1971 Surtees TS8

John Surtees was a four-time 500cc motorcycle champion and the 1964 Formula One champion. He won six World Championships in both the 500 and 350cc motorcycle classes and remains the only person to have won World Championships on both two- and four-wheels. His Surtees Racing Organisation, in operation from 1970 to 1978, competed as a constructor in Formula 2, Formula One and Formula 5000. Based in Edenbridge, Kent, United Kingdom, the team's first car was the TS5, designed by Len Terry. David Hobbs drove the works car, and after a successful early start of the season, he went to the United States with the TS5. Despite having raced only half of the races, Hobbs finished second in the U.S. Championship.

The team expanded into Formula One, and, following a difficult season with BRM in 1969, became an owner/driver. A McLaren was used for the first four races as the TS7 F1 car was not ready in time. Designed by Surtees, Shahab Ahmed, and Peter Connew, the TS7 had a monocoque chassis with independent suspension and a fully stressed Cosworth DFV engine and Hewland DG300 gearbox. The bodywork painted in red and white livery featured an arrow-shaped nose at the front and a rear-mounted wing. The car's first victory - and the first victory for Surtees in a car that bore his name - was at the Gold Cup at Oulton Park, a non-Championship race. Surtees and the TS7 scored their first World Championship point when they placed fifth in the Canadian Grand Prix. Two TS7 cars contested the American Grand Prix, with Derek Bell placing sixth.

Team Surtees began using the new TS9 F1 car for the 1971 season, with the TS7s also competing (unsuccessfully) during the opening rounds.

Both the TS8 and TS9 were developments of the TS7, with the TS8 being a Formula A/5000 Racing single-seater. The monocoque chassis of the TS8 was built on the same jigs as the TS7, with identical Independent suspension, disc brakes and wheels but with a five-speed Hewland DG300 gearbox that required a three-inch longer wheelbase due to the longer bellhousing. The 4,950cc overhead valve Chevrolet V8 engine had four Weber carburetors and produced approximately 500 horsepower. More than just providing power, the engine acted as a fully stressed member of the chassis, accepting suspension and torsional loads at the rear.

During the first four races of the season, Mike Hailwood claimed three pole positions and won twice. Two additional victories followed, but then the Lola T300 dominated the last six races after the TS8 suffered repeated engine trouble.

In 1971, the TS8 finished as runner-up in the Rothmans Championship. Victories by Hailwood during the year included the opening event at Mallory Park on March 28th, then at the Daily Express International Trophy at Silverstone on May 8. He won at the Grand Prix della Lotteria di Monza on June 20th and at the following race, the Yellow Pages Trophy at Mallory Park on July 4th. The following month, on August 14th, he won the Uniflo Trophy race at Silverstone. Round 17, the Rothmans World Championship Victory Race at Brands Hatch on October 24, was won by Alan Rollinson driving the Chevrolet-powered Surtees TS8.

Mike Hailwood finished the 1971 Rothmans Formula 5000 European Championship with 58 points, earning him 2nd place. Frank Gardner, who drove the Lola T192 and Lola T300 during the season, had 95 points and was the champion. Mike Walker and his Lola T192 scored 40 points throughout the season, placing him 3rd in the championship.

The TS11 Formula 5000 race car of 1972, closely based on the TS9 F1 car, won the 1972 Rothmans European Formula 5000 Championship with Dutchman driver Gijs van Lennep. He won two races and finished the season with 65 points.

by Daniel Vaughan | Dec 2023