Fifty years ago Mike Hawthorn became Britain's first ever world champion. He lived hard, he raced hard, and unfortunately, died too soon.
Mike Hawthorn was born April 10, 1929 and thankfully for the racing world his father Leslie Hawthorn was a huge racing fan. Hawthorn senior bought a garage near the Brooklands circuit and being so close to Brooklands and around a garage where cars and motorcycles were prepared for racing on a daily basis Mike Hawthorn’s life was always going to be in racing. It was this environment and early childhood that led to him becoming Britain's first world driving champion.
His father, always the racing fan made sure to provide Mike with cars and motorcycles for local races and competitions and an impressive racing display at Goodwood in 1952 in a Formula Two race put his name on the lips of the people in Formula One.
The decision was made to enter Mike at the Belgium Grand Prix in 1952 and success came early and often, with his first outing giving him a fourth place, followed by more points in Britain and Holland. Enzo Ferrari was so impressed by the young Brit that he signed him to Ferrari for the 1953 season.
His first win came in only his 9th race at the French Grand Prix of 1953 where he finished just ahead of Juan Manuel Fangio. Hawthorn trademark bowtie left him being knows as ‘Le Papillon' (The Butterfly) by the French fans.
In 1954 he was badly burned in a crash in a non-championship race in Sicily and soon after his father was killed in a road accident. He only had 1 win that season and in 1955 and 1956 his only victory came from the horrific 1955 Le Mans 24 hour sportscar race where 82 people were killed in motorsport's worst racing disaster.
1957 saw him returning to the Ferrari squad where he made quick friends with Peter Collins who enjoyed the same fast paced lifestyle Mike was known for.
Unfortunately his friend was killed in 1958 at the famous Nurburgring when Peter Collins’ Ferrari crashed. Mike was devastated by another death in the sport he loved and he reluctantly completed the season.
Amazingly enough he won the 1958 season by one point over Stirling Moss. Hawthorn had actually pushed his car to a second place finish in the Portuguese Grand Prix and was disqualified. Moss however objected on Hawthorn’s behalf and the decision was overturned.
But Mike felt distanced and removed from a sport he once loved, and didn’t enjoy the racing anymore. He announced his retirement right after the season finished.
Only a few months later on January 22, 1959, Mike Hawthorn died in an automobile accident while driving his Jaguar in bad weather.
