Written by Paul d’Orleans for Cycle World magazine, reproduced with permission.
He wasn’t a showman with movie star looks, like many World Champions; John Surtees had a sparrow’s physique, with a modest but intense demeanor, who suffered autograph hounds with a friendly noblesse oblige. No doubt he treated his rivals the same, giving very little away, his attention seemingly elsewhere…like memorizing every braking point at the Nurbrurgring or Isle of Man circuits. If you were close enough to observe his expression on the track, it meant you were about to lose your race to the most stylish and disciplined rider of the 1950s.








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May I just say that the above picture of the 2 MV’s and riders, and BMW Rennsport is actually that of Dickie Dale.
WF
Images have no credit, as so many others on your website. Disrespectful. It makes me wonder about this site and the owner. Its is not right, if you cannot give credit to the people who were actually there at the time creating these images, it is a sign you did not consult them. It means you do not have permission. Shame on you,
We love crediting photographers! Actually, two of the photos here (the modern ones) were taken by me! Since our re-launch in 2016, we’ve done our best to credit all photographs, and I don’t think you’ll find many photos that aren’t credited in our thousand or more articles – we’re actually very careful about this, and don’t know how this one slipped through – it’s been corrected now.
Photos used from old books are credited to the book/publisher, and we use them as illustration under ‘fair use’ standards, as TheVintagent.com is an educational, non-profit website under the umbrella of the Motorcycle Arts Foundation, a 501c3 corporation.