Leon Haslam was at the Mugello circuit yesterday, watching the testing and getting a good look at the Marc VDS CRT entry, but before heading to Italy and the upcoming eighth round of the World Superbike Championship at Brno, the BMW superbike rider took part in this year’s Goodwood Festival of Speed with legendary John Surtees.
Surtees and Haslam took part in the hillclimb on old and new BMW motorcycles.
Surtees, who is the only man to have taken world championships on two and four wheels, used a BMW Type 255 Kompressor, while Haslam rode a BMW S 1000 RR that he uses in the World Superbike championship.
“In life you have relationships with people, but you also have relationships with machines.
Some relationships are not so good and others are a bit special.
This relationship is a bit special,” said Surtees who actually restored the 1939 bike before selling it back to BMW.
“If BMW were to give the machine away again, I would have it backI also have a very long relationship with BMW and a collection of BMW cars.
So I still have my original 507.
” Surtees was delighted to ride “his old friend” again at Goodwood and certainly did not cruise, but raced up the hill at high speed: “It might sound silly, but you do this to satisfy yourself.
And you want to make the machine happy.
” “I have been coming to Goodwood for a few years now.
It is always a fantastic show, with all the greats like Stirling Moss and John Surtees, all these old cars and all the bikes old and new,” said Haslam.
“This year with the BMW it was fantastic, and the atmosphere is always great.
It is a pleasure to be here.
I did some autograph sessions with John Surtees and I asked him about the bike.
Obviously he is the only guy having won the world championship in Formula One and on two wheels, so he is an absolute legend.
To meet him was an honour for me.
”Surtees actually is following Leon’s career in the FIM Superbike World Championship.
“I think that Leon is very good.
It was disappointing to see that this year has not always gone well so far, but the season is still long and we have some more time.
And it is good to see BMW back in motorcycle races.
”
