Mike in his Ferrari Dino 246 en route to victory in the 1958 French Grand Prix at Reims
during his Championship Year
Painting by Graham Turner, image courtesy Studio 88

Listen to Mike!
And, if you'd like to hear Mike talk about his race at the British Grand Prix in 1958 where he finished second to Peter Collins, you can play this short MP3 sound file...

From Time Magazine, July 28th 1958:
In the roaring, madcap world of Grand Prix auto racing, the power axis is shifting... Today, dominance in racing belongs to the British, especially to flaxen-haired, temperamental Mike Hawthorn, 29, and balding, easygoing Stirling Moss, 28. The two are battling head-to-head for the world driving championship.

Though both are sons of old racing drivers, there the similarity ends. Mike Hawthorn drives in devil-may-care style, his husky frame hunched over in the cramped cockpit, a grim scowl on his face. Moody Mike enjoys his cigarettes and whisky, cuts loose occasionally on the trumpet (which he plays with some skill), flies his own plane. He drives solely to win, cares little about how he accomplishes it ("I haven't bloody well got a driving style")... Driving for Ferrari and Jaguar since 1953, Hawthorn has gained a reputation for punishing the cars he drives, getting involved in frequent accidents. He has no manager. "Mike couldn't be managed," explained a friend. "One day he is friendly and the next day he will refuse to speak to you."

As 2008 is the 50th Anniversary of Mike's GP Championship Win in 1958, there are a number of events being planned in celebration of this historic year.

Some very basic event details were:

Brooklands 28th / 29th June 2008 Double 8 Reunion
Rileys were the featured marque with some Grand Prix cars there

Goodwood Festival of Speed 11th - 13th July 2008
The theme this year was '‘Hawthorn to Hamilton – Britain’s Love Affair with World Motor Sport’. Britain has always played a key role in the global motor racing industry, forging successful relationships with the rest of the motor sport world. From Mike Hawthorn – who used a Ferrari to become Britain’s first Formula 1 World Champion fifty years ago in 1958 – to current F1 star Lewis Hamilton, driving a British engineered car with German power, British drivers and engineers have utilised global resources to achieve success. The 2008 Festival honoured these winning combinations.

Other relevant links on this site
A list of Countries Mike raced in during his Championship Year 1958

Details of cars Mike drove during his career from 1950 - 1958

Race Results during Mike's career from 1950 - 1958

MIKE HAWTHORN WORLD'S CHAMPION 1958
Mike's World Champion BRDC badge from our Memorabilia section