Herbert in Japan - Johnny's season of ups and down (October 1989)

This article, written by Adam Cooper, appeared in the 19th October 1989 issue of Autosport.

It’s been a strange season for Johnny Herbert. It started under the blazing sun of Rio back in April, where Johnny claimed that sensational fourth place in the Brazilian Grand Prix in his first race for Benetton. And it ended 10 days ago in the shadow of Mount Fuji, splashing round in a monsoon at the wheel of a Porsche 962... So what was Herbert, budding Formula 1 star, doing in a Japanese Group C championship race? Well, it was another important step on the ladder to recovery from the injuries Johnny received to his feet in that horrific F3000 crash at Brands Hatch in the summer of '88.

The road back to fitness after the F3000 accident

It's a ladder he thought he'd successfully scaled at the time of his superb Rio display, but as the Fl season went on, both his condition and his form slipped back down. Amid great internal controversy at Benetton, he was dropped at mid-season, to be replaced by Emanuele Pirro.

Although Johnny’s recovery from the Brands shunt had been remarkable, and his witty anecdotes about the whole incident led you to believe that he'd shrugged the whole thing off as 'just one of those things', those around him knew that his right foot was still a major problem under hard braking. He'd worked hard over the winter to increase its strength and the degree of movement available, and by Rio he had adapted to cope with it.

Unfortunately the Monaco, Phoenix and Montreal events, tough enough on a fully fit driver, coincided with a lack of improvement in Johnny's fitness. He recognises now that the enforced lay-off was no bad thing.

"In a way it was the right decision," comments Herbert, "because I was actually getting worse. When I started the season I was fairly strong foot-wise. But in F1 you just don’t get time; you're there at the track, then you’re at the next one during the week before the next race, and maybe you've got testing in between. As far as working on the foot, I did absolutely nothing, and I actually lost strength, which was why I was getting worse, and not qualifying".

"So in that way, it was right to stop. But obviously I was still disappointed. I’d got back up, and then been knocked down again. You always think, 'Oh well, I'll get strong, it’ll be alright', but it didn’t quite work."

Formula 1 debut - spectacular to struggling

It was a big disappointment for Herbert and his supporters, after his early showings heralded talk of a win in his first year. What are Johnny’s thoughts on that spectacular debut race?

"I didn’t know what to expect really. First of all I was a bit surprised. I think that may have helped, because I was very relaxed, I didn't really get butterflies before the race. So I went there, finished fourth in my first Grand Prix, thought ‘This is easy’.

"So going to Imola afterwards, I was too confident. I went there with totally the wrong attitude and, bang, I was 26th. Then eventually I sorted myself out and did go better in the race, until 1 had my spin."

Later Johnny earned a sixth place through hard graft and just staying on at Phoenix, but by then, the powers-that-be at Benetton had decided that he wasn't up to it at present, despite the protests of mentor and team manager Peter Collins. It was particularly frustrating to Johnny that after enduring the stop-and-go tracks, he was forced to miss out on the faster circuits where he would have been able to drive round his problem.

"It would have been better. I’d tested at Ricard in the new car and I was only half a second slower than Prost. You brake once there, and for me that was no problem. Silverstone, I know it anyway, and again you only really brake there once, maybe twice for Becketts, I’d have probably found it more difficult in the last two races, but it’s nothing compared to Monaco."

Johnny made use of his enforced break to re-climb a few steps on that ladder to recovery.

"I went straight to physio, and started doing that every day. It’s improved a lot, but for me it’s still not what I want. In an F1 car you can make up a lot of time under braking. I want to be able to brake on the ball of the foot, which I can do, but not really pushing hard yet."

After a rest Johnny was invited to continue with Benetton testing duties, initially trying the unloved active car at Pembrey. Then came a call from Ken Tyrrell; his new superstar Jean Alesi was committed to F3000 with EJR, and a drive was available at Spa, Estoril, and just possibly, Suzuka.

After a test at Monza, Herbert was back in Fl in Belgium. He did a good job in qualifying, despite problems, but the race ended after just three laps when he spun off in the wet. During practice, he found himself running to the pits after blowing an engine; it seemed like a good sign, but in fact it set him back again.

"I went to Spa, everything was great, but when I came back I had an infection in my foot. I did my first running; I'd had a dormant infection in my foot, and when I did the run, it shuffled it about inside, and just woke it up! So the foot went big again, I couldn’t walk, and when I went to Portugal I was back with the stick. I was wary that people were looking at me and thinking ‘He’s not getting better’. I think that knocked my confidence, and when I got in the car, it didn't help that I was sick anyway."

A nasty bug, thought at first to be food poisoning, had caught up with Johnny. Exhausted after being physically sick prior to final qualifying, he failed to make the grid. He also had to skip the following week’s Autoglass Tour, which he’d agreed to do for Ford.

"I think the biggest problem for me on that would have been getting up so bloody early. That would have killed me!"

The Portuguese disappointment put Johnny back to square one, and gave more ammunition to his detractors. As Alesi had clinched the F3000 title a race early, Herbert wouldn't be needed for the Japanese GP, and his immediate prospects were confined to more Benetton testing, and waiting for Ken Tyrrell to decide on Jean Alesi's partner for 1990.

An invitation to drive for Porsche

And then he got an offer from Vern Schuppan to drive the Takefuji Porsche in the 1000kms event at Fuji, a round of the All-Japan Sports-Proto-type Championship. The prospect was an interesting one, especially as his co-driver would be his old pal and new Lotus signing Martin Donnelly.

Ironically Alesi (who drove for Vern at Le Mans) had been scheduled for the drive, and then JJ Lehto came into the picture, hut when both hacked out because of F1 commitments, Johnny was happy to have a go, encouraged by the fact that Collins – now late of Benetton – had already offered to help Vern run the show. Herbert's only previous sportscar experience was gained in the C2 ADA at Jerez in March ’88, and despite the fact that the under-financed car had been a real handful, he hadn’t been put off Group C.

"I just thought it would be a good opportunity, as I’d always wanted to have a go in a C1 car. You’ve really got to have a bit of variety. If you're in F1, obviously they won't let you do it anyway, but if, like me, you're not doing anything you might as well have a go".

What about sharing with Martin?

"That was the main thing really. I thought we’ve got to be competitive with a pairing like that, and I knew Schuppan does well out there, he's got good cars."

Thus Johnny found himself flying from Heathrow to Tokyo's Narita Airport in the company of his former Benetton boss Collins, not for the Grand Prix at Suzuka, but for a relatively minor sportscar event at delapidated old Fuji.

"I only knew for sure on the Monday, and then I was packed and off on the Tuesday. I’d never been to Japan before. It’s a bit of a strange country. Fuji itself is just dead; there's nothing there. But the actual atmosphere at the track was very good. All the drivers talk to each other, all the teams talk to each other, so it was very friendly."

Practice for the Fuji 1000kms

With Donnelly arriving a day late, Johnny was straight into the car in Thursday’s untimed practice. His only previous Porsche 962 experience had been gained in video arcade games, but he quickly learned both car and track.

"I was basically just getting used to the damn thing. The brakes, well, they just don’t stop you whatsoever, and the handling was a bit soggy. I did about 30-40 laps, that was all. We didn't do a lot to the car; we fitted Le Mans wings on it, because we thought we'd go for speed. At Fuji there's not a lot of opportunities to pass, so we thought we’d stick it on low down-force, so we’d have a chance down the straight and scrub round the corners."

"Then Martin arrived for the second day. There were two l-hour sessions, and we were supposed to do one each, but we had a few problems in the morning so we let him carry on as he hadn’t had a go before."

Qualifying

Saturday brought official qualifying, and the inevitable Fuji rain.

"Again, it was supposed to be Martin doing a bit and setting a time, and then I’d set a time. But then it rained, and it was drying, and it rained, and started drying again, so Martin stayed out the whole time. There was no point in swapping over and then losing out on the dry bit."

Donnelly placed the Porsche an excellent fourth, just behind the trio of high boosted Toyotas. More rain before the final afternoon session secured the position.

"Then it was my go in the afternoon. It pissed down. When it rains there, it buckets down, and it was absolutely flooded. I hadn’t been in the car for a couple of days, so it took me a bit of time."

Driving in the rain

How does Johnny rate himself as a rain driver? His reply revealed that the Japanese jaunt was of more use to him than perhaps he’d expected.

"Well, in all honesty, when I was in FF1600, F3 and F3000, I didn’t like the rain, but I always went well in it. And then after the accident I hadn’t really done anything, until I had that little go in the Tyrrell at Spa, and I kept spinning it. I just didn’t have any confidence, so it was actually good for me that Japan was wet, because it gave me back a helluva lot of the confidence I’d lost."

The race

With his greater Group C experience Donnelly was asked to take the first two stints on race day, when once again it was raining.

"Martin got into the lead right away, but then the Toyota passed him, and one of the other Porsches. He’d started on fairly soft tyres, and that’s why he dropped back, because they just overheated and chunked. They changed onto harder ones when he went back out again.

"Then, before I swapped over, Martin got a yellow flag penalty – out there they are really strict if you pass under yellows, but you couldn't really see half of them in the spray!

"It was drying when he was out, lucky swine, but when I took over it had just started raining again, so we put on deep grooved tyres. And that eventually worked, because it really pissed down. When I got out it took a few laps, but once I got into it I was quick again, which I was pleased about. We only had a couple of laps when it was really bad, but I didn’t slow up at all, so I actually made up a, helluva lot of places. And then Wollek. went off, and they stopped it after that."

With cars spinning off all over the place the race was red-flagged, with the Takefuji car now fourth having been well up until Donnelly's penalty. After a 2 hour break, it was restarted, with another 37 laps to be run to make up the 60% distance. Johnny was to stay in the car for the duration, and make his very first Group C rolling start.

"I hadn’t done that since karts! It didn't really help me that the Nissan was trying to have George Fouche off. They were right over on the left, banging each other, and that mucked me up as I had nowhere to go.

"But then I was third, then second when the Toyota stopped, and I was catching the Fouche car, going really well.

"Then we came in for the last pit stop. Because it was drying, they'd cut some slicks with grooves. I think they'd balanced them as slicks, cut the grooves, and then didn't re-balance them. So they put them on, and I pulled out, and nearly spun twice leaving the pits! It was really shuddering, and going into the first corner it felt as if the wheel was wobbling and about to depart. I tried to accelerate again, hut it kept kicking out for some reason. It was just totally undriveable, so I had to come back in again. The replacement tyres were fine.

"It was a shame, because at the time I was going really well. I was then a long way back, but I passed the Fouche car, the Joest car, and I caught the Nissan on the line. I enjoyed it, but I was a lap down."

6th place heralds a Group C future?

Sixth place on aggregate was the reward for Donnelly and Herbert after a hard race, and Johnny had certainly proved something at a track notorious for its wet weather hazards. And he’d had fun; the experience was enough to convince him that Group C could provide his immediate future.

"Well, I wouldn't mind doing it, because I think in a couple of years it's going to he big anyway. And if nothing materialises next year with Tyrrell, I'll probably have a go. I’ve got to talk to the teams now just in case – Jaguar, Nissan, Toyota and Merc – although most of the top ones have gone. Japan looks quite good next year if I don’t do F1, I wouldn't mind going back out there and having another go, because it's good fun. The whole thing was more relaxed, there was no pressure to do anything, just go out there and enjoy it.

"I still want to do F1, I’m sure, once I get sorted out properly. I'll hopefully he able to get back and do the proper job which I know I can do. Group C is an alternative, something to keep me in racing, keep me in trim."

So is it likely that Johnny will spend 1990 in sportscars, where his still-recovering foot won't face the same sort of intense test that an Fl car provides, with a view to returning to Grands Prix racing – fully fit – the year after?

"There is a good possibility. It'll give me a bit of time to get my confidence back, it’ll give me a year out of F1, without the pressure, to get the foot absolutely perfect for when I get back.

Or can Johnny get back into F1?

Young drivers arrive in Grand Prix racing and make a big impact. People in F1 are known for their short memories; suddenly Rio seems a long time ago.

"I've been lucky in my early career really, because the whole way through, I’ve done everything at the right time. The Formula Ford Festival, end of the year, and I won it. Next year in FF2000 I did nothing, and then I had a couple of F3 races and it was back up. And then the next year I won the F3 championship. I suppose in my early career I’ve had it good at the end of the year. That's why it’s hard; I hope people don’t forget Rio. I'm sure they won't, but it does help to do it when it’s fresh in people's memories."

A couple of days after the boost of Fuji, Johnny was back at the wheel of a Benetton in testing at Silverstone. He was much happier than in recent F1 outings. "Visually I just noticed that 1 was braking miles later than I ever have in testing there."

While he waits on Tyrrell for 1990, Johnny’s longer term future may still lie with Benetton and Ford, whose prospects look good with John Barnard at the technical helm. But for now, triple World Champion Nelson Piquet has ‘his’ seat...

"I’m still contracted for next year (for testing), and they say they want me for 1991. So that’s how it stands. Nelson’s got it in him to do it; it’s still there. Benetton have been after a ‘name', which they’ve now got, but I’m sure they’d be doing better sticking with me!".

Herbert knows that he has a long way to go to get as fit as he wants to be, but he has a good five months to ready himself for next season, whether it be in FI or the WS-PC. And if the determination he’s shown up to now is anything to go by, he should be on target. He faces a long winter of physiotherapy, endless hours spent exercising, but hopefully he'll have a rest from it in the New Year, as his good lady Becky is expecting their first child.

"She doesn't want it to be a racing driver," Johnny smiles, "even if it's a boy..."

These historic reports are from the archives of fan Harry Lythgoe
Many thanks to Autosport and Adam Cooper for the above report.
All rights reserved. This page prepared 20th June 1998