Mike Hawthorn - Racing Career

Racing Career

Mike Hawthorn made his competition debut driving his 1934 Riley Ulster Imp, KV 9475, winning the 1,100 c.c. sports car class at the Brighton Speed Trials on 2 September 1950. In 1951, driving a 1½-litre T.T. Riley, he entered the Motor Sport Brooklands Memorial Trophy, a season-long contest run at Goodwood, winning it by one point. He also won the Ulster Trophy Handicap at Dundrod and the Leinster Trophy at Wicklow that year.

Hawthorn made his Formula One debut at the 1952 Belgian Grand Prix, finishing in fourth place. He won his first Grand Prix, at the ninth attempt, at the 1953 French Grand Prix at Reims.

In 1955, Hawthorn won the 24 hours of Le Mans race after an inspired drive in which he set a lap record of 122 mph during a three hour duel with Fangio in the early stages. The race was marred by the crash which killed 83 spectators and fellow racer Pierre Levegh, when Hawthorn, relaxing at the end of his stint, may have braked too hard in order to slow down before entering his pit, causing Macklin's Healey to swerve into the path of Levegh's Mercedes. After colliding with the Healey, the Mercedes struck a tunnel parapet and disintegrated, the engine and other parts flying into the crowd. The French press carried photographs of Hawthorn and Bueb celebrating their win with the customary champagne but treated them with scorn.

At the Dunrod TT, sharing the D Type with Dennis Titterington, saw Hawthorn pass Fangio twice, only to lose in the final stages when, running on full tanks, he was passed by Moss; the D Type's engine failed on the last lap. In 1957, Hawthorn joined the Ferrari factory team, and soon became friends with Peter Collins, a fellow Englishman and Ferrari team driver. During the 1958 racing season, the two Englishmen became engaged in a rivalry with Luigi Musso, another Ferrari driver, that spurred all three into fierce competition for prize money. Hawthorn was the winner of the 1958 French Grand Prix at Reims, in which Musso was killed while in second place.

Hawthorn won the 1958 Formula One Championship despite achieving only one win, against four by Moss. Leading easily in the Monaco GP at half distance, his 246 engine blew, while at Monza he was a minute ahead of Tony Brooks when his clutch forced him to slow to second place. Hawthorn benefited greatly from the gentlemanliness of Moss, as demonstrated at the Portuguese Grand Prix at Porto. Hawthorn was disqualified for bump starting his stalled car downhill in the opposite direction, on the way to a second place finish. Moss interceded on Hawthorn's behalf and the decision was ultimately reversed. After a pit stop midway through that race, Hawthorn accelerated back through the field to gain an extra point for fastest lap. Moss had failed to respond, possibly doubting Hawthorn could lap so fast with damaged drum brakes. This extra world championship point plus the second place points contributed to Hawthorn winning the championship with a season total just one more than that of Moss. In the final race at Morocco, Hawthorn drove a conservative tactical race aiming to stay ahead of Moss's Vanwall teammates. Brooks' car broke while narrowly leading Hawthorn, and Stuart Lewis-Evans in the third Vanwall crashed after a desperate attempt to move through the field and challenge Hawthorn running third; Evans later died of burns. In the last laps, second-placed Phil Hill slowed and waved Hawthorn through to gain enough points to take the Championship.

After winning the title, Hawthorn immediately announced his retirement from Formula One, having been badly affected by the death of his close friend and Ferrari team mate Peter Collins in that year's German Grand Prix.