Notes:
Widely regarded as one of the most exciting racers of the 1950s and 1960s, during his career John Hartle came close to being World Champion numerous times, racing as factory rider for Norton, MV Agusta, Gilera, Honda and Triumph.

Born in Chapel-en-le-Frith, Derbyshire, England, on 22 December 1933, John Hartle grew up in Derbyshire, working for Eric Bowers Motorcycles since he was 17, racing their bikes through the streets of his hometown. By 1953, he made his debut in the professional circuits in Yorkshire, showing great promise from the start of his racing career. One of his first major races riding a BSA Gold Star, was at Scarborough, just the track in which he lost his life fourteen years later.

John Hartle won the Newcomers Award in the 1953 Manx Grand Prix and the following year he was leading the Senior race by over five minutes in terrible weather conditions, when his Norton ran out of petrol at the Mountain Box. In his first two years on the Isle of Man Mountain Circuit, he finished in three out of four Manx Grands Prix entered, earning a fine third in the Junior race in 1954.

In 1955 he joined Norton, riding for them until 1956 in what would be the factory team's last year in Grand Prix racing. But his racing career was threatened by serving in the British Army as a motorcycle dispatch rider instructor. He raced only in selected UK events thanks to Norton team, that was able to negotiate his release. At the 1955 Ulster Grand Prix, he finished second in both the 350 and 500 cm³ class races, and the following year he competed in the Isle of Man Tourist Trophy, coming third in the Junior and second in the Senior. He won his first World Motorcycle Championship race at the 1956 Ulster Grand Prix in the 500 cm³ class race, finishing third in points.

Riding his private Norton in 1957 against the factory bikes, Hartle could only manage fifth place in the 350 cm³ World Championship, finishing second in the German Grand Prix at Hockenheim. During the season he was hired by MV Agusta to replace Roberto Colombo who was killed in practice for the Belgian Grand Prix at Spa-Francorchamps, and John Hartle earned his first outright victory on a MV Agusta twin, in the 250 cm³ class race.

MV Agusta signed Hartle for the 1958 season, racing alongside John Surtees. He came runner-up to Surtees in both the 350 and 500 cm³ World Championship classes, and at the Isle of Man Tourist Trophy he became only the second rider - the first Englishman -, to break the 100 mi/h barrier. In 1960 Hartle won his first Isle of Man event, the Junior TT race.

After being released by MV Agusta, he continued on a private machine. John Hartle spent most of 1961 and 1962 in the injured list, after he had a serious accident, suffering a broken arm and head injuries at Oliver's Mount in 1961, almost at the same place were he suffered his fatal accident in 1968. After his recovering he rode for Geoff Duke's privateer Gilera team until 1964 when a fractured skull forced him into retirement.

John Hartle ventured into car racing in 1966, even winning a Formula 3 race during a B.R.S.C.C. Clubman's Car racing meeting at Brands Hatch, at the wheel of a Brabham BT18-Ford. He returned to motorcycle racing during 1967, when he won again at the Tourist Trophy, riding a works Triumph Bonneville in the Isle of Man inaugural Production 750 Race, for road-based machines. He finished third in the 500 cm³ World Championship class, taking three second places at the Sachsenring, Imatra and Dundrod, riding Britain's Metisse and Matchless machinery.

John Hartle died during the International Gold Cup at Oliver's Mount circuit in Scarborough, East Yorkshire, England, on Saturday, 31 August 1968. He was trying to take third place after a bad start in the first 500 cm³ heat, but during the final lap his Metisse collided with a slow rider with a mechanical fault, John Blanchard on a Matchless, 75 yards up the step, tree-lined ascent from the Mere Hairpin. Blanchard suffered a concussion but survived the accident. According to the marshals standing in that place John Hartle hit the metal support of a pedestrian bridge over the track after the collision, and was killed. He was just 34-years-old.

John Hartle lived in Moulton, near Northampton, at the time of his death. He was co-founder of a motorcycle business in Buxton, Derbyshire, that he shared with fellow rider Norman Bramhall, as B & H Motors. He was survived by by his second wife Shelagh and his three children from his first marriage to June - Nigel, Lesley and Julie. Following his cremation, his ashes were scattered half in the garden of remembrance at Northampton crematorium and half on the Isle of Man Mountain Circuit.

During his whole career John Hartle raced with the Latin motto Cava et Spera, which translates to "caution and hope", painted over his crash helmet. In 2010 a blue wall-plaque in his memory was attached to the building where he used to live in Chapel-en-le-Frith, Derbyshire. The "John Hartle Trophy" is an annual award at the Isle of Man Tourist Trophy Races. The trophy is presented to the winner of the Superstock TT.

Built by the brothers Derek and Don Rickman in partnership with Tom Kirby, the Metisse Motorcycles was established in 1959 in Carswell near Faringdon, Oxfordshire. The company produced motorcycle frames fitted with British engines such as AJS and Matchless.

• Magazine Motor Cycle, issue of 04 September 1968, articles "John Hartle" and "John Hartle Killed at Scarborough" [L1].
• Newspaper Messenger-Inquirer (Owensboro, KY, United States), issue of Sunday, 01 September 1968, page 10, article "Motorcyclist Killed In Race" by Associated Press, retrieved by website https://www.newspapers.com/image/379762379/ .
• Website Racing Circuits, by Daniel King, page http://www.the-fastlane.co.uk/racingcircuits/UnitedKingdom/England/OliversMount.html .
• Website EggersdorferNet, by Rolf Eggersdorfer, page http://www.eggersdorfernet.de/hartle-john.html .
• Website Derbyshire Blue Plaques, page http://derbyshireblueplaques.co.uk/john-hartle/ .
• Website AUTOSPORT → Forums → The Nostalgia Forum, thread "John Hartle", posting by "frankdean", message http://forums.autosport.com/topic/113240-john-hartle/#entry4900505 .
• Website AUTOSPORT → Forums → The Nostalgia Forum, thread "John Hartle", posting by "Richard Wood", message https://forums.autosport.com/topic/94737-john-hartle/#entry3785425 .
• Website Isle of Man TT, page https://www.iomtt.com/tt-database/events/races?meet_code=ALL&ride_id=1698 .
• Website Racing Memory by Vincent Glon, page http://racingmemo.free.fr/MOTO-GP-1968.htm .
• Website Le Mans & Formula 2 Register by Stefan Örnerdal, page http://www.the-fastlane.co.uk/formula2/F366_GB45.htm .
• Website Classic Racer, page https://www.classicracer.com/on-the-g50-metisse/ .
• Website Find-A-Grave: John Hartle.
• E-mail by Andy Marlow, dated 24 December 2004.
• E-mail by Herman Looman, dated 10 November 2006, citing [L1].
• E-mail by Toon Sleegers, dated 24 February 2008.
• E-mail by Lesley McLaren, dated 19 June 2008.