Brian Henton

ss_collins · 29 Oct 2003, 17:35 (Ref:767176)

Any stories to tell of BH? especially from his formula vee days (any pics of henton would be good).

Does naybody remeber what his first race car was?

**ghinzani** · 30 Oct 2003, 08:01 (Ref:767803)

Hmm there was an in depth interview with Brian in a motor sport from 1985, and as I was a big superHen fan I should have it but I couldnt find it... apologies! IIRC his first race car was a sprite or something of that ilk, which he proceeded to drive through a bank and completely destroy. However he had lots more success when he moved up into Vee's. I beleive when he was F Vee champ he announced he would be world champ withing 5 years, which got a lot of peoples backs up - but based on his superiority in f3 in 1974 he could well have been had the breaks gone his way.

davemorganfan · 30 Oct 2003, 13:12 (Ref:768036)

I remember a tale from the days when BH was running his own March in F1. The "British Racing Team", as I think he called it, was something of a low budget operation. He was all ready to go to one of the Grands Prix for which he managed to get an entry (Holland?) and gave his mechanic around £500 in cash for expenses. A fair sum in those days. The mechanic in question had never seen such a large sum of money and promptly disappeared, never to be seen again.

Super Tourer · 30 Oct 2003, 13:24 (Ref:768046)

Small resume on Brian here:

http://www.grandprix.com/gpe/drv-henbri.html

Dan Rear · 30 Oct 2003, 14:26 (Ref:768122)

I really rated Henton (unlike Johnny D!, especially in F2. Right from 75, with an underpowered March he went very well against works Marches/Elfs/Martinis etc. When he did get a 'proper' car in 79 then 80, he blew all the furriners away. Top-man !!

spearce · 30 Oct 2003, 16:07 (Ref:768203)

I remember hib doing the business at Thruxton F2, in a Boxer I think, after Patrese flatspotted his boots.

**ghinzani** · 30 Oct 2003, 18:07 (Ref:768315)

Quote:

Originally posted by davemorganfan
I remember a tale from the days when BH was running his own March in F1. The "British Racing Team", as I think he called it, was something of a low budget operation. He was all ready to go to one of the Grands Prix for which he managed to get an entry (Holland?) and gave his mechanic around £500 in cash for expenses. A fair sum in those days. The mechanic in question had never seen such a large sum of money and promptly disappeared, never to be seen again.

Didnt he end up driving the Boro at the Dutch GP? for those crazy Dutch HB alarm making brothers who had previously backed Wunderink at Ensign?

Brians partner in the 77 British F1 Racing team was Derby playwright Don Shaw, whose connections got the BBC to do a documentary on them.

btw DaveMorganFan - which Dave Morgan was that? the guy who worked for Dunlop and did FF in the mid 80s?

**Peter Mallett** · 30 Oct 2003, 18:32 (Ref:768331)

Quote:

Originally posted by spearce
I remember hib doing the business at Thruxton F2, in a Boxer I think, after Patrese flatspotted his boots.

1974?

**ghinzani** · 30 Oct 2003, 19:09 (Ref:768359)

Quote:

Originally posted by Peter Mallett
1974?

77 methinks

verglas · 30 Oct 2003, 22:41 (Ref:768572)

Quote:

btw DaveMorganFan - which Dave Morgan was that? the guy who worked for Dunlop and did FF in the mid 80s?

..and who is entered in the Walter Hayes Trophy meeting at Silverstone next weekend!

Redlake27 · 3 Nov 2003, 08:26 (Ref:771292)

Brian Henton was a driver that made Nigel Mansell look delicate.

It was interesting that following his F1 debut in the mid 70's with his own team, he went back to F2. 1980 F2 champion and 1982 Fastest Lap in the Brands GP were impressive performances. Another of British motorsports 'could have been' stories

davemorganfan · 3 Nov 2003, 13:00 (Ref:771502)

Quote:

Originally posted by verglas
..and who is entered in the Walter Hayes Trophy meeting at Silverstone next weekend!

Er......don't know about that one. The Dave Morgan of whom I am fan is the one from the 70s. The man who drove like a man possessed in 1-litre F3. The one who had a punch-up with James Hunt at Crystal Place, following a lurid accident. The man who won his first F2 race in a converted F3 car. That one.

Dan Rear · 3 Nov 2003, 14:32 (Ref:771631)

Dave

And the one whose brother was Richard Morgan, another good 70s English driver who ran out of luck/money. Did they get on do you know, it seemed to me that Dave's career pretty much ended as Richard's was taking off. Didn't Dave get into 'driver management'at some point. The F2 win you mention seems to have been a fantastic drive, up against some very good cars/drivers/teams in a pretty strong F2 year. Was it treated at the time as a great shock ?

Dan

davemorganfan · 3 Nov 2003, 15:07 (Ref:771671)

As far as I know, Dave has been engineering racing cars for some time, and I believe he is currently working in the States. He was looking after some of the lesser F1 teams a few years ago. Brother Richard's career seemed to fizzle out like his brothers,although I don't think R made it as far as F1 (unlike D whose one and only GP appearance ended up in that almighty accident at a soggy Silverstone in 1975). Dave's F2 win was amazing. He'd done very little racing in 1971 and when I saw his name on the entry list for the F2 opener at Mallory in 1972 I wasn't optimistic. The prospect of an old car against the likes of Peterson and Lauda didn't sound too encouraging. It was a shock to everyone when he won the race, but it was acknowledged as being well deserved and no fluke. He had the right tyres for the cold conditions but it takes more than that to win a race against quality opposition. He continued to run at or near the front for the rest of the year, in a better car by that time.

Ian Senior aka davemorganfan

Dan Rear · 3 Nov 2003, 15:12 (Ref:771674)

Ian/davemorganfan, did he have a Chevron the next year in F2? If so was this the same car he ran in Atlantic for Harry Stiller in 74, I recall he won at Mallory in a B25 again up against some good stuff, the likes of John Nich, Crawford, Brise, Alan Jones, Mallock, etc. He must have liked Mallory I guess.

Also whats your interest in him, are you related, a friend, or just a fan !

Dan

carrera · 3 Nov 2003, 15:39 (Ref:771690)

Quote:

Originally posted by davemorganfan
Er......don't know about that one. The Dave Morgan of whom I am fan is the one from the 70s. The man who drove like a man possessed in 1-litre F3. The one who had a punch-up with James Hunt at Crystal Place, following a lurid accident. The man who won his first F2 race in a converted F3 car. That one.

Watched the Crystal Palace race last night on an old vid I came across. Fantastic race.

davemorganfan · 3 Nov 2003, 15:44 (Ref:771694)

That's the man, that's the car. He also drove the "Texaco Star" Lotus in F2 in 73 or 74 - a lousy car that never worked well, and (I think) the Tui at one stage. I'm just a fan - he seemed to me everything a racing driver should be: foot hard down all the time, never say die attitude, an ability to get results in unfashionable cars and something of an underdog. I once had the opportunity to speak to him at a testing session and I was so awe struck I declined. That's hero worship for you!

Dan Rear · 3 Nov 2003, 16:03 (Ref:771712)

Ian

Blimey did he really drive the Texaco Star as well, I'd never heard of that one. I thought only Ronnie and Emmo ever drove those. As for the Tui, thats also a bit before my time, but I did remember John Nich having it in Atlantic in 75, replacing his Lyncar. Again I hadn't realised Dave M had a go in it, F2 I presume, or was it Atlantic ??

**ghinzani** · 3 Nov 2003, 16:15 (Ref:771730)

Ah that one. His brother Richard was in line to be Wheatcrofts next Williamson at one stage but never made it - shame as he seemed to be the boy earlier in his career. Didnt Dave go on to engineer Eric van de Poele in F1 for Modena team?

btw not the later Dave Morgan then!

tony griffiths · 3 Nov 2003, 16:49 (Ref:771763)

David did you on to engineer Eric van de Poole with the Lamborghini F1 team ....... and he did race the Tui and Allan McCall says he was one of the best ........

**ghinzani** · 3 Nov 2003, 16:58 (Ref:771769)

IIRC TUI planned a 2 car team in the 75 canadian atlantic series - John "Lyncar F1" Nicholson being one driver.

cirrus · 3 Nov 2003, 21:20 (Ref:772058)

I've just caught up with this thread, after a few days away. Didn't Richard Morgan suffer as a result of an FF "bent engine" episode? After something like that, salvaging a frontline career was always going to be an uphill struggle.

davyboy · 26 Apr 2013, 13:39 (Ref:3239659)

Just want to wake up this thread [after a 10 year snooze] and go back to the subject of Brian Henton. Did anyone see the final episode of 'Motor Racing at the BBC' a few days ago ? They re-ran some clips of Henton's first Formula One foray with 'British F1 Racing Team Limited'. From what I could make out, he seemed to be running it out of somebody's residential garage in a housing estate ??!!?? Was that actually the case... seems a fascinating story.

**ghinzani** · 26 Apr 2013, 15:24 (Ref:3239675)

Yes, Brians house. Presumably. Or Don the playwrights at an outside bet.

andy97 · 26 Apr 2013, 16:51 (Ref:3239698)

Didn't thbey discover that the chassis was bent at some point?

He used to own the garage in Castle Donington and I drive past his old house every day. Not sure what happened to him, although I vaguely remember him supposedly being involved in a Kart racing business at Wymeswold and maybe some housing development??

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