A GROUP of friends bound by their shared love and admiration of Britain’s first ever Formula One world champion Mike Hawthorn gathered at the Farnham man’s grave in January to mark the 57th anniversary of his death.

Hawthorn tragically died on January 22, 1959, after crashing his heavily modified Jaguar Mk 1 VDU 881 on the A31 Hogs Back, just months after winning the F1 title racing for Scuderia Ferrari at the Moroccan Grand Prix.

He was buried at the West Street Cemetery in Farnham and every year a group of friends and fans - including Farnham-based motoring journalist Doug Nye - pay their respects at his grave.