PDA

View Full Version : Mike Hawthorn



Bolton Midnight
23rd August 2008, 13:30
Watching the Goodwood Festival on tele Doug Nye was saying that MH was a bit of a lad and some of his antics were unacceptable.

I knew he had a illegitimate son in France after winning at Rheims but what other things did he get up to?

GJD
23rd August 2008, 15:39
Oh, the list would be long. Here's an fairly innocuous one as a starter. After finishing second in the 1958 British Grand Prix, he paused briefly at Becketts where some friends had been drinking beer and taunting him with it as he passed. On the slowing down lap, they gave him a pint of shandy which he sipped as he completed the lap with his helmet off, and finally drove back to the pits complete with the remains of his drink.

Does anyone happen to know if this might be allowable under the current FIA F1 Sporting Regulations?

tonyb
23rd August 2008, 18:10
Watching the Goodwood Festival on tele Doug Nye was saying that MH was a bit of a lad and some of his antics were unacceptable.

I knew he had a illegitimate son in France after winning at Rheims but what other things did he get up to?

Hi - if you want to know more, I've just finished a new book about Mike Hawthorn concentrating on the personal side of Mike's life as well as the racing with co-author Paul Skilleter. There's more info available on the Mike Hawthorn Tribute Site (http://www.mike-hawthorn.org.uk/thebook.php).

It's in large format with over 1000 images, is at the printers now and should be available from around mid-November 2008. Doug Nye has contributed as have 120+ other people over the past two years of its development including his fiancee at the time he was killed, Jean Ireland. We have an awful lot of advance interest so please don't delay letting us know via the above web site if you fancy reading it! :)

Thanks.

Easy Drifter
23rd August 2008, 20:01
Mike wasn't the only rather wild one in those days. Today the PR types would have fit as they do over any show of being human. Look at all the fuss over Kimi's drinking and antics. Then the c--p about Lewis and his speeding. During the 50's and 60's I would guess at least half of the F1 drivers had lost their license at one time or another.
I did something similar to the beer incident once. It was at Harewood Acres (now an Esso Refinery) in a pro race in the mid 60's. I was running 3rd with 2 laps to go when I broke an A arm in my right front suspension. I ended up just hitting the spectator fence at the chicane and some friends (other drivers) handed me a beer. The checked flag came out and we decided maybe I could finish the race. Got pushed out of the fence, got another beer, put my helmet on but undone as were my belts and puttered over the finish line. Stopped there and hopped out of the car with a beer in hand.
I must admit I expected trouble but nothing was said. Classified 11th and they paid money to 10th! :eek:

Vitesse
24th August 2008, 17:53
Heh. Another which springs to mind is when MH and 'Mon Ami Mate' Peter Collins commandeered a couple of bicycles after "drink had been taken" - as the press used to say in those days - and weaved their unsteady way through a French town (Rouen? Reims?) demanding of the locals: "Ou est le cinéma bleu ...?"

Jag_Warrior
24th August 2008, 22:02
I didn't know until fairly recently that Mike Hawthorn was said to have had an incurable kidney disease, and supposedly had but a year or so to live. Given that (if true), I can't think of a better way to leave this world than as the reigning World Driving Champion, behind the wheel of your favorite Jaguar ("The Merceater").

jso1985
24th August 2008, 22:53
Does anyone happen to know if this might be allowable under the current FIA F1 Sporting Regulations?

Kimi stopped for a drink on a boat after retiring on the 2006 Monaco GP.

But on that particular situation, I think the driver would be disqualified... still He'd have a pretty hard time finding someone to give him a beer with current track safety measures!

Bolton Midnight
25th August 2008, 03:00
tonyb I had seen your site and had a bit of a read of it, the thing about the son apart there didn't seem to be much about his non racing life more speculation about his fatal crash.

Read Donaldson's book on James Hunt who of course was one of the King's of bad living, such a shame he died when he'd finally cleaned his act up a bit.

D-Type
25th August 2008, 19:36
A must for anybody interested in Mike Hawthorn is Mon Ami - Mate by Chris Nixon. After that there is his autobiography Challemge me the Race which covers his career vto 1957 and his second book Champion Year which covers the 1958 season.

GJD
29th August 2008, 15:14
D-Type. I'm too poor to afford Mon Ami-Mate. May I borrow yours when I'm next in Blighty? ;)

D-Type
30th August 2008, 13:00
D-Type. I'm too poor to afford Mon Ami-Mate. May I borrow yours when I'm next in Blighty? ;)
It's probably the most expensive book I've bought - but it is worth the money.

GJD
30th August 2008, 16:31
This caused me to once again check my favourite book search sites. Still, US$131.22 is the best I can find. :(

Vitesse, be a good chap, keep an eye out when you're next in the Book Barn. :)

futuretiger9
22nd September 2008, 20:23
At one of the Monaco Grands Prix in the 1950s, Hawthorn stopped out on the circuit with a mechanical problem, and was invited in through one of the apartment windows by an attractive young female....

wedge
4th November 2008, 02:08
Caught this by accident on BBC's One Show a tribute to Mike Hawthorn.

Worth watching, if like me, didn't know much about Hawthorn.

It's the first feature, BTW, so not much skip forward.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b00ff96j/The_One_Show_03112008/

Mark
4th November 2008, 09:31
A very nice piece, Especially as it is done by Murray Walker, as he would have been there watching him race!

tonyb
7th November 2008, 00:55
Caught this by accident on BBC's One Show a tribute to Mike Hawthorn.

Worth watching, if like me, didn't know much about Hawthorn.

It's the first feature, BTW, so not much skip forward.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b00ff96j/The_One_Show_03112008/

There are some pics from the recording session with the BBC here (http://www.mike-hawthorn.org.uk/one-show-stills.php). Some of us from the Mike Hawthorn Tribute site spent the day helping the BBC get this done. Unfortunately, it ended up as a very short spot in the show after much of the coverage was edited out. Murray will also be at the book launch in Farnham on the 20th of this month.

wedge
7th November 2008, 01:13
Sorry to hear that Tony, it was a good and enjoyable few minutes while it lasted.

Next time I head to Guilford to visit my brother the A3 will send send a tingle up my spine and will try to remember to visit Hawthorn's grave. RIP

tonyb
10th December 2008, 20:05
Sorry to hear that Tony, it was a good and enjoyable few minutes while it lasted.

Next time I head to Guilford to visit my brother the A3 will send send a tingle up my spine and will try to remember to visit Hawthorn's grave. RIP
We did much much better with the book launch in Farnham a few weeks later.
Murray came along and so did BBC News, complete with a live lunchtime broadcast and another recorded one in the evening. Even Lewis Hamilton joined in with a message wishing the book success that Murray read out in the afternoon and later McLaren's Technical Director during the evening. All the BBC coverage is on this link as online video:

http://www.mike-hawthorn.org.uk/thebooklaunch.php

http://www.mike-hawthorn.org.uk/largeimage/launch28.jpg

The book is selling way, way beyond expectations and is getting rave reviews so if you are looking for a Christmas pressie from your other half or yourself while they are still available....

Bolton Midnight
11th December 2008, 07:41
Amazon.co.uk has Mon Ami mate for 79.95 gbp at present, cheaper than the used ones