Mike Hawthorn
John Michael Hawthorn was born at
Mexborough on 10th April, 1929, the son of a motor engineer who himself had racing experience both as a driver and
mechanic.
Mike took up motor racing as soon as he was old enough. After several minor races in 1951 with a pre-war Riley, he was successful in 1952 at the wheel of a Cooper-Bristol.
On his first appearance with this car at Goodwood on the Easter Monday, it was evident that Britain had a new champion in the making.
He went on to win races at Silverstone and Boreham as well as receiving other good placings both at home and abroad.
His obvious talent brought him to the notice of Ferrari who invited him to join their team.
In 1953 he was the only Ferrari driver at the Meeting in May and won both the Formula 2 and the Sports Car races.
The following week he won the Ulster Trophy.
He took part in all the grand epreuves that summer and achieved a fine performance by winning the French Grand Prix at Rheims.
Driving with Farina, he won the Belgian 24 hour Sports Car Race, and with Maglioli the Pescara 12 hour race. He wound up the season by driving the Thinwall at Goodwood and defeating the 16 cylinder B.R.M's, one of which was driven by Fangio. These successes brought him the gold star of the B.R.D.C.
The 1954 season began badly after he had a crash at Syracuse in April. The Ferrari team was overshadowed by the return of Mercedes to Grand Prix Racing that year, but it was Hawthorne who inflicted one of the few defeats on them in winning the Spanish Grand Prix at Barcelona.
Hawthorne began the 1955 season as the leading driver for Vanwall in Grand Prix races and as a member of the Jaguar team in sports car races. He won Sebring 12 hour race with Walters and the tragic Le Mans race, (in which 80 spectators were killed) with Bueb, both for Jaguar. He was second in the Monza 1000k race with Maglioli in a Ferrari.
At Le Mans, Hawthorne got the better of Fangio in his Mercedes Benz, as he had done at Rheims the previous year, and set a new lap record at 122 m.p.h.
Hawthorne drove a Maserati in South America at the beginning of 1956, finishing 3rd in the Argentine Grand Prix. At Goodwood on Easter Monday he drove B.R.M. for the first time. This year he was more successful in sports cars, winning the Monza 1000k race with Peter Collins in a Ferrari, finishing 2nd at Rheims with Paul Frere in a Jaguar, and 3rd in Sweden in a Ferrari he shared with Duncan Hamilton and Alfonso de Portago.
1957 saw Hawthorn return to Ferrari and he finished second to Collins in the Naples Grand Prix.
1957 was not his most successful year, he finished 4th Fangio, Moss and Musso in the final placings.
In 1958 he won the French Grand Prix and was 2nd in the European race, and in the British, Lisbon Italian events.
At Casablanca on October, 19th, he achieved the highest honour ever attained by a British Racing Driver, by beating Stirling Moss by one point and winning the World Drivers Championship in Formula 1.
In October he was awarded a B.A.R.C. Gold Medal and two months later he announced that he was to retire from Grand Prix Racing. He was now living in Farnham and engaged to Jean Howarth, a fashion model.
Mon-Ami-Mate
Mike Hawthorne was killed on 22nd January, 1959, he was 29. The greeting 'Mon-Ami-Mate', heralded his arrival so often in many different places, and acted as a bond between his friends, was to be heard no more.
The rally competitors and officials gathered at Monte Carlo for the rally on the 23rd attended a special service in the local English church in memory of Mike Hawthorn.
Mexborough honours Mike Hawthorn
On December 16 2006, a plaque commemorating Mike Hawthorn, was unveiled at a ceremony in his home town of Mexborough by Jean Ireland (Nee Howarth), his one-time fiancee.
