There is plenty of crossover between Formula 1 and MotoGP.

Both motorsports use highly-tuned vehicles that most people would not have a dream of handling. The drivers and riders perform at an elite level, and each one continually chases the thrill of high-speed action around challenging circuits and does so with fearless aggression. Why is it so rare to find someone who excels on both two wheels and four?

The late John Surtees is not a name that the younger generation of racing fans will know, but Surtees is a motorsport legend. Surtees is the only man to have become a World Champion on two wheels then achieve the same lofty title on four. It is a remarkable achievement and one that is highly unlikely ever to be matched.

Surtees’ First-Ever Professional Race

Surtees embarked on his first factory-sponsored race aboard a 500cc Norton in 1955, aged 21-years-old. The 500cc category was then the top tier of motorcycle racing because MotoGP and the leading online MotoGP betting markets were not established until the year 2000. Surtees beat reigning world champion Geoff Duke at Silverstone and Brands Hatch, and a glistening career beckoned. However, Norton was in financial trouble, so Surtees switched to MV Augusta's factory racing team for the following season.

The 1956 season saw Surtees win the world championship, partly helped by the FIM banning defending champion Duke because he supported a rider's strike for more starting money. Surtees finished third the following year before winning the title in 1958, 1959, and 1960. He also won the 350cc championship in the same three consecutive years. Surtees won 32 of the 39 races he entered during those three years and became the first man in history to win the Senior TT at the Isle of Man TT three years in a row.

Swapping Two Wheels For Four

In 1960, Surtees switched from two wheels to four when he accepted an offer to drive for Team Lotus. He finished second in his very first race in the 1960 British Grand Prix. Surtees' first Formula 1 victory came at the 1963 German Grand Prix while racing for Scuderia Ferrari. With Ferrari, he won the 1964 World Championship, thus becoming the only racer to win both a motorcycle and Formula 1 title.

Surtees continued racing in Formula 1 until the end of the 1972 season despite suffering a life-threatening crash in September 1965 at the Mospork Park Circuit in Canada. The collision was so severe that one side of Surtees' body was four inches shorter than the other. Doctors worked wonders and reduced the deficit to one inch, where it stayed until the legend passed away in March 2017.

Will Anyone Swap MotoGP for F1 Successfully?

Racing fans thought Surtees' long-standing record was under threat 18 years ago when MotoGP superstar Valentino Rossi test drove for Ferrari in 2004. Ferrari's then-chairman, Luca di Montezemelo, wanted to bring Rossi to the Sauber squad, but reports suggested Rossi would only switch sports if he raced for Ferrari's primary team.

In the end, Rossi chose to stay in MotoGP, where he would be the number one rider rather than the fourth or fifth-best driver. The whole thing is now remembered as something of a publicity stunt despite Rossi showing potential and desire.

Rossi's MotoGP career is in its twilight phase, with the Italian "Doctor" now aged 42. However, six-time MotoGP champion Marc Marquez could potentially make the switch, having impressed in his Toro Rosso test in 2018. Dr. Helmut Marko of Red Bull praised Marquez and stated, "Marc has what it takes. Today definitely wasn't the last time he will sit in a Formula 1 car."

Whether or not Marquez swaps two wheels for four remains to be seen. Surtees' incredible record looks set to stand for many more years regardless.