John Surtees Dies: World Championship Car and Motorcycle Racer Was 83

John Surtees, the only man to ever win the World Championship in both motorcycle and car racing, died Friday at age 83 in a London hospital after battling a respiratory condition.

Surtees started as a motorcycle racer riding sidecar with his father Vincent, who was a London motorcycle dealer. He won the 500cc world championship four times, the first time when he was only 22, before switching to car racing in 1960.

He then raced Formula One Grand Prix, winning the world title in 1964, just a year before a serious accident nearly killed him while he practiced in Canada. A number of shattered bones left Surtees’ body 4 inches shorter on one side after the accident until doctors could repair the breaks, The Sun reported.

Eventually, he recovered well enough to race again, winning several more Grand Prix races and forming the Surtees Racing Organization. He retired from competitive racing in 1972.

Surtees' son Henry raced Formula 2 as a teen, but was killed in a race in 2009 at the young age of 18. Surtees set up the Henry Surtees Foundation after his son’s death, devoting the last years of his life to fundraising for the organization.

Surtees is survived by his wife Jane and daughters Leonora and Edwina.

Twitter fans shared their condolences.

So sad to hear of death of John Surtees - there will never be another like him - RIP 🏁 pic.twitter.com/U4qIgouAkW

— Sandra Gittins (@ypreswoman) March 10, 2017

So sad to hear about the death of John Surtees what a wonderful man

— David Gaunt (@davidjgaunt) March 10, 2017

So sad to hear of the death of John Surtees. Such an important part of racing history - for me, always Sir John. RIP

— Andy Palmer (@AndyatAston) March 10, 2017

Saddened to hear of death of John Surtees, world champion on two and four wheels and winner of six TTs. A legend and much loved in the #IOM

— Howard Quayle (@HowardQuayleMHK) March 10, 2017

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