Two men, one obsession... winning
| Genre: | Documentary Film |
| Running Length: | tbc |
| Status: | In Production |
| Producers: | Tony Allen & Trevor Rogers |
| Presenter: | Brian Jones |
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Synopsis
Three talented men with a shared passion for speed and for glory. One family, one obsession... winning.
Now in his mid seventies, John Surtees OBE is still the only man ever to win world championships on both two and four wheels - seven times on motorcycles and the Formula One championship for Ferrari. It's an incredible feat and one that is unlikely ever to be emulated. Of the 621 races he entered, John won an incredible 290, claimed a further 103 podium places, recorded 48 fastest laps and 100 record laps!
It was perhaps inevitable that John would go racing. His father Jack was a highly successful racer both before and after the war. More recently we've witnessed the blossoming career of the third generation of the Surtees family. John's young son Henry, eager to follow in his father's and grandfather's footsteps has raced almost since he could walk, climbing rapidly through the ranks. The Surtees family is a truly extraordinary motor racing dynasty.
Our film joins John as Henry mounts his challenge for the Formula Two crown - in a car painted the very same colours as his father's car from 1972. The colours may be the same, but the motor racing world is now a very different place. In the 1950's, 60's and 70's, drivers could focus on driving rather than sound bites. It was also an era when they knew they risked their lives each and every time they took to the circuit.
Through John, we gain a unique insight into a world of racing before corporate sponsorship and TV rights became as important as overtaking. Through Henry, we learn of the very different pressures facing today's future world champions.
Tragically during filming and in only the fourth race of his very first Formula Two season, Henry is involved in a freak accident that results in his death at just eighteen years of age. An event that shatters John's world, Henry's accident serves as a poignant reminder to us all of the ultimate price our heroes risk paying in the pursuit of winning.
Our film features unique footage of John at his beautiful manor house in Kent, driving a scarlet Ferrari at Brands Hatch, interviews with some of the leading figures in motor sport and fascinating archive from John's early career. It includes the last interviews with Henry and racing footage from the days leading up to his fateful accident.
Compelling and moving, 'Winning - it's in the Blood' is as much a human story with universal appeal as it is a film about motor racing and explores what drove three generations of the same family in their commitment to winning at the very highest level - whatever the risks.
Background
John Surtees, OBE is unique, even amongst those rarest of breeds ? professional racing drivers.
No man has ever equalled the most remarkable of his many achievements ? winning world championships on both two and four wheels. Indeed it's extremely unlikely that that anyone ever will.
His is a story of total dedication, of absolute focus and determination and of professionalism and bravery. But that's not all. John is one of three generations of the Surtees family to be successful in motor sports.
Winning - It's in the Blood was originally conceived as a documentary film that would explore the extraordinary life of motor racing legend John Surtees as he nurtured the blossoming racing career of his young son Henry. John is 76 years old, and Henry is just 18.
Our aim was to gain an insight into the relationships between all three generations of Surtees racers, all clearly very driven men and all focused on success. The plan was for a 'fly on the wall' style film that would follow the Surtees team and family as Henry waged his campaign for the 2009 Formula Two championship. The film would be helmed by veteran motor sports commentator, Brian Jones in the dual role of researcher and presenter. As a close friend and contemporary of John's, there can surely be no one better placed to help tell this incredible story.
Shooting commenced in July 2009 and we had already gathered considerable footage when Henry was tragically killed in a freak racing accident at the world famous Brands Hatch circuit. Loss of life in motorsport at this level is thankfully now very rare, so Henry's accident rocked the racing world and made the TV news. As well as being shocking and sad, there is a terrible irony in Henry's death, in that his father has survived to old age having competed for decades and having suffered a number of accidents - including almost losing his life in an horrific crash in Canada in 1965. What's more, just a week after Henry's accident, Ferrari Formula One driver Felipe Massa was severely injured in an eerily similar incident in Budapest. Although the two events were unrelated, they resulted in intense media interest and scrutiny of safety in motor racing.
Despite Henry's accident, and in what is undoubtedly a mark of respect for his son's memory, John insisted that the film should go ahead and has continued to offer his full support and cooperation to the production. So, with the family's blessing, we filmed at the subsequent Formula Two event at Donington Park, where a moving tribute was made to Henry prior to the race. We interviewed his fellow drivers, members of his team as well as ex Formula One driver and BBC TV commentator, Martin Brundle, Head of Formula Two, Jonathan Palmer, Patrick Head, Williams' designer and many others.
The production team have now spent considerable time with John, filming at his beautiful Kent manor house where he has an impressive collection of racing cars and motorcycles from his long and distinguished career. We have also filmed him at his workshops where he is restoring a number of his F1 cars as well as ?on circuit' at Brands Hatch - driving a scarlet Ferrari once again!
In addition to some of the very last interviews and footage of Henry, we have gained exclusive access to family and film archives which will help make our film a truly moving and inspiring story.
To complete the film, we intend shooting additional footage of John, his family, friends and surviving racing contemporaries such as Dan Gurney and Sir Jack Brabham, as well those who knew and worked with Henry. A number of high profile figures from the world of motor racing, including Nigel Mansell, Damon Hill, Bernie Ecclestone and Anthony Hamilton (father of Formula One World Champion, Lewis Hamilton) have all expressed interest in contributing to the film. We also plan to reunite John with the Ferrari racing team in Modena and with his Formula One world championship winning car at the Barber Motorsports Park and Vintage Museum in Alabama. Perhaps we will even see him drive it once again?
Through terrible and unforeseeable circumstances we have found ourselves in the midst of a much bigger human story than we could possibly have anticipated - one that encompasses triumph and tragedy, dedication and sacrifice. A story of a sporting hero looking back at his achievements and of a young man, full of promise, whose life is cut cruelly short.
Once completed, this powerful and moving film will celebrate success and achievement and acknowledge that competing at the very highest level can sometimes demand the ultimate price.
Winning - it's in the Blood celebrates an extraordinary family dynasty. But we look beneath the glamour and excitement of motor racing to tell a universal story - of a men striving to be the best they can and tragically, of terrible loss. As such, our film will appeal to a broad-based international audience and not just those with an interest in motor sports.
'Winning - it's in the Blood' is a co-production between Big Time Pictures and StingRay Productions.
We are currently seeking international distribution. All interested parties should contact tony.allen@bigtimepictures.com.
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