Henry Surtees - A Tragic Loss

In memory of Henry Surtees

It gives me great displeasure to talk about Henry Surtees in the past tense, but yesterday, during the second Formula 2 race at Brand Hatch, Henry was hit on the helmet but the flying wheel/tyre of Jack Clarkes crashing car. His was knocked unconscious and later died of his injuries.

The details of what happened and comments made in the aftermath can be found on the BBC website as well as many others:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/kent/8158445.stm

What I knew of the up and coming Henry Surtees

Although not following Henry’s career closely or intentionally, being a trackside spectator has automatically kept me in the loop with how he was progressing.

When my friends and I would attend British Touring Car Championship meetings in 2007, Henry was getting his first single seater experience the Formula BMW UK support races. That is when I first came to realise that John Surtees son would be looking to eventually emulate his great success in top flight racing.

I have great memories at the end of the 2007 season when Henry Surtees entered the last 2 rounds of the Formula Renault UK championship at Thruxtron. He had a brand new, unpainted, un-liveried Formula Renault 2.0 machine at his disposal to show what he could do. It looked beautiful in its dark pure carbon fibre natural colour.

In the paddock, we stood next to John Surtees looking into the marquee watching them prepare his car ready for his first race. You could say it was a proud moment for them and a clear indication that his racing career was heading in the right direction.

His final race weekend

The first F2 race of the Brands Hatch weekend was awesome for Henry. He came third and it was his first podium of the year. I watched the race on TV and it was a solid drive against tough competition. Who’d have thought 24 hours later it would all end in a freakish tragedy in the next race.

The accident is one of the unluckiest I’ve seen in racing for a long time. The race had been red flagged earlier due to a heavy downpour of rain and Surtees was off the circuit I believe on the run down to Graham Hill bend. He was pushed back into the race and joined the back of the field ready for the restart.

The race got underway and when he came round Westfield bend, Jack Clarke was unfortunately already half way through his accident, and his wheel was bouncing across the circuit. There was nothing Henry could have done and he struck him square on the helmet. Had luck dealt him a better hand, a tenth of a second slower or faster may just have saved him.

What hasn’t been reported is the wheel that hit Henry Surtees flew over the Armco barrier and actually landed in bushes, behind where spectators can stand to watch at Westfield bend. No one was hurt but it shows how exposed that area is to the general public. The wheel was found and recovered by marshals and will of course help in the investigation into the crash.

Conversations about motor racing tragedies always end the same: Drivers know the risks, parents of drivers know the risk, and spectators know the risk. Warnings are on drivers’ entry forms and warnings are on spectator entrance tickets. We all know the worst could happen, but we accept it and try to enjoy the sport. Its hard to swallow that at just 18 years old, it’s desperately cruel that the life of a promising driver was taken and through absolutely no fault of his own.

In memory of Henry Surtees – 1991 - 2009