Mike Hawthorn
John Michael Hawthorn (
April 10,
1929 -
January 22,
1959) was a race car driver. He was born in Hexborough,
Yorkshire,
England. He was the winner of the
1958 Formula One Championship. With only one win that year against four wins of
Stirling Moss, he benefited from the gentlemanship of Moss at the
Portuguese Grand Prix of
Porto, after being disqualified for pushing his car, against the rules. Moss interceded and so Hawthorn could keep his second place in Porto, that contributed to his win in the championship only one point ahead of Moss. After winning the title, Hawthorn immediately announced his retirement from Formula One.
A matter of months later, on January 22, 1959, Hawthorn died in an automobile accident on the A3 Guildford by-pass.