This is the true story of how the tragic fatality of one of motorsport's most promising talents changed professional racing forever, and how his legacy helped save countless lives.
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Henry Surtees was an up and coming 18 year old British racing driver.
Despite his age, had racked up an impressive resume, with his first car series being the Ginetta GT Juniors in 2006, after several seasons in Karts. From here, he went on to compete in progressively more powerful and prestigious series over the years. He showed talent and willingness to learn right off the bat, and was known for his impressive dedication to the sport.
His father, John, put it perfectly though. "Most importantly he was a nice person and a loving son".
Speaking of his father, it's worth noting henry was genetically built to be an absolute track weapon, since his dad is John Surtees. Surtees is a racing legend, and the only person to become a world champion on both 2 and 4 wheels. He managed to amass 38 grand prix wins and 6 TT wins over his extensive racing career.
After henry demonstrated his impressive racing abilities, he signed up for the Formula 2 championship so that he could compete in the 2009 season.
Driving as car number 7, he managed to score his first podium, in the first of two races at Brands Hatch, on Saturday, the 18th of July 2009. Sadly, despite a great start to the series, this podium would end up being his last. The following race, also at Brands Hatch, is where disaster struck in a freak accident which would go on to change formula motorsport forever.
On the next day, the drivers lined up for their second race of the weekend.
24 F2 Cars, all fitted with 1.8 litre audi turbos, capable of putting out around 450 horsepower, eagerly anticipated their next opportunity to shine.
Henry qualified eighth, and was putting in a good run, following closely behind Jolyon palmer, who was racing in number 3.
Jack Clarke, in number 11, was ahead of them entering into the Westfield bend. On the exit, he didn't make it round and spun off, smacking into the wall.
At this sort of Speed, Palmer's crash was initially seen as a fairly routine.
The Formula 2 cars are built to match the FIA's F1 safety standards of 2005, so a scrape like this wasn't too concerning. Additionally, the head protection fitted to the cars conformed with 2009 F1 standards.
What wasn't expected, however, was that Jack Clarke's rear left wheel would come off, headed for the straight, after his car bounced off the wall.
This shouldn't have happened. Williams, who manufactured the chassis', incorporated roadwheel tethers, which are designed to stop wheels from coming loose, and bouncing around dangerously. Sadly, safety measures aren't always 100% fool proof, and Clarke's wheel came free, doing
exactly what engineers were trying to prevent.
The wheel bounced straight into the middle of the Derek Minter straight.
This is when disaster struck. Surtees had successfully exited the Westfield bend, but at exactly the wrong time. Clarke's wheel smashed him straight in the head, knocking him unconscious. Surtees sustained a massive blow - with a rough estimate of 29kg directly hitting his head at around 100 miles an hour, it's safe to say a helmet and slightly raised cockpit did little to prevent this.
Henry's car drove down the Derek Minter straight at a considerable speed and ploughed straight into the wall past the next turn.
Footage Credits + Sources:
• Henry Surtees funeral
• Video
oversteer48.com/brands-hatch-...
www.standard.co.uk/lifestyle/...
/ henrysurteesfoundation
www.autosport.com/general/new...
www.theguardian.com/sport/200...
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_S...
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