It is with enormous sadness that we learned of the death of John Surtees CBE on Friday 10 March.

John played a vital part in the gestation of Evro Publishing. When we reached agreement with him in late 2013 to publish John Surtees: My Incredible Life on Two and Four Wheels, we were such a fledgling company that we had yet to release our first book. John made that leap of faith with us and threw himself into the project with total commitment, just as he did in every other aspect of his distinguished life.

The book went from start to finish in only six months – incredibly rapid by the norms of book publishing. Mike Nicks, the well-known journalist, worked with John and together they did a wonderful job not only in creating a most readable text but also in pulling together a fabulous selection of photographs, including many from John’s own collection that had never been published before.

A few months after publication, the book won the RAC’s inaugural Motoring Book of the Year Award. John was there to collect the handsome silver trophy and his delight was a joy to experience. Our photo shows him that evening with the Evro team – Eric Verdon-Roe (holding book), Jeremy Vaughan (left) and Mark Hughes (right).

John’s legacy lives on through the Henry Surtees Foundation, to which all royalties from sales of the book have gone – and will continue to go for as long as John’s fans, and indeed motor-sport enthusiasts generally, keep buying his wonderful book.

Our condolences at this sad time go to John’s wife Jane and his daughters Leonora and Edwina.