The 60th anniversary of the death of Britain’s first Formula 1 world champion Mike Hawthorn is later this month, and you can watch below British Pathé news reporting on his untimely death six decades ago.
On January 22 1959 Hawthorn lost control of his Jaguar while driving on the A3 road near Guildford and died in the resultant accident. He was just 29 and it was a mere three months on from Hawthorn claiming his world title and then immediately retiring from racing. There is a special cover feature paying tribute to Hawthorn in this month’s edition of Motor Sport magazine.
The Pathé reel features evocative shots of Hawthorn just 60 hours before his fatal accident being honoured at a National Sporting Club dinner, including him being presented with a cocktail cabinet which he received with his usual wit and grace.
As well as images of the accident’s aftermath the reel also includes footage of Hawthorn spinning his Ferrari at Silverstone on the way to fifth place in the 1953 British Grand Prix, as well as of Hawthorn’s Le Mans victory in the tragic 1955 race.
The debonair, and fiercely patriotic Hawthorn was rumoured to have driven past Rob Walker's Mercedes garage in Guilford intent on provoking a race (although some claim it was Walker who provoked the contest)...
Hawthorn had no reason to be careful given that unbeknownst to the motor racing world and public, he was dying of a kidney condition.From 10 years ago - The 22nd of January will mark half a century to the day since Hawthorn's Jaguar 3.4-litre sedan - as it was then known - crashed on the A3 Guildford bypass, an accident that has been shrouded in mystery ever since.
Since 1959 speculation over the cause of death has covered driver error, mechanical failures and blackout.
Rob Walker, a friend of Hawthorns had been driving a Mercedes just ahead of his Jaguar. Walker said it was as he stopped at the A3 junction that he first noticed Hawthorn's green vehicle which went on to overtake him at a great speed.
Until he died six years ago, Walker had insisted that the two of them being on the same road that day had been entirely coincidental, dismissing suggestions that the two had been racing.
But now, according to the Daily Mail, a former mechanic at Hawthorn's Tourist Trophy garage in Farnham has suggested the Formula One champion had in fact been talked into racing his friend Walker.
Brian Taylor, the mechanic in question, maintains that a Mercedes like Walker's drove past his garage on the day in question giving a "time honoured salute" with his arm.
Taylor continues saying that Hawthorn came storming past after the Mercedes shortly before losing control on the bypass and dying from the impact of hitting a tree.
- 220px-Mike_Hawthorn.jpg (19.77 KiB) Viewed 857 times
Caco
