The Early Years
1940s
 1945: As battle-weary Britain starts to leave five, traumatic wartime years in its wake, Jack Surtees, father of John, and a successful sidecar racer, opens a motorcycle shop in Forest Hill, South London.
1946: John attends the first post-war race meeting at Cadwell Park and watches 'Dad' battle it out with soon-to-be World Champion Eric Oliver in the Good Friday sidecar race. 'Dad' finishes second behind Oliver. At school, John earns the nickname 'Bullet' for his speed on the football pitch and athletics field.
1947: Hooked on motorcycles, John spends his spare time assisting Dad at the shop. He tries his hand on two wheels on the cinder path around the perimeter of the Brands Hatch grass circuit on an old Wallis-Blackburne speedway bike,
1948: John takes part in his maiden race at the Trent Park Speed Trials, Cockfosters, North London, riding as sidecar passenger for Dad. The Surtees duo wins but is disqualified because John, at 14, is under age!
1949: Competing in his first solo race - at a grass track meeting at Eaton Bray, near Luton - things do not go according to plan. John, on a TT replica 500ccc B14 Excelsior-JAP (similar to the one on which his father started racing in 1934) parts company from the bike on several occasions. Dad reckons the bike's "a bit big for him".
Picture: Making an early debut...John on his father's B14 Excelsior-JAP
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