Vintage Racecar was stunned to learn of the tragic death of Henry Surtees while he was competing in Round 4 of the FIA Formula Two Championship at Brands Hatch, England. The accident happened, on Sunday, July 19th, midway through race 2 when he was struck by an errant wheel from a fellow competitor’s car. The race was immediately red-flagged allowing marshals and medics to extricate him. Surtees was flown to the Royal London Hospital where he succumbed to the serious head injuries sustained.
Eighteen-year-old Henry Surtees was the son of 1964 Formula One and multiple Motorcycle World Champion, John Surtees. Inevitably, he wanted to follow in his father’s footsteps and began karting when he was just eight years old. Success was to come in his first full-season win of the 2000 Club Winter Championship at the Rye House circuit. Further achievements in karting included being the highest points scorer in the British Inter-Nations team.
While he was encouraged to continue his studies, a move to car racing in 2006 saw him enter the Junior Ginetta Championship finishing 3rd in the championship. Signing for Carlin Motorsport, he contested Formula BMW, Formula Renault, and a couple of National Formula 3 races, taking him to the top podium step at Donington. Formula Renault beckoned for 2008, with Manor Competition; despite meager results, he did well in the winter series with one pole and one race win.
This year Surtees joined the resurgent FIA Formula Two series in a car carrying the 1972 F2 Surtees championship-winning team colors, the legendary #7, and sponsorship from Barber Motorsport, Alabama. Competing alongside Jolyon Palmer, son of former Grand Prix driver, circuit owner, and series boss Jonathan, and Alex Brundle, son of another former Grand Prix driver and Le Mans winner Martin, Surtees had had an indifferent start to the first three rounds of the championship. Recently, at the Goodwood Festival of Speed, I asked his father and mentor, John, how the season was going, and he said, “Henry is quite quick. However, incidents outside his control seem to curtail his racing. He needs some good luck to convert his speed into top three finishes.” Ironically, the day before the accident, Henry finished 3rd in race 1.
Vintage Racecar would like to take this opportunity of extending our sincere condolences to John and Jane Surtees and the family. Many of us were close to John and more recently to Henry, joking with him at Goodwood about all the coaching he was getting. This is a terrible loss for them.
By Mike Jiggle
