Friday 31 March 2017

John Surtees: legacy of a legend

John Surtees, MBE, OBE, CBE

John Surtees at Goodwood Revival, 2011. 
John Surtees is a name that most fans of motor racing will be familiar with. His racing career spanned 20 years, starting in 1952, but his involvement in racing continued until the end. A regular figure at race meets, circuits, and on TV, Surtees' trademark wide smile, enthusiasm, and energy won him many friends and fans. He won no fewer than 8 title wins, achieved – remarkably – on two and four wheels: a feat that is unlikely to ever be repeated in the modern era of motor racing.

Surtees was born into a family already mad about motorsport, and his first racing appearance came in the sidecar of his father's Vincent – a race that they won … but later disqualified for, for being too young. At 15, he raced in grasstrack competition, and, a year later, went to work for Vincent as an apprentice. The following year, he caught the attention of race goers and works teams alike, by keeping Norton's Geoff Duke honest and on his toes during a race at Thruxton.

With Norton's interest piqued, he was offered sponsorship by its race chief Joe Craig, and Surtees duly responded by beating Duke at Silverstone and Brands Hatch. Despite Norton's racing success, and partly due to it, the company faced financial difficulties, so Surtees accepted an offer from the more financially stable MV Agusta.

In 1956, he won the 500cc world championship, only partly assisted by a six-month ban for Geoff Duke, incurred from Duke's support of a riders' strike for more starting money. Whilst the following year only saw a third place finish for Surtees, Gilera and Moto Guzzi's retirement from GP racing at the end of '57 saw him pilot an MV Agusta to a further three 500cc titles, in 1958, '59, and '60 – as well as the world championships in the 350cc class in the same three years.

Surtees' astonishing career, which aside from his hat trick of class doubles, had seen him claim 250 race wins from 352 starts, had also made Surtees' known to a wider audience, and in 1959, he won BBC Sports Personality of the Year. He is still the only motorcycle racer to have been awarded the honour.

Surtees at the Isle of Man TT. This was his final TT win, the 1960 Senior. When he switched to four wheels, his place at MV Agusta was taken by Gary Hocking. From Racing Line.


In 1960, and despite his initial scepticism, Surtees switched to cars, in part due to MV Agusta's refusal to allow him to ride any other two-wheel marque. Racing against Jim Clark at Goodwood in Formula Junior, a rookie error led to him losing his chance of victory – but he was noticed by Colin Chapman, who signed him up to race in F1: a jump that modern F1 racers would find incomprehensible.

Surtees was immediately competitive, aided by the Lotus 18 of Chapman, but a falling out with Chapman, and fellow driver Innes Ireland, over who would drive beside Clark in '61, saw him walk from Lotus.

Stints for Yeoman Credit Cooper and Bowmaker Lola teams over the next few seasons enabled Surtees to continue to compete. Ferrari had already contacted Surtees, who felt it was too early in his career to drive a 'cavallino rampante.' Despite being told by Enzo Ferrari that he would not ask him again, at the end of a difficult '62 season, Enzo did just that, and Surtees accepted.

Surtees' first F1 win came at the Nürbergring. It was in 1964, however, following victories in the German GP and Monza, that he won his first F1 world championship, in the new V8 Ferrari 158, wearing the livery of NART (North American Racing Team).

The 1964 Mexican Grand Prix saw Surtees take second place,
behind Dan Gurney, and just ahead of team-mate Lorenzo Bandini. From Formula One – The Real Score?

The following year was a disappointment for Surtees, with no victories on the track. In September '65, Surtees crashed whilst practicing in his own Lola T70 at the Mosport Park circuit, Canada, and was in a life-threatenting condition for several days. Amazingly, he recovered enough to be back behind the wheel the of the Ferarri by the start of the '66 season.

Political machinations, and a long-sour relationship with team manager Eugenio Dragoni, eventually led to Surtees jumping ship mid-season to Cooper, whos Maserati V12-powered T/81 took him to victory in Mexico … he even managed to finish second in the title fight to Jack Brabham.

1967 saw a switch to Honda for two seasons, with whom he gained his last world championship success, at the Italian GP at Monza. A 1969 BRM stint left Surtees frustrated, and he decided to develop his own F1 cars. With Cosworth engines, the cars showed much promise – enough to coax another two-wheeled legend, Mike Hailwood, to its team … Hailwood went on to win the 1972 European Formula Two championship.

Surtees pilots the V12 Honda RA300. From Grand Prix Ford.

The team finally closed shop in 1978, and Surtees retired from the competitive racing circuit. Surtees held the vice-presidency of the British Racing Drivers' Club, a position he used to help continue and encourage British involvement in international motor sport.

Following the death of his son, Henry, caused by a freak accident at a relaunched F2 vent at Brands Hatch, he devoted his time to supporting the Henry Surtees Foundation, an organisation that helps young people with accident injuries, and develop their capabilities.

The charity became Surtees' main work in recent years, and has raised thousands of pounds for air ambulance services, and head injury research. It was in this capacity that Surtees attended many grass-roots events such as Goodwood, leading him become one of the most familiar, popular, and loved figures, even into his ninth decade. In 1996, John was inducted into the International Motorsports Hall of Fame. He was awarded an MBE in 1959 , OBE in 2008, and CBE in 2016.

On March 10th 2016, John Surtees passed away at the age of 83. He is survived by his wife Jane, and daughters Edwina and Leonora.

To find out more about the Henry Surtess Foundation, follow the link below:

http://henrysurteesfoundation.com

John Surtees photo courtesy Supermac1961 from CHAFFORD HUNDRED, England (Sir John Surtees Uploaded by Sporti) [CC BY 2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons



Tuesday 28 March 2017

What Car? reveals taxing times ahead

This year on 1st April, new rates of Vehicle Excise Duty (VED) will be introduced … and they could have quite an effect on the tax you pay for your vehicle … 

What Car? had revealed the biggest car tax rises ahead of the new rules. So who will be most affected, and will you be paying more?

• Some models will command almost 25 times more tax than before
Even greener hybrids are hit but still qualify for government grants of up to £2,500
Six out of 10 top sellers incur eye-watering tax increases

Imminent changes to Vehicle Excise Duty (VED) mean consumers have just a few days to secure a deal on a new car before tax rates soar by up to 2475%.

Analysis by What Car? has shown that the cost of taxing a car purchased after 1 April 2017 could be up to 25 times more, with even some of the most environmentally friendly plug-in hybrids commanding sharp tax increases.

It’s conventional hybrids such as the Lexus GS300h and RX450h that will be hit hardest, however. These have traditionally been an attractive option for those seeking a luxury car with small-car emissions, because under the outgoing legislation, the GS300h and RX450h cost owners as little as £40 to tax over three years. But under the new rules, that increases to £1,030.

Under the new legislation, only zero-emissions cars costing less than £40,000 will be free to tax, but buyers still have a few days to make significant savings by purchasing before the 1 April deadline, using the new What Car? New Car Buyer Marketplace, which lets people compare discounts from dealers in their area.

In the case of the GS300h hybrid, the near-£1000 hike in the three-year tax bill is made up of a £150 first-year rate based on its CO₂ emissions, followed by two subsequent payments of the new hybrid flat rate of £130 per year, which applies to all vehicles with emissions above 0g/km CO₂.

In addition, all vehicles that cost more than £40,000 are subject to a further £310 a year charge between years two and six. As a result, three-year tax bills on the Porsche Cayenne E-Hybrid, Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV and Volvo XC90 T8 and Audi Q7 E-tron will also jump from zero to as much as £1,000.

On the up side, the Audi, Mitsubishi and Volvo remain eligible for a government grant of £2,500 thanks to their low CO₂ emissions of less than 75g/km, and if buyers order before the tax hike they could save almost half as much again.

Motorists who flocked to buy one of Britain’s top sellers in the first months of 2017 are also likely to have avoided a hefty tax premium and could still do so if they move quickly. Six of 2017’s top 10 sellers are among the highest risers. Certain derivatives of the Vauxhall Astra, Ford Focus, Nissan Qashqai, Mercedes C-Class, Audi A3 and BMW 3-Series will command an extra tax bill of between £400 and £1,000 over three years.

What Car? editor Steve Huntingford said: “The new tax laws are designed to increase the advantage of running a zero emissions car, but they make things much more complicated and push up the price of many ‘bread and butter’ models. Fortunately, there are still opportunities to get a great deal.

“Buyers still have a small window to snap up a bargain before 1 April, and there are a number of grants for plug-in hybrids at their disposal. Tax aside, valuable savings can be made by using the What Car? New Car Marketplace to get the best possible price.”

The latest deals can be found at www.whatcar.com/new-car-deals.

Top 10 tax increases

Make/Model
Segment
Fuel type
Cost of tax for three years – 2016/17
Cost of tax for three years – 2017/18
Cost increase over three years
Percentage Change over three years
Lexus RC 300h 2.5 F-Sport 2dr CVT Auto
Coupe
Petrol Hybrid
£40
£1,030
£990
2475%
Mercedes-Benz C250d AMG Line Premium 2dr Auto
Coupe
Diesel
£60
£1,060
£1,000
1667%
Mercedes-Benz CLA 45 4Matic Yellow Night Edition 4dr Tip Auto
Coupe
Petrol
£60
£1,060
£1,000
1667%
Lexus RX 450h 3.5 SE 5dr CVT Auto
Large SUV
Petrol Hybrid
£40
£1,030
£990
2475%
Audi A6 3.0 TDI S Line 4dr S Tronic
Executive
Diesel
£60
£1,060
£1,000
1667%
Mercedes-Benz C250d AMG Line Premium Plus 4dr 9G-Tronic
Executive
Diesel
£60
£1,060
£1,000
1667%
Mercedes-Benz E200d AMG Line Premium 4dr 9G-Tronic
Executive
Diesel
£60
£1,060
£1,000
1667%
Lexus GS300h 2.5 F-Sport 4dr CVT
Executive
Petrol Hybrid
£40
£1,030
£990
2475%
Audi A5 2.0 TDI Sport 2dr S Tronic
Conv'tble
Diesel
£60
£1,060
£1,000
1667%
Mercedes- Benz C220d AMG Line 2dr
Conv'tble
Diesel
£60
£1,060
£1,000
1667%

Hybrid tax increases

Make/Model
Segment
Fuel type
Cost of tax for three years – 2016/17
Cost of tax for three years – 2017/18
Cost increase over three years
Percentage Change over three years**
Lexus RX 450h 3.5 SE 5dr CVT Auto
Large SUV
Petrol Hybrid
£40
£1,030
£990
2475%
BMW X5 xDrive40e SE 5dr Auto
Large SUV
Petrol Hybrid
£0
£970
£970
N/A
Porsche Cayenne S E-Hybrid 5dr Tiptronic S
Large SUV
Petrol Hybrid
£0
£895
£895
N/A
Audi Q7 3.0 TDI Quattro e-tron 5dr Tip Auto
Large SUV
Diesel
Hybrid
£0
£880
£880
N/A
Mitsubishi Outlander 2.0 PHEV 4hs 5dr Auto
Large SUV
Petrol Hybrid
£0
£880
£880
N/A
Volvo XC90 2.0 T8 Hybrid Inscription 5dr Geartronic
Large SUV
Petrol Hybrid
£0
£880

£880
N/A

UK top sellers

Make/Model
Type
Model’s overall UK sales chart position*
Fuel 
Cost of tax for three years – 2016/17
Cost of tax for three years – 2017/18
Cost increase over three years
% Change over three years**
Vauxhall Astra Astra 1.0T 12V ecoFLEX Design 5dr Easytronic
Hatchbck
3
Petrol
£0
£400
£400
N/A
Ford Focus FOCUS 1.5 TDCi 120 ST-Line Navigation 5dr Powershift
Hatchbck
4
Diesel
£0
£400
£400
N/A
Nissan Qashqai 1.5 dCi Acenta [Comfort Pack/Tech Pack] 5dr
Small SUV
5
Diesel
£0
£400
£400
N/A
Mercedes-Benz C350e Sport Premium 4dr Auto
Executive
6
Petrol Hybrid
£0
£895
£895
N/A
Audi A3 1.6 TDI SE 5dr S Tronic
Hatchbck
8
Diesel
£0
£400
£400
N/A
BMW 340i M Sport 5dr Step Auto [Business Media]
Executive
10
Petrol
£555
£1,400
£845
152%


*Sales figures sourced from SMMT cover February 2017 and refer to the sales performance of all derivatives of that model combined. Source: https://www.smmt.co.uk/vehicle-data/car-registrations/ 

**Where the original tax value was £0, a percentage increase cannot be calculated accurately as there is no value for comparison.



Honest John wins again


Honest John wins Best Motoring Website Award


HonestJohn.co.uk is the website that champions for fairness to car owners by publishing expert, unbiased information to help consumers make informed choices about their cars. The site has more than 2.0m unique visitors each month, and has just taken the award for Best Motoring Website for the second year running. Fighting off close competition from autocar.co.uk, the site was recognised by an independent panel of judges as the elite motoring website in the UK.

Presenting the award, the National Lottery’s Voice of the Balls, Alan Dedicoat, said: “For its peerless consumer advice and ability to entertain and inform, Honest John takes top honours again. With consumer-led campaigns such as Real MPG and its user-homepage initiatives, the site continues to be the go-to site for car buyers.”



HonestJohn.co.uk’s Editorial Director, Daniel Harrison, said: “We were bowled over when we won the Newspress Award for Best Motoring Website in 2016, so to make it a double is a real honour, and goes to show that our consumer-focused approached to automotive news, consumer campaigns and reviews, along with our desire to continually develop what we do with initiatives such as our user-homepages, is the perfect mix for cost-conscious motorists.

“Our approach to putting the consumer first, whether that’s around new or used car buying choices, or issues that affect motorists on a broader level, along with Honest John’s long established and award-winning advice columns, means we have the perfect platform to support motorists across the UK, and it’s both humbling and thrilling that the Newspress Awards judges have once again agreed we can’t be bettered.”

As well as the mainstream site at www.honestjohn.co.uk, Honest John has dedicated websites for vans and classic cars, each with the same consumer-focused approach to delivering content that delivers practical advice and engaging editorial.

Honest John will also be hosting its own motor industry awards, based on real world customer feedback – The Honest John Awards – which will take place in May.


In the meantime, why not get the lowdown on miserable motors from Honest John and George Fowler (the Daily Star's Motormouth)?

Automakers are as prone to turn out clunkers as politicians are to lie. Their cars may be ugly, misconceived, badly built, diabolical to drive, ridiculously thirsty, or just plain unreliable. So which were the worst of the past 20 years? Pickup this tome, packed full of dungers and clunkers, and find out.

Car-tastrophes – 80 Automotive Atrocities from the past 20 years



• The funniest book about cars ever written
• Provokes controversy and argument
• Debunks arrogance
• Ridicules the ridiculous
• Scandalises the smug
• Emphasises the idiotic
• Hilariously critical
• Outrages enthusiasts
• Embarrasses the ignorant
• Makes an excellent present!

V4933 • Hardback • 15x19.8cm • £9.99 • 168 pages • 165 pictures • ISBN: 978-1-845849-33-7 • UPC: 6-36847-04933-1


Wednesday 1 March 2017

THE RUSTY RALLY 2017

The ultimate motoring adventure is coming!

The Outward Bound Trust’s Rusty Rally returns in 2017 to challenge a new crop of participants to navigate their way through some of the world’s most famous driving roads in an old banger. With two firmly established routes, it has been heralded as the ultimate European adventure for the mediocre motor car.
In the Rusty Rally, entrants compete in teams of at least two, navigating Europe’s spectacular driving roads and traversing six countries in three days – in a car worth at most £500.


Two routes are offered – the ‘Italian Route’ which will run from the 8th to the 11th of June, and the ‘Viking Route’, which will be held from the 14th to the 17th of September. The routes are between 800 to 1000 miles and see The Rusty Rally Headquarters relocate to a different town each evening, in which competitors will get together to swap tales of adventure.
The ‘Italian Route’ travels through France, Belgium, Luxembourg, Germany and Switzerland to finish in Italy. You’ll drive through the Black Forest, see the Rhine Falls, drive one of The Alps’ highest mountain passes and finish by the Italian Lakes. The Vikings will cross France, Belgium, Holland, Germany and Denmark on their way to Sweden in a stunning and scenic adventure north.


The challenge is for a good cause as well, raising funds for The Outward Bound Trust, which contributes to bursary schemes that give disadvantaged young people a chance at life-changing education. Each team will strive to raise a target of £10,000, and all of that will go to The Outward Bound Trust’s bursaries.
For the full details and to complete an application form to enter, see The Rusty Rally’s website at www.rustyrally.org.uk and to check out some photos from previous events click here for The Italian Route and here for The Viking Route.