France to join the American Revolution. Over fifty incredible years at the heart of the Age of Revolution, he fought courageously on both sides of the Atlantic. Hardcover 504 pages.įrom the bestselling author of The Storm Before the Storm and host of the Revolutions podcast comes the thrilling story of the Marquis de Lafayette’s lifelong quest to defend the principles of liberty and equalityĪ #1 ABA INDEPENDENT BOOKSTORE BESTSELLERįew in history can match the revolutionary career of the Marquis de Lafayette. Hero of Two Worlds - The Marquis de Lafayette in the Age of Revolution b y Mike Duncan.

Hero of the two worlds