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Spa ’66: a bit wetter than pic on page 31
Champions both: with Enzo Ferrari during 1964, in which both F1 crowns were won
combustion-chamber redesign by
Rocchi boosted power to 320bhp
from the V12 for Spa, where
Surtees was on pole by 3.2 seconds
(times change!). The car was
improved, but it’s clear from
his facial expression today that
he still considers this a big effort
on a circuit that separated the
great from the good.
He won a race marred by heavy
rain and a multiple shunt on the
opening lap, but Dragoni’s ‘huffy’
remarks about Surtees allowing
Jochen Rindt’s Maserati-engined
Cooper to lead for 20 laps made
Ferrari’s lead driver – battling
for full fitness still and therefore
already under extra stress – begin
to see red. He would buzz through
his emotional rev-limiter at
Le Mans the following weekend.
Surtees: “The team said, ‘John, we
must beat Ford. Only you can do it.’
Our strategy was to treat it like a
24-hour grand prix and draw these
big-engined American cars, driven
on the whole by acknowledged
racers who would not sit back if
they saw a red car disappear, into
GLORY, THEN RANCOUR
SURTEES: “I was
disappointed in
some people who
should have shown
more backbone and
given me support”
a dogfight. I planned to go like hell
from the start. Because of Ferrari’s
proven reliability I thought we
stood a chance”…
…until the opening stint was
handed to co-driver Ludovico
‘Lulu’ Scarfiotti, apparently to
meet with the approval of a
spectating Gianni Agnelli, who
happened to be his uncle as
well as the new boss of Fiat.
Surtees: “Boom! ‘That’s it! Leave
me out of it!’ I marched straight
out.” And drove to Maranello for
a pow-wow with Enzo.
There are elements of their
conversation that Surtees will
never reveal, but surely the reason
for their parting of the ways went
deeper – and higher – than
Dragoni’s approval rating. Enzo
would only enigmatically say that
he knew what he was losing, but
that he didn’t know how much
he’d be losing if he kept Surtees
on. Fiat had been hovering since
Ferrari had given Ford the flick in
May 1963, yet the deal that saved
Italy’s racing silver wouldn’t be
clinched until June ’69.
“I regret that I didn’t try to
marshal the forces I think would
have been supportive of me and
would have helped shoot down
the conspirators’ case,” says
Surtees. “And I was disappointed
in some people who should
have shown more backbone
and given me support.”
More than 20 years later Enzo
would ask him to remember the
good times and not the mistakes,
and Surtees uses this line to politely
draw our interview to a close.
But let’s not finish here; let’s be
angry on his behalf. Like most
Ferrari drivers, he was ultimately
relegated to the role of pawn – but
very few have deserved it less. Only
Michael Schumacher and arguably
Lauda have had a greater beneficial
effect on the sport’s most
important team. That’s despite
Surtees arriving probably 10 years
ahead of his time – even after his
wise 1960 caution – and departing
at least one F1 title too soon.
As for Dragoni – he was shown
the door at the season’s end. A
deserving pawn.
January 17 2013 autosport.com 33