A quick moto-history quiz: Who is the only racer to win Grand Prix World Championships in both automotive and motorcycle competition? Those guessing the late John Surtees deserve a blue ribbon. The crafty Englishman won seven motorcycle road racing world championships (500cc class; 1956, ’58, ’59, ’60, and 350cc class; ’58, ’59 ’60). And in 1964 he drove a Ferrari to the Formula One World Championship. In addition, Surtees won the Junior (350) and Senior (500) races at the Isle of Man two years straight (1958-’59). All but one of his motorcycle championships were for MV Augusta; his first 500cc title was with Norton.
Another quiz: Who authored one of the first authoritative books that explains how to become a motorcycle road racer? Yeah, John Surtees when his 57-page booklet, John Surtees On Racing, was published in 1960. The book was based on a series of articles he wrote in 1960 for The Motor Cycle, a popular periodical published in England. Later that same year his book was published by Iliffe & Sons Ltd.
Despite sitting on bookshelves for more than six decades, Surtees’ brief — yet complete — tome maintains relevancy among aspiring motorcycle road racers today, especially riders wishing to campaign their 2-wheel classics in AHRMA racing. Because even with traction control, anti-locking brakes and other computer-controlled gadgetry found on motorcycles today, it’s up to the rider to point and control the bike into, through, and out of each corner on a road race course (and do so proficiently). Therein lies the beauty and relevance of Surtees’ 64-year-old manuscript that includes three key chapters (of seven, including the Forward). The remaining three include Off Like a Rocket, Cornering and Braking, Slipstreaming and Overtaking.
The Rocket chapter discusses starts. Surtees addresses techniques and such (remember, too, this was written in the days of “bump starting,” but an especially important takeaway is found in this sentence: “Highfaluting tactics are a waste of time. When you come to the line the important things are that you know the circuit intimately, are thoroughly familiar with your machine and know your own limits.”
The Cornering chapter is self-explanatory, but Surtees points out what many inexperienced racers don’t always understand, which is there is always more than one correct “line” through any specific corner or turn. Of major concern are slower riders that can force you to take a different line through the turn for the pass. Surtees wrote, “I make a point of exploring alternative lines during practice and finding out the nature of other parts of the road.” The book matches that rhetoric with a few example alternate line illustrations.
The Braking, Slipstreaming and Overtaking chapter puts it all together. Start with braking, Surtees reminded us, “It is, of course, the front one [brake] which does the lion’s share of the work.” He cautions to slipstream carefully, doing so preferably behind experienced and predictable riders because inexperienced racers are apt to slow down unexpectedly … which brings us full circle to Overtaking. His key point is in this one sentence: “The main thing is to see that your overtaking interferes as little as possible with the smoothness of your riding.”
There you have it, all you Moto-Cowboys. Apply this knowledge and you could find yourselves spraying champagne in the Winner’s Circle. Good luck and may the best racer win!
