These convicts who combined motorcycle GP and F1 at the same time

We know that the pilots of the past were made of great toughness. They who had to deal with mechanics from another century, literally, were constantly confronted with death with the most basic installations to protect the slopes and equipment reduced to their strict minimum. And yet, the passion for racing was just as pervasive as it is today and, with a certain idea of ​​authenticity, gentleman drivers and the first legends of competition rubbed shoulders on the circuits, Europeans from first then the whole world.

The championships of the premier categories were organized at the same period, in the post-war period: in 1949 for the motorcycle Grands Prix and in 1950 for Formula 1. Motorcycles were unique in that the greatest champions could multiply their entries during of the same season, running in several categories at the same time. From 1951, with Geoff Duke in 500cc and 350cc, we would sometimes see the same rider be titled in two categories in the same year, a lasting trend then Jorge Aspar Martínez would be the last representative in 1988, just before the disappearance of the 80cc class that he formed his program with the 125cc.

And then, there was yet another oddity among these extraordinary drivers: those who raced both motorcycles and F1. Today we believe the two disciplines are perfectly distinct, making it impossible to cross the gulf that separates two ultra-tuned competitions, which each require absolute mastery of very specific driving. However, in the past, rare extraterrestrials were able to pass from one to the other, such as John Surtees who acquired his letters of nobility there forever.

Titled seven times in five years on two wheels (in 500cc and 350cc), the Englishman would subsequently succeed in his reconversion to Formula 1 to the point of becoming the one and only to be crowned world champion in the two premier categories. His career in F1 spanned 12 years, with a first engagement that would explode the confines of the buzz today: a week after winning the 500cc French GP at Charade, he took the start of his first F1 Grand Prix , in Monaco, no less.

Two weeks later, Surtees was back on two wheels for the Tourist Trophy, then a round of the world championship, which he won in the Senior category. Rebelote the following month: this time confirmed in the Lotus team by Colin Chapman, Surtees was on the Silverstone grid and even won second place, his first reward in F1 to add to what he had previously been able to attempt in F2.

With his trophy in his pocket, Surtees continued the following weekend with victory in the 500cc German GP and the crown of world champion. Then head to Belfast to also validate the 350cc coronation two weeks later, immediately followed by another Formula 1 GP and a first pole position.

Surtees was 26 when he finally hung up his motorcycle racing helmet the following month, after 38 victories in the space of nine years. A chapter now opened entirely dedicated to F1 for a big decade. What followed would be a stint with Lola then an epic transfer to Ferrari and, in 1963, a first memorable victory at the Nürburgring.

In 1964, Surtees did the unthinkable and became Formula 1 world champion with the Scuderia. Other victories followed with Cooper-Maserati then Honda, before a less successful period when he raced for his own team, which was involved in F1 throughout the 1970s. As a driver, Surtees didn't stop there either , since he was entered in numerous non-championship races, then four times at the 24 Hours of Le Mans with a podium finish, again in 1964.

When Mike Hailwood raced in F1 and motorcycle… the same weekend

As soon as Surtees left, the era of Mike Hailwood on motorcycles began. Titled for the first time in 1961 in the 250cc category, the Englishman quickly took the upper hand in 500cc where he went on to win four championships.

From 1959 to 1967, he won 76 motorcycle Grands Prix and no less than nine titles in all categories. But Mike The Bike betrayed a bit of a nickname, because he was already a very regular visitor to the F1 grids, so much so that in 1964 we saw him doing almost everything in parallel: the 250cc, 350cc and 500cc championships, with the title at the key in the largest engine, but also the Formula 1 championship!

Now, certainly, the calendars were not as extensive as today, but there could still be conflicts of dates. And this is how Mike Hailwood found himself competing in the Dutch 500cc GP and the French F1 GP on the same weekend, at the end of June 1964. He took advantage of a tradition today. now defunct who wanted the Assen event, the highlight of the motorcycle season if ever there was one, to be run on Saturday, and not on Sunday.

Nearly 700 km separate the legendary Dutch Cathedral from the Rouen-Les-Essarts circuit and an airline strike further complicated his challenge, but that doesn't matter. After winning the motorcycle race on his MV Agusta, the Englishman drove in the night and took the place on the F1 grid obtained for him by Peter Revson, who had participated in qualifying in his absence on his private Lotus. Starting 13th, he managed to finish eighth at the finish of this French GP, doing better than his teammate Chris Amon. Not bad for a weekend!

…and at the wheel of his Lotus 25 BRM at the French F1 GP on Sunday!

Photo by: Motorsport Images

Hailwood's F1 career was then irregular, with a period of absence during which he did not abandon the car however since he was also seen at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, and he too with a podium result. He also became champion of F2, which was then a European series. And, since the world was already small at the time, it was for the Surtees team that he returned to F1 in 1971, scoring one of his only two podiums, before ending his career at McLaren.

He did not have the track record of his elder, but nevertheless had a very successful career on four wheels. And the two Englishmen were not unique cases, because we could also cite some of the pilots with whom they crossed paths. iron and who appear on the list of reckless people who moved from one discipline to another, such as Gary Hocking, Ernesto Brambilla, Paddy Driver and Bob Anderson. Truly another era…

VIDEO – Sights & Sounds: A motorcycle ride with Mike Hailwood in Spa