In December 1966, John Surtees signed for Honda. After a promising third place in the first race at Kyalami, the RA273 hit a series of mechanical problems and was replaced by the Honda RA300 for the 1967 Italian Grand Prix at Monza.
It was an epic race, where Surtees slipstreamed Jack Brabham to take Honda's second F1 victory by a margin of just 0.2 seconds!
In 1968, Honda's RA301 was Surtees car of choice. The Japanese manufacturer had another car in mind for 'Big John' however, the innovative magnesium-skinned RA302. Surtees tested the new car but point-blank refused to race it, calling it "unsafe" and a "potential deathtrap".
At Rouen, the RA302 was entrusted to the inexperienced Jo Schlesser who crashed on lap 2. The magnesium-bodied Honda and 58 laps worth of fuel ignited instantly, leaving Schlesser with no chance of survival. The tragedy prompted Honda to pull the plug on its F1 programme at the end of the season.
