Occasionally fate takes a turn and an unexpected encounter can eventuate. This happened to me about twenty years ago while flying a connection from Germany to London. An extended lunch with some serious German Ducatisti in Munich saw a missed flight and a subsequent unexpected upgrade to Business Class. Here you wouldn’t normally expect to find anyone to indulge in motorcycle conversation but by chance I ended sitting next to John Surtees. Most wouldn’t have recognised this white-haired well-spoken gentleman, still the only winner of world championships on both two and four wheels.
Known for his reticence, Surtees didn’t exactly announce who he was but when approached he was more than willing to indulge in a couple of hours reminiscing of his racing motorcycle days. It also provided me an opportunity to find out more about the successful 1950s MV Agusta Grand Prix team.
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