The Surtees Racing Organisation was a race team that spent nine seasons (1970 to 1978) as a constructor in

Formula One Formula One (F1) is the highest class of worldwide racing for open-wheel single-seater formula Auto racing, racing cars sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). The FIA Formula One World Championship has been one ...

Formula 2 Formula Two (F2) is a type of open-wheel formula racing category first codified in 1948. It was replaced in 1985 by Formula 3000, but revived by the FIA from 2009 to 2012 in the form of the FIA Formula Two Championship. The name returned aga ...

, and

Formula 5000 Formula 5000 (or F5000) was an Open-wheel car, open wheel, single seater auto-racing formula that ran in different series in various regions around the world from 1968 to 1982. It was originally intended as a low-cost series aimed at open-wheel ...

History

The team was formed by

John Surtees John Norman Surtees (11 February 1934 – 10 March 2017) was a British racing driver and motorcycle road racer, who competed in Grand Prix motorcycle racing from to , and Formula One from to . Surtees was a seven-time Grand Prix motorcycl ...

, a four-time 500cc motorcycle champion and the 1964 Formula One champion in 1966 to compete in the newly formed

Canadian-American Challenge Cup The Canadian-American Challenge Cup, or Can-Am, was an SCCA/ CASC sports car racing series from 1966 to 1974, and again from 1977 to 1987. The Can-Am rules were deliberately simple and placed few limits on the entries. This led to a wide variety ...

(CanAm) "unlimited"

sports car A sports car is a type of automobile that is designed with an emphasis on dynamic performance, such as Automobile handling, handling, acceleration, top speed, the thrill of driving, and Auto racing, racing capability. Sports cars originated in ...

racing series. Entering as an owner/driver, Surtees won the championship in its first year, driving a

Lola T70 The Lola T70 is a sports prototype developed by British manufacturer Lola Cars in 1965, the successor to its Mk6. Lola built the aluminium monocoque chassis, which were typically powered by large American V8s. The T70 was quite popular in the ...

. Surtees also fielded an entry in another newly formed series in 1969, becoming part of

after taking over a project started by

Len Terry Leonard E. Terry (11 February 1924 – 25 August 2014) was an English racing car designer and engineer, known for his work with Lotus, BRM and Eagle. He also designed chassis for many other teams, including ERA and Aston Martin and produced ...

and Roger Nathan, and his team constructed its own cars for the first time. His team was successful, winning five races, consecutively at

Mondello Park Mondello Park is Ireland's only international motorsport venue and is located in Caragh, County Kildare off the R409 regional road, approximately from Dublin city centre. History The Mondello Park short circuit was designed on farmland ne ...

Koksijde Koksijde (; ; ) is a town and a Municipalities of Belgium, municipality in Belgium. It is located on the North Sea coast in the southwest of the Flanders, Flemish province of West Flanders. The municipality comprises apart from Koksijde, the v ...

Zandvoort Zandvoort () is a municipality in the province of North Holland, Netherlands. It is one of the major beach resorts of the Netherlands; it has a long sandy beach. It is bordered by coastal dunes of Zuid-Kennemerland National Park and the Amsterdam ...

Snetterton Snetterton is a village and civil parish in Norfolk, England. The village is about east-northeast of Thetford and southwest of Norwich. The civil parish has an area of . The United Kingdom Census 2011, 2011 Census recorded a parish population ...

and

Hockenheim Hockenheim () is a town in northwest Baden-Württemberg, Germany, about 20 km south of Mannheim and 10 km west of Walldorf. It is located in the Upper Rhine Plain, Upper Rhine valley on the tourist theme routes "Baden Asparagus Route" ( ...

, during a twelve race season. This inspired Surtees to expand to

, and after having had a difficult season with BRM in 1969, he decided to become an owner/driver again. The team ran the full 1970 season, but Surtees was forced to run the first four races in an old

McLaren McLaren Racing Limited ( ) is a British auto racing, motor racing team based at the McLaren Technology Centre in Woking, Surrey, England. The team is a subsidiary of the McLaren Group, which owns a majority of the team. McLaren is best known a ...

due to a delay in the construction of his in-house F1 car. The new BP-sponsored car earned its first (and only) points that year in the

Canadian Grand Prix The Canadian Grand Prix () is an annual motor racing event held since 1961. It has been part of the Formula One World Championship since 1967. It was first staged at Mosport Park in Bowmanville, Ontario, as a sports car event, before alterna ...

. Surtees added a second full-time car in for German driver

Rolf Stommelen Rolf Johann Stommelen (; 11 July 1943 – 24 April 1983) was a German racing driver, who competed in Formula One from to . In endurance racing, Stommelen was a four-time winner of the 24 Hours of Daytona with Porsche. Stommelen participated in ...

, and ran a third car for various drivers in a number of races. Three drivers, Surtees, Stommelen, and motorcycling champion

Mike Hailwood Stanley Michael Bailey Hailwood (2 April 1940 – 23 March 1981) was a British racing driver and motorcycle road racer, who competed in Grand Prix motorcycle racing from to , and Formula One between and . Nicknamed "the Bike", Hailwood was ...

earned three points each for the marque that year. After the 1971 season, Surtees retired from full-time competition, and the team ended up with three new full-time drivers in . Hailwood returned to Surtees for a full year; joining him were Australian

Tim Schenken Timothy Theodore Schenken (born 26 September 1943) is a former racing driver from Sydney, Australia. He participated in 36 Formula One World Championship Grands Prix, debuting on 16 August 1970. He achieved one career podium at the 1971 Austr ...

and Italian

Andrea de Adamich Andrea Lodovico de Adamich (born 3 October 1941) is a former racing driver from Italy. He participated in 34 World Championship Formula One Grands Prix, making his debut on 1 January 1968. He scored a total of six championship points. He also p ...

, the latter of whom brought sponsorship money to the team. Hailwood produced Surtees' first podium finish that year in the

Italian Grand Prix The Italian Grand Prix () is the fifth oldest national Grand Prix motor racing, motor racing Grand Prix (after the French Grand Prix, the United States Grand Prix, the Spanish Grand Prix and the Russian Grand Prix), having been held since 1921 ...

, finishing second to

Emerson Fittipaldi Emerson Fittipaldi (; born 12 December 1946) is a Brazilian former racing driver and motorsport executive, who competed in Formula One from to . Fittipaldi won two Formula One World Drivers' Championship titles, which he won in and with Team ...

. All three drivers scored points for the team, and Surtees finished fifth in the Constructors' Championship. Schenken was replaced in 1973 by Brazilian

Carlos Pace José Carlos Pace (; 6 October 1944 – 18 March 1977) was a Brazilian racing driver, who competed in Formula One from to . Pace won the 1975 Brazilian Grand Prix with Brabham. Born and raised in São Paulo, Pace competed in Formula One for ...

, and the team only ran two full-time cars after de Adamich left following the season opener. Pace finished third in

Austria Austria, formally the Republic of Austria, is a landlocked country in Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine Federal states of Austria, states, of which the capital Vienna is the List of largest cities in Aust ...

and fourth in

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

, but it was the only points finishes the team had all season, as Hailwood was left scoreless. Hailwood departed for

after the year, being replaced by

Jochen Mass Jochen Richard Mass (; 30 September 1946 – 4 May 2025) was a German racing driver and broadcaster, who competed in Formula One from to . Mass won the 1975 Spanish Grand Prix with McLaren. In endurance racing, Mass won the 24 Hours of Le Ma ...

in . It was a difficult year for Surtees, as Pace left the team in mid-season, and replacement Derek Bell struggled to qualify for races, capped by Austrian driver

Helmut Koinigg Helmut Koinigg (3 November 1948 – 6 October 1974) was an Austrian racing driver who died in a crash in the 1974 United States Grand Prix, in his second Grand Prix start. Racing career Koinigg was born in Vienna. Like several other Formula One ...

's fatal crash at the

1974 United States Grand Prix The 1974 United States Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on October 6, 1974, at the Watkins Glen Grand Prix Race Course in Watkins Glen, New York. It was race 15 of 15 in both the 1974 World Championship of Drivers and the 1974 Inte ...

. A fourth place by Pace at his home track were the only points Surtees managed to get, and they failed to finish in the top ten in the Constructors' Championship. Low on money for , the team pared back to a single car for John Watson (although a second car was entered for Dave Morgan at

Silverstone Silverstone is a village and civil parish in the West Northamptonshire unitary authority area of Northamptonshire, England. The village is about south-southwest of Towcester and northeast of Brackley, both accessed via the A43 road, A43 main ...

). The season was a tremendous struggle for Surtees, with no points scored, and the team missed three of the final four races. 1976 was much better, however, as Surtees landed a well-known, but otherwise controversial sponsorship deal with

Durex Durex is a British brand of condoms and personal lubricants owned by Reckitt, Reckitt Benckiser. It was initially developed in London under the purview of the London Rubber Company and British Latex Products Ltd, where it was manufactured betwee ...

condoms, and Australian Alan Jones joined the team. Jones finished fifth in

Belgium Belgium, officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. Situated in a coastal lowland region known as the Low Countries, it is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeas ...

and at

Brands Hatch Brands Hatch is a motor racing circuit in West Kingsdown, Kent, England, United Kingdom. Originally used as a grasstrack motorcycle circuit on farmland, it hosted 12 runnings of the British Grand Prix between 1964 and 1986 and currently hosts ...

, and fourth in

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

. A second car, with Chesterfield sponsorship, was entered for American

Brett Lunger Robert Brett Lunger (born November 14, 1945) is an American racecar driver. Lunger was educated at the Holderness School, and Princeton University. He dropped out of Princeton after three years to enlist for service in Vietnam. He was a politica ...

, while a customer car was raced by Frenchman

Henri Pescarolo Henri Jacques William Pescarolo (; born 25 September 1942) is a French former racing driver and motorsport executive, who competed in Formula One from to . In endurance racing, Pescarolo is a four-time winner of the 24 Hours of Le Mans, and w ...

during the second half of the season. With seven points, Surtees placed tenth in the Constructors' Championship. Jones's success resulted in him leaving the team for the emerging

Shadow A shadow is a dark area on a surface where light from a light source is blocked by an object. In contrast, shade occupies the three-dimensional volume behind an object with light in front of it. The cross-section of a shadow is a two-dimensio ...

team, and money problems forced Surtees to run one car regularly again in 1977, this time for

Vittorio Brambilla Vittorio Brambilla (; 11 November 1937 – 26 May 2001) was an Italian racing driver, who competed in Formula One from to . Nicknamed "the Monza Gorilla", Brambilla won the 1975 Austrian Grand Prix with March. Born and raised in Monza, Brambil ...

. Brambilla's season was effective, also finishing in the points three times. Still, his good results did not prevent Surtees from further monetary troubles. In 1978, the team added a second car for

pay driver A pay driver is a driver for a professional auto racing team who, instead of being paid by the owner of their car, drives for free and brings with them either personal sponsorship or personal or family funding to finance the team's operations. Th ...

, Briton

Rupert Keegan Rupert Keegan (26 February 1955 – 23 September 2024) was an English racing driver. He participated in 37 Formula One World Championship Grands Prix, debuting on 8 May 1977. He scored no championship points. Biography Keegan won the 1976 Bri ...

, but the money problems continued. A lack of decent results caused further problems. Unable to get sufficient money, the team left F1 after the season, despite having a car built for . After racing the car in the British Aurora championship (formerly F5000) briefly that year, Surtees Racing Organization was closed for good.

Models

* TS5 1969-1970 F5000/Formula A. Runner up in the 1969 Guards F5000 championship. Won Le Circuit Continental at Circuit Mont-Tremblant (driven by David Hobbs). One car was purchased by

James Garner James Scott Garner (né Bumgarner; April 7, 1928 – July 19, 2014) was an American actor. He played leading roles in more than 50 theatrical films, which included ''The Great Escape (film), The Great Escape'' (1963) with Steve McQueen; Paddy Ch ...

's American International Racing team and raced at Lime Rock (blown engine) and the same race Hobbs won (knocked out in an 8-car pile-up part way through the 1st lap). * TS7 1970

. Designed by Surtees, Shahab Ahmed, and Peter Connew. DFV/

Hewland Hewland is a British engineering company, founded in 1957 by Mike Hewland, which specialises in racing-car gearboxes. Hewland currently employ 130 people at their Maidenhead facility and have diversified into a variety of markets being particul ...

"kit car" followed closely on TS5 layout. Surtees won the

Oulton Park International Gold Cup The International Gold Cup is a prize awarded annually to the winner of a auto racing, motor race held at the Oulton Park circuit, Cheshire, England. In the 1950s and 1960s it formed one of a number of highly regarded non-Championship Formula One r ...

non-Championship race in this car. * TS8 1971-1972 F5000. Runner up in Rothmans Championship in 1971. * TS9 1971-1972 Formula One. A derivative of the TS7 with a longer wheelbase and wider track. Surtees repeated his Oulton Park win in 1971. * TS10 1972

Formula Two Formula Two (F2) is a type of Open-wheel car, open-wheel formula racing category first codified in 1948. It was replaced in 1985 by Formula 3000, but revived by the FIA from 2009 FIA Formula Two Championship season, 2009 to 2012 FIA Formula Two C ...

. Powered by a

Cosworth BDA Cosworth is a British automotive engineering company founded in London in 1958, specialising in high-performance internal combustion engines, powertrain, and electronics for automobile racing (motorsport) and mainstream automotive industries ...

engine

convincingly won the 1972 European F2 Championship in this car. Two independent teams purchased TS10s but were not contenders in the series. * TS11 1972-1973 F5000. Based on the TS9 with a

Chevrolet Chevrolet ( ) is an American automobile division of the manufacturer General Motors (GM). In North America, Chevrolet produces and sells a wide range of vehicles, from subcompact automobiles to medium-duty commercial trucks. Due to the promi ...

engine.

Gijs van Lennep Gijsbert "Gijs" van Lennep (; born 16 March 1942) is a Dutch racing driver who competed in eight Formula One races. However, his main achievements were in sports car racing. He is a member of the untitled Dutch nobility. Career Van Lennep d ...

won the

1972 Rothmans European Formula 5000 Championship The 1972 Rothmans F5000 European Championship was a motor racing series for Formula 5000 cars.Wolfgang Kopfler, Formula 5000 in Europe - Race by Race, 2004, pages 90 to 91 The series was organized in the United Kingdom by the British Racing and ...

driving the TS11 and a

McLaren M18 The McLaren M18 is an open-wheel Formula 5000 racing car designed and made by McLaren in 1971. Development The car was conceived to participate in the 1971 Formula 5000 season to replace the M10. Design The car was powered by a 470-hp Chevrole ...

. A TS11 chassis with TS8 bodywork was prepared to run the

1972 Tasman Series The 1972 Tasman Series was a motor racing competition staged in New Zealand and Australia for racing cars complying with the Tasman Formula.''Programme of Events and Awards'', Official Programme, Adelaide International Raceway, Sunday 27 Februar ...

after the TS8 intended for the series was wrecked beyond repair. Hailwood finished second in the series in this car. * TS14 1972-1973 Formula One. This car marked the beginning of the end for Surtees.

Firestone Firestone may refer to: *Flint or firestone *Firestone (surname) Places Liberia * Firestone District, Margibi County, Liberia United States * Firestone (Phoenix, Arizona), a listing on the National Register of Historic Places in Phoenix, Arizona ...

was anticipating leaving Formula One and had little interest in working with Surtees to cure the TS14's habit of devouring tires. It was the first car in F1 to fully comply with crumple-zone legislation, incorporating these into its side pods within which the radiators were mounted, laying down the floorplan for the vast majority of subsequent F1 designs. It was a very quick car at its introduction but a series of accidents and lack of development support did not help it reach its potential. Surtees drove his last F1 race in the TS14 at

Monza Monza (, ; ; , locally ; ) is a city and ''comune'' (municipality) on the Lambro, River Lambro, a tributary of the Po (river), River Po, in the Lombardy region of Italy, about north-northeast of Milan. It is the capital of the province of Mo ...

in 1972. * TS15 1973 Formula Two. With

BMW Bayerische Motoren Werke AG, trading as BMW Group (commonly abbreviated to BMW (), sometimes anglicised as Bavarian Motor Works), is a German multinational manufacturer of vehicles and motorcycles headquartered in Munich, Bavaria, Germany. Th ...

supplying engines exclusively to

March March is the third month of the year in both the Julian and Gregorian calendars. Its length is 31 days. In the Northern Hemisphere, the meteorological beginning of spring occurs on the first day of March. The March equinox on the 20 or 2 ...

Surtees was forced to settle for second place in the F2 Championships. A good car, but no match for the BMW engine. A development of this car, the TS17, was intended to run a

Ford Motor Company Ford Motor Company (commonly known as Ford) is an American multinational corporation, multinational automobile manufacturer headquartered in Dearborn, Michigan, United States. It was founded by Henry Ford and incorporated on June 16, 1903. T ...

V8 in F5000, but nothing came of the plan. * TS16 1974-1975 Formula One. Based on the TS14, but overweight and with less than top notch DFV engines. The team also failed to engage a single major sponsor for 1974 so money was tight to say the least. Only a single car was run and to cap off a truly terrible year driver

was killed during the

at Watkins Glen. The car was run again in 1975 and John Watson scored in three non-Championship events, but no championship points were scored. * TS19 1976-1978 Formula One. A fresh car designed by Surtees and Ken Sears the TS19 managed to score points for Surtees in 1976 and 1977, and even ran the opening races of the 1978 season. * TS20 1978 Formula One. A development of the TS19, the TS20 was a clean design that promised well, only to be completely overshadowed by the introduction of ground effects.

Gallery

File:SurteesTS7BarryBoor.jpg, John Surtees at the wheel of the TS7 at its

debut. File:Surtees TS9B Goodwood 2008.jpg, The TS9B being demonstrated at the 2008

Goodwood Festival of Speed The Goodwood Festival of Speed is an annual motorsports festival featuring modern and historic motor racing vehicles taking part in a hillclimbing, hillclimb and other events, held in Goodwood House, West Sussex, in late June or early July. Th ...

. File:Surtees TS14 Mallory Park.JPG, The TS14 being driven at

Mallory Park Mallory Park is a motor racing circuit situated in the village of Kirkby Mallory, just off the A47 road, A47, between Leicester and Hinckley, in central England. Originally used for Grass track racing, grass-track until 1955, a new, basicall ...

in 2009. File:John Watson TS16.jpg, John Watson in the TS16 at the 1975 BRDC International Trophy. File:SurteesTS19BarryBoor.JPG,

entering Hawthorn's Bend at Brands Hatch during the

1976 British Grand Prix The 1976 British Grand Prix (formally the John Player Grand Prix) was a Formula One auto racing, motor race held on 18 July 1976 at the Brands Hatch circuit in Kent, England, United Kingdom. The 76-lap race was the ninth round of the 1976 Formul ...

in a TS19. File:Surtees TS19 2007.jpg, Alan Jones' TS19 being driven in 2007. File:SurteesTS20BarryBoor.JPG,

driving the TS20 at the

1978 British Grand Prix The 1978 British Grand Prix (formally the XXXI John Player British Grand Prix) was a Formula One motor race held at Brands Hatch on 16 July 1978. It was the tenth race of the 1978 World Championship of F1 Drivers and the 1978 International Cup ...

Complete Formula One World Championship results

The first table below details the complete World Championship Grand Prix results for the Surtees "works" team. The second table includes results from privately owned Surtees cars in World Championship Grands Prix.

Works team entries

( key)

Results of other Surtees cars

( key)

Can-Am results

Notes

References

* Hodges, David. A-Z of Formula Racing Cars 1945-1990, MBI Publishing Company, 1990.

External links

Surtees Racing Organization in The Formula 1 Database

* ttp://www.grandprix.com/gpe/con-surte.html Constructors: Surtees Racing Organization {{Surtees 1966 establishments in the United Kingdom British auto racing teams British racecar constructors Can-Am entrants Formula One constructors Formula Two constructors Formula One entrants Formula Two entrants 24 Hours of Le Mans teams 1979 disestablishments in the United Kingdom