John Surtees recognised in New Year Honours list
Discussion
andyps said:
And about time too - just seen that John Surtees is to get a CBE in the New Year Honours list, definitely well deserved.
Imho He should have been made a Knight. Will we have to wait another 8 years for that to happen? In the meantime yet another cyclist goes straight to KBE...Indeed!
Meanwhile just up the road
http://www.sevenoakschronicle.co.uk/Ann-Summers-bo...
How come she is not getting the order of the garter?
Meanwhile just up the road
http://www.sevenoakschronicle.co.uk/Ann-Summers-bo...
How come she is not getting the order of the garter?
He definitely should be Sir John... although it's hard to imagine a more down-to-earth and "normal" bloke and one less likely to put on the airs of being a Knight of the Realm that some do. Especially considering what he achieved in his career was never done before and never will be again.
I was in the loo at the Festival of Speed one year and became slowly aware that John Surtees was stood at the urinal next to me. Bit of a strange moment, it's hardly a conducive atmosphere for meeting one of your all-time heroes
. He was in all his leathers, ready to ride up the Hill and decided he couldn't be bothered to walk back to the exclusive gated empire of the Drivers' Club so just popped into the public plebs bogs. While I was struggling to think of something sensible to say, he asked how I was enjoying it (I assumed he meant the Festival rather than my pee) and seemed to genuinely give a four-X. I returned the question while we washed our hands and he just said it was a bit sad that he was promoting "the Boy's" foundation (the charitable trust thing in his dead son's name) but most people were only interested in autographs and didn't want to hear about it.
Then we exited the portacabin thing and he was immediately swamped by autograph hunters. One big fat woman clutching her Verve Cliqout bag said very loudly, ostensibly to her handbag-dog-husband, but so everyone must have heard, even Surtees with his hearing aids, "I've no idea who he is, but he must be worth an autograph". He just looked at me and smiled. Maybe it's more a comment on how the FoS has gone over the years, but I still feel what a down-to-earth bloke who's fully aware of the ludicrousness* of the modern world
*Don't think that's actually a word. Apologies
I was in the loo at the Festival of Speed one year and became slowly aware that John Surtees was stood at the urinal next to me. Bit of a strange moment, it's hardly a conducive atmosphere for meeting one of your all-time heroes
. He was in all his leathers, ready to ride up the Hill and decided he couldn't be bothered to walk back to the exclusive gated empire of the Drivers' Club so just popped into the public plebs bogs. While I was struggling to think of something sensible to say, he asked how I was enjoying it (I assumed he meant the Festival rather than my pee) and seemed to genuinely give a four-X. I returned the question while we washed our hands and he just said it was a bit sad that he was promoting "the Boy's" foundation (the charitable trust thing in his dead son's name) but most people were only interested in autographs and didn't want to hear about it.Then we exited the portacabin thing and he was immediately swamped by autograph hunters. One big fat woman clutching her Verve Cliqout bag said very loudly, ostensibly to her handbag-dog-husband, but so everyone must have heard, even Surtees with his hearing aids, "I've no idea who he is, but he must be worth an autograph". He just looked at me and smiled. Maybe it's more a comment on how the FoS has gone over the years, but I still feel what a down-to-earth bloke who's fully aware of the ludicrousness* of the modern world
*Don't think that's actually a word. Apologies
Nik da Greek said:
You must be very proud of it. I wasn't trying to promote an anti-autograph agenda, more show what a man of the people he is, even if the people aren't always the ones he'd choose
To be honest. I'm not sure where it is 
I'm not really an autograph hound. I just happened to be standing next to him when others starting showing bits of paper and pens under his nose. I joined in.
At least everybody in the queue in 1994 knew who he was.
Nik da Greek said:
I was in the loo at the Festival of Speed one year and became slowly aware that John Surtees was stood at the urinal next to me. Bit of a strange moment, it's hardly a conducive atmosphere for meeting one of your all-time heroes .
Ha ha...... the same thing happened to me at a FoS back in the late 90's....but with Barry Sheene. . British World Champions are woefully neglected.
Hawthorn - bugger all, although died within a year of winning the championship.
Hill - OBE; for someone who was double World Champ, Indy 500 winner and Le Mans 24 hours winner!
Clark - OBE; double world champ and Indy 500 winner. Might have been bumped up a bit if he'd lived.
Surtees - MBE, OBE, CBE; only man to win car and motorbike world championships
Stewart - OBE, KB - after 28 years wait
Hunt - bugger all
Mansell - OBE, CBE - the latter for his charity work
Hill jnr - OBE
Hamilton - MBE
Button - MBE
Hamilton and Button's awards seem particularly stingy given how liberally Ks seem to be thrown around these days. Hunt may have been anti-establishment enough to turn down a gong.
On the other hand, Jack Brabham inexplicably (for a racing driver) got tapped with the sword in 1979 - nothing to do with appeasing rebellious republican sentiment in Oz by any chance?
Stirling Moss did get an OBE in period, and a K many years later.
Hawthorn - bugger all, although died within a year of winning the championship.
Hill - OBE; for someone who was double World Champ, Indy 500 winner and Le Mans 24 hours winner!
Clark - OBE; double world champ and Indy 500 winner. Might have been bumped up a bit if he'd lived.
Surtees - MBE, OBE, CBE; only man to win car and motorbike world championships
Stewart - OBE, KB - after 28 years wait
Hunt - bugger all
Mansell - OBE, CBE - the latter for his charity work
Hill jnr - OBE
Hamilton - MBE
Button - MBE
Hamilton and Button's awards seem particularly stingy given how liberally Ks seem to be thrown around these days. Hunt may have been anti-establishment enough to turn down a gong.
On the other hand, Jack Brabham inexplicably (for a racing driver) got tapped with the sword in 1979 - nothing to do with appeasing rebellious republican sentiment in Oz by any chance?
Stirling Moss did get an OBE in period, and a K many years later.
Halmyre said:
Stirling Moss did get an OBE in period, and a K many years later.
And a K having never won the WDC either.....whereas JS is the only person to have won in car and on bike 
I guess SM knew which people to suck up to, and given their respective personalities, having met both, I'd rather address JS as a 'sir' than SM.
aeropilot said:
Halmyre said:
Stirling Moss did get an OBE in period, and a K many years later.
And a K having never won the WDC either.....whereas JS is the only person to have won in car and on bike I guess SM knew which people to suck up to, and given their respective personalities, having met both, I'd rather address JS as a 'sir' than SM.
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