24h Le Mans
Johnny Herbert was a true rebel who marched to the beat of his own drummer no matter what life threw at him. His is a story for the ages.
Johnny Herbert was born in 1964 in eastern England and as a child his big dream was to race cars. He got his start in karting and became a two-time champion before successfully moving up to Formula Ford 1600, which turned into Formula Ford 2000 and Formula 3. In the early 1980s, Herbert was one of the great British hopefuls in a country struggling to find a successor to past legends like Moss, Hawthorn and Hunt. In 1987, while competing in F3, he was given the opportunity to test drive the Benetton Formula 1 car at Brands Hatch. He proved faster than the incumbent Thierry Boutsen with no experience whatsoever.
The Jordan team signed Herbert for the F3000 championship in 1988. His star was firmly on the rise until one tragic turn of events changed his life forever. While competing at the Brands Hatch circuit, he got embroiled in a huge accident involving about a dozen cars. Herbert hit a wall head-on, shredding the front of his prototype as well as his legs.
Herbert's doctors told him he would be lucky to walk again. Incredibly, the accident happened on 21 August and by December, he was trying his hand at driving a Formula 1. He refused to give up on his ultimate goal, and thanks to the efforts of Benetton team owner Peter Collins, Herbert was given the wheel of an F1 while he was still in a wheel chair. Despite a remarkable fourth place finish for his debut in Brazil in 1989, where he had to be carried to and placed inside his single-seater, he was fired when Flavio Briatore took over the team. He was beside himself. After yet another attempt near the end of the year, Herbert packed his bags and flew to Japan in search of new offers.
That is how a Brit found himself recruited into the Mazda endurance racing programme, competing in various championships and disciplines. The Japanese marque had been participating in the 24 Hours since 1974, and Herbert took his rookie start in 1990. Mazda was under the gun to reach the top step on the podium with its rotary engine before the new World Sports Car Championship regulations went into effect. The 787 was a significant evolution and was expected to bring the carmaker closer to victory at Le Mans, but instead it developed major problems during the race. Both prototypes were affected, including the one Herbert shared with the Belgian driver Bertrand Gachot and German driver Volker Weidler. The trio was forced to retire at 05:00 with electrical troubles.
In 1991, the last year before the massive 3.5L naturally aspirated engines came on the scene, almost all competitors endured setbacks, but Mazda managed to slip through the cracks and its performance went relatively unhampered. The 787B, the car's final model, was its best iteration yet, but still struggled against front runners like Jaguar and Mercedes-Benz.
And yet, to everyone's surprise, the #55 787B shared by Herbert/Gachot/Weidler was headed to victory as the other contenders suffered various difficulties. Japan interrupted regularly scheduled television broadcasts as Mazda became the first Japanese manufacturer to win the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
Though Herbert was tasked with crossing the finish line, the trio had been doing double stints and he was completely spent, so dehydrated he collapsed getting out of his prototype and was even unable to celebrate his win on the podium. Once again, Herbert was helped out of his car, this time as a hero. The 787B became a legend and crowd favourite thanks to its iconic livery and shrill sound, and in 2020 on X (Twitter), you named it your preferred car from the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
Herbert returned in 1992 at the wheel of a Mazda MXR-01, a 3.5L compliant with the new Group C regulations. After a very successful start in the rain, things were looking good for the Weilder/Herbert/Gachot line-up joined by Maurizio Sandro Sala. But the Peugeotsn and Toyotas proved stronger, relegating the Mazda to fourth place.
Meanwhile, Herbert had never really left Formula 1, taking part in a race here and there with Lotus thanks to Peter Collins. He said goodbye to endurance racing for good at the end of 1992 to focus strictly on single-seaters. That same year, the veteran team offered Herbert the role of head driver, launching his second (more successful) career in F1. He stayed with Lotus through its final hours in F1 before joining Ligier then returning to Benetton, and followed that up with three full seasons with Sauber before moving to Stewart in 1999 (which became Jaguar in 2000). Herbert claimed the top step on the podium in F1 three times, but just as he was about to take his leave from F1, he skirted disaster. At his last Grand Prix, Herbert's suspension broke in an accident and he once again needed to be taken out of his prototype.
After managing several development tests for the Arrows team, Herbert returned to endurance racing, his preferred playing field back in the early 1990s. Due to his reputation, he was welcomed into Champion Racing, a prestigious Audi partner team from the U.S. As a top contender since 1999, Audi possessed a particularly formidable car: the famous R8 that had just won the 2000 24 Hours.
Herbert and teammates Didier Theys and Ralf Kelleners had everything going for them heading into the 2001 24 Hours, but their chances were dashed early on when the Audi's transmission died after just 80 laps. He joined the official team the following year, kicking off the season with a win at the 12 Hours of Sebring. At the 24 Hours of Le Mans, Herbert executed a stunning start in the #2 Audi and soon the R8s pulled away from the rest of the field. In the fourth hour, the #1 Audi took the reins with no intention of letting them go, and after a flawless race claimed the top step on the podium, one lap ahead of the R8 driven by Herbert, Christian Pescatori and Rinaldo Capello.
As a Brit, Herbert couldn't help but notice Bentley's rise at Le Mans, largely supported by the Volkswagen Group, owner of Audi. Johnny Herbert: We were two and a half Brits in the car with Mark Blundell and counting David Brabham (Australian by nationality, Ed.) as one of us. We felt like Bentley Boys. During the 2003 season, he finished third at the 12 Hours of Sebring and second at the 24 Hours behind the sister car, once again, despite having delivered a nearly perfect race.
Herbert returned in 2004 at the wheel an Audi R8 fielded by the British partner outfit Team Veloqx. He was once again a top contender after another podium finish at Sebring and a fantastic qualifying performance resulting in P1 for the #88 R8 (the car's only pole at Le Mans).
For an impressive stretch of the race, the #88 Audi led the field as its rivals suffered a variety of setbacks. But, the #5 of Team Goh from Japan just wouldn't give up. On Sunday, necessary repairs cost Herbert/Jamie Davis/Guy Smith seven minutes in the garage, effectively ending their chances for victory. The trio was unable to chase down the Japanese Audi winner by just 41 seconds, resulting in three second place finishes in as many years for Herbert. Team Veloqx subsequently closed its doors.
Up until 2012, Herbert continued to fulfil his love for racing in fairly original and little-known championships. He did return to Le Mans one more time, in 2007, in GT1 as a member of the Aston Martin Racing armada driving the DBR9. He and teammates Peter Kox and Tomáš Enge finished ninth overall and fourth in the category as a different DBR9 claimed the win.
Now a consultant, Herbert never misses any opportunity to share his passion for racing through anecdotes and personal stories. He may not have taken motorsport by storm as some predicted he would early in his career, but he has always had the heart of a champion.
