South Yorkshire Times — April 19, 1952

New Car Racing “Ace” is Son of Mexborough

Latest—and fastest—of a long line of national sportsmen turned out by Mexborough is a 23-years-old blond giant who shook all the experts at the Easter Monday motor-car racing at Goodwood.

Mexborough-born John Michael Hawthorn, now living in Farnham, Surrey, an “unknown” in the car-racing world, won two races and came second and third at his first big race meeting. And this was against world-famous drivers.

Mike, who drove in immaculate white overalls and a spotted bow tie, was born at Cedar Grove, Alexandra Road, Mexborough. His father, Mr. Leslie Hawthorn, ran a garage and filling station in Doncaster Road Mexborough, until he left to open a garage in Farnham. Mike’s grandmother, Mrs. Kate Hawthorne, still lives at Cedar Grove.

Michael Hawthorn has been driving since he was able to take out a licence, but the Goodwood meeting was virtually his first big race, although, says Mrs. Hawthorn, “he has a few cups for little stunts”.

Gift from father

He was driving a present from his father—a £1,900 Cooper-Bristol 2-litre car. It was the car’s first race, too, and it was untried. So?

So Mike won the Lavant Cup at an average speed of 83.18 m.p.h. Then he won the Chichester Cup at a speed of 87.28 m.p.h., and in doing so beat world champion Juan Fangio.

In his third race, for the Richmond Trophy, Mike came second to Argentinian ace Gonzales, but Mike’s car was a raw two-litre machine, whereas Gonzales’s vehicle was a well-tried 4½-litre Ferrari.

Mike attributed his win, modestly to his father’s tuning of the car, and the “snozzle” which Mr. Hawthorn insisted on fitting—this is an extra air scoop on the nose, just above the radiator. But one of the National papers, reporting the race, described the driving as “dare-devil”, a description which quite upset Mike’s grandmother.