It was the 20th July. It was the 40th anniversary of the first men landing on the moon and also the 65th one of the brave, but unsuccessful attack against German dictator Hitler. But it was also the sadest day in the modern history of motorsport. A few hours before young Formula 2 driver had died in a London hospital because of the heavy head injuries he had sustained on the Sunday round of the 2009 F.I.A. Formula 2 Championship at the wonderful circuit of Brands Hatch in Kent, where famous Jo Siffert had lost his life at the Worldchampionship Victory Race, a  non-championship Formula One event held in October 1971. John Surtees, Henry´s father, had been in one of the cars close behind Siffert`s B.R.M. exploding at Hawthorn Hill. Henry is the only son of John Surtees and his second wife Jane also having two daughters. Big John, a short while before honoured by being apointed O.B.E., also had been a successful constructor of Grand Prix and Formula 2 racing cars during the seventies. After being devorced from his first wife Patricia John Surtees had married a second time to become a father of three children, a happy family with a promising future after  personally going through good but also bad times both in motorsport and business. Henry had started in karts, he continued his career in the Formulas BMW, Renault and Three. For 2009 he had switched to a new category founded by Dr Jonathan Palmer given the traditional name Formula 2 by the F.I.A. Henry Surtees`accident was the carbon copy of that one of   Markus Hoettinger at the Formula 2 round of Hockenheim back in 1980; the  young Austrian had been killed by his head being hit by a wheel cut off the car of Derek Warwick. The competition with open wheen single-seaters has become extremely safe throughout the last three decades. But the main risk is still there: The driver to be hit by wreckage pieces or cut off wheels flying around. This risk is known for many, many years. Nobody has done anything against it. It was only a question of time of such an accident to come.  The functonaries always are discussing pretty small problems on the political field instead of finding an answer to the problem. But there are some  technical solutions available to avoid  the heads of single-seater drivers being hit by parts or wheels thrown through the air. They can be taken from aviation and space-travel. We live in the 21st century, not in the time of the old mail-coaches. A teenage driver is dead. A happy family is destroyed. A famous father has lost his only son, the entire world of motorsport a great hope. Technical solutions to protect the drivers`heads are on the market. We have to realize these solutions. We are in the duty of Henry Surtees.

 

Henry Surtees, Surtees Ford TS10