Surtees given CBE in New Year’s Honours

Formula 1 legend John Surtees has been awarded a CBE in Britain’s New Year’s Honours List.

The 1964 world champion is the only driver to ever win the world championship on two and four wheels.

The 81-year-old was awarded an Officer of the British Empire (OBE) in 2008, but has now been given the more senior title of Commander of the British Empire.

He was also awarded the title of Member of the British Empire (MBE) in 1959 after his third motorcycle world title.

Surtees joined F1 in 1960 and made his debut for Lotus in the Monaco Grand Prix. He made an immediate impact with a second-place finish in the next race at Silverstone.

He joined Ferrari in 1963 and won his first race in Germany. This was at the height of Britain’s F1 domination as Jim Clark won the world title and Graham Hill was at his peak.

In 1964, Surtees was at his brilliant best as his consistency saw him finish on the podium in every race he managed to complete.

Two wins helped him to become world champion.

Three more race wins followed but his career was spoiled by poor reliability of the fragile cars he drove.

In later life he ran a motorcycle shop in Kent, England and is currently the oldest living surviving F1 world champion.

His son, Henry, was also a racing driver but died in a Formula 2 race in 2009.

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