Born in Tatsfield, Surrey, Surtees won seven world titles in motorcycle racing, winning the 350cc championship from 1958 to 1960, and the 550cc championship in 1956 and 1958 through 1960.
Surtees switched from motorcycles to cars, full time in 1960 making his Formula 1 debut racing for Lotus in the Monaco Grand Prix in Monte Carlo. He moved to Ferrari and won the world championship for the Italian team in 1964.
Surtees parted company with Ferrari during the 1966 season, citing excessive pressure as a factor, leaving Jack Brabham to take the Drivers' Championship.