Just look at that shot. John Surtees, one of the world’s greatest GP racers, getting his knee down while riding his father’s Vincent Black Lightning in the early 50s. Except it’s not. See, as realistic and authentic as this shot looks, it’s a fake because Surtees never intentionally put a knee down in anger. Ever. How do I know that? Because the first ever recorded racing “knee down” didn’t occur until the early seventies and one Mister Jarno Saarinen. So Mr Surtees managed to go his whole amazing career without ever putting patella to pavement. Which beggars the question, just how necessary is getting you knee down?