From Novice to World Champion
1950s
 1950: John starts work as an apprentice at the Vincent-HRD motorcycle factory. He also takes part in his first solo road race at Brands Hatch on a 250cc Triumph Tiger 70 bought from Norton works rider Harold Daniell for £12. Battling for the lead on the last lap of the 250cc heat, he and his bike part company. Later that season, astride an experimental 500cc Vincent Grey Flash - which he has rebuilt and modified himself - he storms home to record his first motorcycle race victory at a meeting at Aberdare Park, South Wales.
1951: John embarks on his first full season of racing. At the August Bank Holiday Festival of Britain meeting at Thruxton, he finishes second behind Norton works rider and 'man of the moment' Geoff Duke in the 500cc and 1000cc races. Race reports describe him as "the man who made Duke hurry".
1952: John continues his winning ways on the much-loved Grey Flash setting a new lap record on his first outing of the season at Brands Hatch. But - putting sentiment to one side - he has to sell it to raise cash for the deposit on a 500cc Manx Norton that costs £280. John races both the Norton and a factory-loaned Vincent throughout the remainder of the season. He also competes in his first World Championship event, the 500cc Ulster Grand Prix at Clady in whichh he finishes sixth.
1953: A second-hand 350cc Featherbed Norton is bought to allow John to compete in more races. The enlarged race programme includes the Isle of Man TT. John, at the age of only 19 (and on his first visit to the island) has been invited to compete in the Junior and Senior races as a member of the Joe Craig Norton works team! He has previously accepted a ride in the 125cc event as well, on an EMC entered by Joe Ehrlich. But a crash in practice for the 125cc race - caused when the front forks on the machine break - result in a broken wrist and no further racing. The accident - much to his regret - costs him the coveted Norton works ride. But - with 20 wins out of the 35 races, nine record laps and three fastest laps - it is still a successful season.
 1954: No offers of Norton works rides this year, so John gets two new short-stroke Manx Nortons of his own. (Team boss Craig is still annoyed that John went against his wishes and rode the EMC at the previous year's TT, depriving the Norton team of his services.) But Craig - having warned him off accepting an invitation from rivals AJS to ride a works Porcupine - does loan him two 1953 works bikes towards the end of the season (as an incentive to stay loyal to Norton!)
1955: The busiest season yet. John rides a Vincent-loaned NSU Sportmax in 250cc races, his own Manx Nortons in 350 and 500cc national events and Joe Craig-run Manx Nortons in selected races. On the NSU in the 250cc Ulster GP at Dundrod, he records his first World Championship win. He also beats World Champion Duke on the multi-cylinder Gilera twice…a remarkable achievement on the single-cylinder Norton, And for the 500cc German GP at The Nürburgring he receives an invitation to ride for BMW. His performance on the German 'twin' attracts the attention of the legendary MV Agusta team.
1956: Norton refuses to mount a full World Championship campaign. As a result, BMW, Moto Guzzi and Gilera make tentative offers for John's services…but he signs for MV Agusta. In England for the early-season national races, he wins his first seven events. He also wins his first Isle of Man TT (the 500cc Senior) and the 500cc Dutch TT at Assen. The TT wins help secure his first world title, the 500cc World Championship - despite having to retire mid way through the season with a broken arm!
 1957: John overcomes the after effects of the broken arm to win first time out at Barcelona. But mechanical problems during the season hold him and MV back, putting a second World Championship beyond reach. Racing the NSU and Nortons at Crystal Palace in August, he wins the 250, 350 and 500 races - all at record speeds - prompting reports in the Italian newspapers that "Surtees does not need an MV to win". The reports annoy MV. John tackles the Count over engine reliability and the need to improve handling.
1958: MV discourages John from riding his own bikes in national events. The scaling down of his racing programme frustrates him…but improved frames, which he worked hard to develop, and more reliable engines on the MVs help soften the blow. In the Belgian GP he sets a record lap of 120.17mph / 193.39kph. In totally dominant form, he wins every Grand Prix he enters to capture both the 350 and 500cc World Championships.
 1959: A first-time-out win at Imola is followed at Silverstone with another - and a crash! Back in the saddle for the French GP, John conceals the after-effects of the accident and wins the first of 13 World Championship races in a row. In doing so, he wins the 350 and 500cc World Championships for the second year running and is voted 'BBC Sports Personality of the Year'. Britain's sportswriters also name him as their 'Sports Personality of the Year', as does the Daily Express. Meanwhile, F1 luminaries give him a try-out on 'four wheels' at Goodwood…and like what they see!
Pictures:
1) John takes part in his first solo road race on his Tiger 70 (no 23)
2) John gets a Manx
3) Flying high over Ballaugh Bridge at the Isle of Man TT in 1957
4) Heading for victory in the 1959 Isle of Man Senior TT
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