Henry Surtees facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Henry Surtees |
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Surtees in 2008
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| Nationality | British |
| Born | 18 February 1991 Lingfield, Surrey, England |
| Died | 19 July 2009 (aged 18) Whitechapel, London, England |
| FIA Formula Two Championship | |
| Years active | 2009 |
| Teams | MotorSport Vision |
| Car no. | 7 |
| Starts | 7 |
| Wins | 0 |
| Poles | 1 |
| Fastest laps | 0 |
| Best finish | 14th in 2009 |
| Previous series | |
| 2008 2008 2007-08 2007-08 2007 2007 2006 |
British F3 Formula Renault WEC Formula Renault UK FRUK Winter Series Formula BMW ADAC Formula BMW UK Ginetta GT Juniors |
Henry John Surtees (born February 18, 1991 – died July 19, 2009) was a talented British racing driver. He was the son of the famous racing legend, John Surtees. Henry sadly passed away during a Formula Two race at Brands Hatch. This happened when a wheel from another car hit him after that car crashed into a wall.
Contents
Henry Surtees' Racing Journey
Starting in Formula BMW UK
Henry Surtees began his racing career in the Formula BMW UK championship. In his first season, he finished 7th overall. He also came in second place in the Rookie Cup, which is for new drivers.
Henry raced for the Carlin Motorsport team. He earned one pole position at Thruxton. He also won a race at Donington Park. He set the fastest lap two times, at Rockingham and Snetterton.
Racing in Formula Renault
After racing in two events in 2007, Henry moved to the Formula Renault UK series full-time in 2008. He joined the Manor Competition team.
He finished 12th in the championship that year. One of his best results was a third-place finish at Silverstone. He also competed in the Winter Series, where he finished 13th in 2007 and 2nd in 2008.
Moving to Formula Three
Henry Surtees also raced in the 2008 season. He took part in two races at Donington Park with Carlin Motorsport. In these two races, he achieved a win and a second-place finish in the National Class.
Competing in Formula Two
Henry joined the new FIA Formula Two Championship for the 2009 season. He drove car number seven.
He achieved a podium finish, coming in third place, in the first race at Brands Hatch. He also earned a pole position at Brno. At the time of his passing, he was in fourteenth place in the championship standings.
Henry's Tragic Passing
On July 19, 2009, during a Formula Two race at Brands Hatch, a terrible accident occurred. Henry Surtees was hit on the head by a wheel. This wheel had come off the car of Jack Clarke after Clarke's car crashed into a wall.
Henry was taken out of his car and moved to the medical center. From there, he was transferred to the Royal London Hospital. Sadly, he was declared brain dead later that day. He was only 18 years old.
Doctors said Henry's death was caused by severe head injuries from the wheel hitting him. It was not from his car crashing into the barriers afterward. His parents made the brave decision to donate his organs. This kind act helped save five other lives. Henry's funeral was held on July 30 at Worth Abbey. He was buried next to his father, John, in Lingfield, Surrey.
Henry's Lasting Impact
Helping Racing Safety
Henry's death, along with other similar accidents, led to important safety changes in racing.
More Wheel Tethers
After Henry's accident, racing cars started using more wheel tethers. These are strong cables that keep wheels attached to the car if there's a crash. For the 2011 Formula One World Championship season, the number of tethers was doubled to two per wheel.
The Halo Cockpit Protection
The FIA, which is the main group for motor racing, added a new safety device called the "halo". This is a strong titanium-carbon fiber structure that protects the driver's head. It became required for Formula One and Formula 2 cars in 2018.
Experts studied Henry's accident with the halo device. They believe the halo would likely have helped prevent his severe injury. The halo proved its worth in the 2018 Belgian Grand Prix. A wheel from a crashing car hit the halo on Charles Leclerc's car. Many believe the halo saved Leclerc from serious injury, or even saved his life.
Henry Surtees Award
In 2010, the Henry Surtees Award was created. This award is given each year to a young racing driver who shows outstanding performance. The first person to win this award was Formula Renault UK champion Tom Blomqvist.
Henry Surtees Foundation
Also in 2010, Henry's father, John, started the Henry Surtees Foundation. This charity helps people who have suffered brain injuries from accidents. It also works to make driving and motor racing safer for everyone.
Images for kids
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Surtees in 2008
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Surtees racing at Snetterton in 2008
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Surtees at Brands Hatch the day before his fatal accident.
See also
In Spanish: Henry Surtees para niños
