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A warm welcome from the Web's most visited and comprehensive tribute / information site for 1958 F1 World motor racing Champion John Michael (Mike) Hawthorn (not Hawthorne) or 'The Farnham Flyer' as he was
often known. We sincerely hope that you find your time here is a useful and pleasant experience - we currently have 108 web pages of information for you to browse.
This currently equates to over 600 printed A4 pages!
Now into our third year, the site has been a great success, reaching No 1 in the major search engines and so we must thank everyone who has helped us achieve that!
We are continuing our research into Mike's life and death and will bring you more news throughout 2008.
50th Anniversary Celebrations
We'll also be covering the many events that are being held in celebration
of the 50th Anniversary of his World Championship Win in 1958 - including those at Goodwood, Silverstone and Brooklands.
We know people are finding the site very enjoyable from the many Readers Comments we've been sent.
If YOU found it useful, perhaps you'd let us know as it encourages the people who run the site to research and add
more information!
And, while looking around, you may find you have information
that would be useful to others if seen here - if so please Contact Us - as many,
many people already have - with your information and we'll do our best to add it to the site at some future date.
You'll find that the 108 pages here include information on many of the marques that Mike drove such as Ferrari, Jaguar,
Vanwall, BRM etc and there are many images of these marques. There is also a list of all the cars he drove in his career. Plus details of cars he owned such as his Alfa Romeo 8C and Ferrari 212, Lancia Aurelia and later
his Jaguar XK140 DHC and Jaguar Mk 1 saloon. Did you know Mike was a pilot and flew his own Aircraft?
We have done our best to try and establish that all images and videos shown here are either
very likely in the public domain or that we have established the copyright owner (where this is possible) and/ or have permission to reproduce them from
our many contributors, especially other Hawthorn fans.
We are also using Google Earth © where this is useful - such as in pinpointing where the fatal 1959 crash occurred.
We have a large updated section on Mike's Tourist Trophy Garage
that was located in East Street, Farnham. If you have any memories and especially any images of it back in
the 50s and later please contact us.
Picture shows Mike Hawthorn at his Tourist Trophy Garage watching some welding work by Bill Field on a modified exhaust system for their enhanced version of the Jaguar Mk 1 while an Austin-Healey BN1 in for repair stands in the background
We have many examples of Paintings on the site.
Here is Michael Turner's painting of Mike Hawthorn's victorious Jaguar D-type, XKD 505, leading the Mercedes of
Juan Fangio through Whitehouse corner at Le Mans in 1955
If you want to make a virtual visit to Mike's grave, please do so to remember him.
If anyone went to the actual location on the day, we'd be pleased to share your images here.
We have a separate page for Mike's Grave and show you via Google Earth where it is located if you wanted
to visit it as many do.
It is regularly maintained and generally carries fresh flowers
We have a comprehensive two-part report covering the events on the day of Mike's death - if you can add anything to it,
do please let us know via our Contact page.
We are expanding the site as time allows so please do return to check out changes.
We encourage you to leave your own Comments if you enjoyed your visit here.
We were particularly pleased to receive
a nice thank you from well known Author and motorsport guru, Doug Nye, himself an expert on Mike, via the
Nostalgia Forum on the
Atlas F1 Bulletin Board.
You can now Register with us! This comes from suggestions by people using the site
(and there are a lot more visits than we expected!) - initially, you can access some larger images after logging on and over time
we'll add extra member-only facilities.
Mike in his Cooper Bristol, 1952
We have much known and also NEW unique material on the site - with lots more given us by Mike's
fans who have contacted us since we first went live back in November 2006. Many are from Farnham where his home was - including people who worked at Mike's
Tourist Trophy Garage with him back in the 1950s. And, we are working on resurrecting
a copy of the film of the 1955 crash that has been lost for some time.
Over time, we'll be looking at Mike's life from start to its tragic end and trying to cover everything on the way. We have an extensive Memorabilia section,
including Model cars. Then there are Images from 1950 through 1959 and a special section on Paintings of Mike.
Plus all his career Race Results - and a lot more, 108 pages currently!
There are links to other sites and articles on subjects such as recreations of his Jaguar Mk 1,
registration VDU 881, that he sadly died in on the 22nd January 1959 after a major crash.
We look at his life and death, the funeral and grave, plus memorials in detail and also analyse the disaster at Le Mans in 1955.
We have a full Site Map to help you find your way around.
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Win Percy, seriously injured in 2003, took Nigel Webb's recreation of Mike's Jaguar Mark 1 3.4L, VDU 881,
up the famous hill at the Goodwood Festival of Speed on each of the three days of the event (July 11/12/13 2008).
The car had been fitted with hand controls especially for Win as shown below -
everyone was delighed to see Win in such good spirits and back on the track after his accident and subsequent operation that went very wrong...
Mike's personal School Tuck Box surfaces after 50 years
We have been given access to Mike's personal wooden Tuck Box that he used at school in the 1940s, complete
with its large collection of Cigarette Cards. It has been stored for 50 years and this is its first public viewing since Mike died.
Read More....
Do you have a vehicle related to Mike?
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. We will be carrying details for all Mike's fans of displays, parades and other events as soon as they are available.
These events need vehicles to display! Do YOU own any such vehicle that has an association with Mike (or his Fther Leslie?) - this includes
replicas. If so, and you'd like to appear at any events, please fill in the details on our
custom form.
Lewis Hamilton receives the Hawthorn Memorial Trophy
British Formula 1 driver Lewis Hamilton was presented with the coveted Hawthorn Memorial Trophy at the
Motor Sports Association's Night of Champions at the Royal Automobile Club, Pall Mall in London. It was first presented in memory of
Mike Hawthorn who sadly died a few months after his great 1958 victory, this the 50th Anniversary year.
Did you know there was a second original version of this trophy?
Tourist Trophy Garage
We need any photos of the Tourist Trophy Garage in East Street Farnham, especially views of the complete forecourt as it was anytime between 1953 and 1959, and any
interior views of the workshop and facilities. See our TT Garage page for those we already have.
Were you a customer during Mike's tenure maybe or did you even work there? Again, let us know
if so - two former employees have contacted us so far as a result of seeing this site!
Festival of Speed 2008 Honours Mike
The Earl of March has confirmed the theme of the 2008 Goodwood Festival of Speed as being
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.
More details HERE ....
The above photo shows Mike enjoying himself with Jack Hawkins and others - he is receiving a cocktail
cabinet presented to him at the Cafe Royal, London, from the National Sporting Club in January 1959.
This was only 60 hours before he died.
The question is - does anyone know what happened to the Cocktail Cabinet? Did it ever arrive at Mike's home or did the
National Sporting Club retain it - or does someone out there own it now?
Please use our Enquiries page if you know the answer!
You can see the preview news video this still came from at our British Pathe Archive link.
There is also coverage of his death there.
New Print Released!
November 2007 - Studio 88 (Graham and Michael Turner) has released a limited edition (100 only) print to celebrate the 2008 50th anniversary of
Mike's World Championship win. You can find more details HERE
We've had a note from Redhill Roofing that they will be re-roofing the Mike Hawthorn Sports Pavilion at Farnham Park in the near future! Good news
as the current state of the place is just appalling considering who it's meant to commemorate...
We met with ex Tourist Trophy Garage Fitter, Frank Swan - Frank worked there from 1950 - 1954 and has
many memories and photos of that time. Read Frank's Story for more information.
And we have a new page all about the Tourist Trophy Garage Transporter that was used to move Mike's
Cooper-Bristol around in the early 1950s.
Our account of Mike's Funeral has been updated with a detailed report on the proceedings including a list of mourners
plus new photographs from a former Tourist Trophy Garage employee who was there. Plus detail of his Will and the value of his estate from the Probate document.
DID A SHOT KILL MIKE? - this staggering question was asked by a national newspaper back in 1959 after Rob Walker discovered evidence of mysterious
accidents at the location where Mike crashed. Read all about it here ....
We also have an extract from Paul Skilleter's new book about Norman Dewis, Jaguar's Chief Test Engineer, where Norman discusses
what it was like working with Mike and other 50s drivers.
A Marble Plaque in memory of Mike was unveiled in his home town of Mexborough on Saturday 16th December 2006 at midday.
A classic car display was part of the celebration and a crowd assembled at 11.30am with the plaque being placed on
the side of the Intersport shop, at the corner of High Street and Hope Street, at noon. Read the full stories with Videos!
At the event, Jean Ireland (nee Jean Howarth, Mike's fiancee at the time of his death) said:
"Being born in Yorkshire made him a cut above the others as shown in his determination to be the best in his field.
Although he left Yorkshire as a small boy, he still remained a Yorkshireman at heart. And before he asked my father for my hand,
he reminded him that he was a true-born Yorkshireman. So my father gave us permission to marry"
And, on publication of his book 'Norman Dewis of Jaguar - Developing the Legend', legendary test driver Norman reveals that there was quite likely
another reason why Mike lost control of his car in 1959 and crashed fatally. Norman says he was suffering from an additional serious medical problem that
had only been hinted at up until now. Read what he says as a close personal friend of Mike on our Norman's Page.
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An armband worn by Mike Hawthorn |
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