December
2002
Johannson's
new CART team is go
Autosport,
19th December 2003: Stefan Johannson is on the verge of
pressing the green light on his new Champ Car team for 2003.
The Swede has confirmed that he has all but sealed a deal to
run a two-car team in the US-based series.
"It's
looking very promising," he said. "We want to make
an official announcement quite soon."
Toyota
Atlantic Ryan Hunter-Reay, who is managed by Johansson, is certain
to drive one of the cars. His potential team-mates include Johannson's
AMLS partner Johnny Herbert and fellow Brit Darren Manning.
November
2002
Charity
Karting
 This
year's event took place on Sunday 24th November 2002 at The
Raceway, Kings Cross, London. The
event raised over £20,000 for the National Kidney Research
Fund, from entry fees of £500 per team of 5 drivers, donations
and an auction of memorabilia and other goodies, including:
- Johnny
Herbert Signed Visor
- Two
VIP tickets for Robbie Williams 2003 concert at Knebworth
(which raised over £1300)
- Le-Mans
2002 Winning Audi R8 Print signed by all 3 drivers.
- Tickets
for Friday Goodwood Festival of Speed (inc VIP Parking)
- Tickets
for Friday Goodwood Revival Meeting (inc VIP Parking)
- Signed
Pair of Mark Webber Gloves
- Jordan
and Jaguar memorabilia.
- Colin
Browns 2000 Kart Racing Suit from World Championship (Reserve)
- Porsche
Boxter for Weekend
Drivers
and celebs who attended included: Robbie Williams, Jenson Button,
Anthony Davidson, John Hindaugh, James Allen, and Danny Watts
(Formula Renault Champ 2002).
More
photos of the event are here...
Herbert
injures ankle in SEAT shunt
Autosport,
12th November: Former grand prix star Johnny Herbert believes
the new SEAT Leon Supercopa will provide a perfect route into
tin-top racing for young drivers - even though he hurt his ankle
in the second of two races in the Spanish championship at Barcelona
last weekend.
Herbert
was taking part in the final double-header of the inaugural
Spanish Supercopa to raise awareness of the series ahead of
its UK debut next season. It is expected to feature on the British
Formula 3 and GT package next year.
The
Audi sportscar racer enjoyed a stunning first race, moving from
17th on the grid to seventh, placing him seventh on the grid
for race two. But, at the start of the second race, Herbert
was barged at the first corner before being tapped into a spin
and T-boned heavily at turn two. He sustained a badly bruised
ankle and slight bruising to his neck in the crash, which involved
five cars
Despite
this, Herbert said he enjoyed the weekend and thinks the SEAT
Leon Supercopa would be a successful training ground for budding
British and European Touring Car Championship stars.
"It's
been fun," he said. "I've had to get used to the car very
quickly. All the braking distances and speeds around the circuit
are very different from the last time I was here.
"If
the series is marketed properly in the UK, which I am sure
it will be, it will be a big success. The cars are a real
challenge to drive and the opportunity to set the cars up
will help drivers learn their craft."
SEAT
UK has already confirmed that the winner of next year's Leon
Supercopa will secure a works drive in the Spanish firm's European
Touring Car Championship campaign.
Herbert
makes saloon debut
Ananaova,
6th November: Johnny Herbert will draw on his years of Grand
Prix racing when he makes his saloon car debut in Barcelona
this weekend.
The
Essex-born driver will compete in the final round of the Spanish
SEAT Leon Supercopa Championship at the Circuit de Catalunya
on Sunday. Herbert has tested the Leon Cupra R at the Rockingham
track near Corby where the Johnny Herbert Experience is based.
But Sunday will be the first time he has raced the car in competition
as he returns to the Spanish track for the first time since
the grand prix two years ago.
"When
I drove the Leon at Rockingham I was very pleasantly surprised,
because my experience has always been in single-seaters,"
said Herbert, who won three races during his career which
included spells with Lotus, Benetton, Stewart and Jaguar.
"When
SEAT asked me if I'd like to race at Barcelona I thought 'Why
not?' The
other guys may have been racing in the Spanish SEAT Leon Supercopa
Championship all year and will be at home in the car, but
hopefully that won't be too much of a disadvantage.
"Driving
the Leon doesn't present any problems and I know the Barcelona
circuit well. The aim is to have fun, do as well as I can
and put on a good show for SEAT."
Herbert
may have retired from F1 in 2000, but he has not hung-up his
helmet yet having competed in the American Le Mans sportscar
series last season.
September
2002
Bentley
aims for British superteam
Autosport,
12th September: Bentley's bid for victory in next year's
Le Mans 24 hours could bring together a trio of former winners
of the big race in an all-British superteam.
Martin
Brundle, Johnny Herbert, Mark Blundell and Allan McNish are
all known to be on Bentley's "shopping list". The
high public profile of one driving crew, possibly comprising
as many as three of the four, would give the luxury car manufacturer
the exposure it is looking for in the year it enters the Le
Mans race as pre-event favourite.
Herbert
is making no secret of his desire to drive one of the British
EXP Speed 8 coupes in 2003. He said that a sideways move within
the VW-Audi group, which owns Bentley, could be on the cards
once Audi firms up plans to keep its factory squad away from
France.
"The
Bentley team is something that I'd love to get involved with,"
said Herbert. "I would love to do Le Mans with them."
Herbert
& Pirro turn back the clock
Audi
Sport UK press release, 9th September: Johnny Herbert and
Emanuele Pirro followed in the wheel tracks of fellow former
Grand Prix driver Jim Clark last weekend when Audi’s current
sportscar aces drove a pair of DKW saloon cars in the Goodwood
Revival Meeting (6-8 Sep).
Brentwood-born
Herbert and Desmond Smail, from Olney, drove an Audi UK-owned
1957 DKW F53 in the 17-lap, two-driver St Mary’s Trophy race
on Sunday. Meanwhile Pirro partnered German Martin Hesse in
the latter’s 1958 DKW 1000. Both cars are powered by a similar
two-stroke, three cylinder engine.
The
Pirro/Hesse DKW qualified 16th on the 28-car grid with the Herbert/Smail
DKW 26th courtesy of Emanuele and Johnny - both driving their
respective “Deeks” for the first time during the 30-minute qualifying
session.
In
the race, Herbert survived an assault from the Lincoln Continental
moments after the start but co-driver Smail was less fortunate
when he was unceremoniously nudged off the track while being
lapped on the penultimate lap when placed a creditable 18th.
Meanwhile the enthusiastic Pirro made an unscheduled pit-stop
to remove oil from his windscreen while Hesse recovered to take
the chequered flag in 15th place. The distinctively sounding
DKWs featured the smallest engines in the race and were up against
cars with over five times the engine capacity.
Clark
made his car racing début behind the wheel of a DKW “Sonderklasse”
in 1956. Clark, one of the world’s greatest single-seater drivers,
drove the German car at Crimond, located between Peterhead and
Fraserburgh, and like Herbert, retired his DKW during the race.
DKW was founded in 1907 by Dane Jorgen Skafte Rasmussen and
amalgamated in 1932 with Audi, Horch and Wanderer, to form Auto
Union. In 1969, NSU joined the “family” which is known today
as Audi.
In
the early days, the DKW company produced machinery and metal
goods before embarking on car accessories in 1912 and ultimately
a steam-driven motor vehicle in 1916. The DKW name was originally
derived from the German words for “steam driven vehicle” (Dampfkraftwagen)
but was also used by Rasmussen for subsequent engine projects:
Des Knaben Wunsch (a boy’s wish) and Das kleine Wunder (the
small miracle) which led to DKW manufacturing motorcycles in
the 1920s. Indeed, by 1928 DKW was the largest motorcycle manufacturer
in the world.
In
1923, a 170cc, 2.5bhp single-cylinder DKW engine appeared in
a “baby car” designed by Rudolf Slaby at the Berlin Motor Show
while the first actual DKW car went on show four years later
at the Leipzig Spring Fair. A small DKW “competitions department”
was established in 1925, initially concentrating on its motorcycle
programme but by 1929, one for cars was formed. Its “Sonderklasse”
(special class) models went on to perform well in motorsport.
Walter Schluter even won the 1954 European Rally Championship
while during a 10-year period from the mid-1950s, DKW achieved
100 championship titles winning over 150 races.
Herbert
rocks up to Rockingham for the BBC
BBC
Sport press release, 6th September: Former Formula One driver
Johnny Herbert will be joining Charlie Cox and the BBC team
to present coverage of the fastest motorsport on earth. The
BBC has highlights of the CART race at Rockingham on September
15th from 4.45pm as the Championship makes it's only trip to
Europe this year.
Herbert has a wealth of single-seater experience and is no stranger
to the Rockingham circuit. He will be on hand to give his expert
views on the race which has been won in the past motor sport
greats Nigel Mansell, Juan Pablo Montoya and Jaques Villeneuve.
Herbert
said, "I am really looking forward to working with the BBC
Sport team on Rockingham 500 and conveying the excitement
of what is always an entertaining race."
Charlie
Cox said, "I am a huge fan of CART and for the BBC viewers,
this race is particularly thrilling. Not only is it the only
Championship race in Europe this year, but it is also on an
oval track which makes the racing even more intense!"
Rockingham is the 15th of 18 stages and the Championship is
interestingly poised as the Dario Franchitti the British star
is lying in third place behind the current leader Cristiano
da Matta.
Every
effort is made to ensure factual accuracy but no
responsibility is accepted for the information on these pages.
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