Shunt Read online

  also by Tom Rubython

  Life of O’Reilly

  - the biography of Tony O’Reilly

  The Rich 500

  - the 500 Richest people in Britain

  The Life of Senna

  - the biography of Ayrton Senna

  Dog Story - An Anthology

  - the life and death of our best friends

  For Harry

  First published in Great Britain in 2010

  by The Myrtle Press

  1 3 5 7 9 10 8 6 4 2

  © Copyright Tom Rubython, 2010

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission of the owners and the above publisher.

  The rights of the author of this work, Tom Rubython have been assured in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

  A CIP catalogue record for this book is available

  from the British Library.

  ISBN: 978-0-9565656-0-0

  Epub ISBN: 978-0-9569893-7-6

  Kindle ISBN: 978-0-9569893-8-3

  Typeset in Bembo by CBA Harlestone

  Reproduction by Fresh Vision, London

  Printed and bound in the UK by

  CPI Clowes, Ellough, Beccles, Sufolk,

  NR34 7TL, United Kingdom

  The Myrtle Press

  Kemp House

  152-160 City Road

  London

  EC1V 2NX

  Tel: 020 7566 1196

  Contents

  Acknowledgments

  Tom Rubython

  PROLOGUE: Memories of James

  Sir Stirling Moss

  FOREWORD: My friend

  Jody Scheckter

  PREFACE: A mystery to the end

  A non-fiction book that reads like a novel

  CHAPTER 1: 1993 Death – the unexpected

  A sudden ending to it all

  CHAPTER 2: 1947 to 1955 Earliest Life

  A very precocious child

  CHAPTER 3: 1942 The perfect parents

  No greater love

  CHAPTER 4: 1955 to 1964 Less than perfect schooldays

  His heart was never in it

  CHAPTER 5: 1965 to 1967 Metamorphosis – doctor to driver

  The smell of petrol takes over

  CHAPTER 6: 1965 - 1967 Mini Racer

  The unreal becomes real

  CHAPTER 7: 1968-1969 Into Formula Ford

  It all starts to get rather serious

  CHAPTER 8: The Embarrassment Factor

  The human gene he lacked

  CHAPTER 9: 1971 Fateful meeting as two paths cross

  James Hunt and John Hogan get together

  CHAPTER 10: 1969 to 1972 The Formula 3 Year

  Four dispiriting years of slog begin

  CHAPTER 11: Flattening David Morgan

  He would never be forgotten after that

  CHAPTER 12: 1972 Character building and no Plan ‘B’

  The options run out, it’s nearly over

  CHAPTER 13: 1972 The Turning Point – meeting Bubbles and Alexander

  Hunt’s career is saved from oblivion

  CHAPTER 14: 1972 Formula 2 proves the springboard to F1

  The guardian angel and the promised land

  CHAPTER 15: 1973 Finally Formula One beckons

  Lord Hesketh applies his own logic

  CHAPTER 16: 1974 Established in Formula One

  The year of no return

  CHAPTER 17: 1974 Spain and tax exile

  Wilson and Healey force him abroad

  CHAPTER 18: Marriage to Suzy and Richard Burton to the rescue

  James gets out of a hole

  CHAPTER 19: 1975 The first win

  An instant injection of credibility

  CHAPTER 20: 1975 Nearly down and out of Formula One

  Saved by the man from Marlboro

  CHAPTER 21: 1976 The Championship Year – January to June

  Just as the game appeared to be over

  CHAPTER 22: 1976 Fiasco at Brands Hatch

  A fantastic British feeling

  CHAPTER 23: 1976 Near Death Experience – Niki Lauda

  Back from the dead and as fast as ever

  CHAPTER 24: 1976 The Championship Year – July to October

  Better than Clark, as good as Stewart

  CHAPTER 25: Back from the dead

  Niki Lauda returns at Monza

  CHAPTER 26: The Bittersweet October

  To the wire in North America

  CHAPTER 27: Showdown in Japan

  A no-holds-barred fight to the finish

  CHAPTER 28: 1977 Reigning world champion

  Vast riches beckon the champion

  CHAPTER 29: Girls, girls, girls, then Jane

  But faithful to none of them

  CHAPTER 30: 1977 A desperately disappointing title defence

  Over the top behaviour costs him dearly

  CHAPTER 31: 1987 A fear of death takes hold

  Ronnie’s death sparks morbid thoughts

  CHAPTER 32: The end of the road with McLaren

  A devastatingly poor year

  CHAPTER 33: The death of Ronnie Peterson

  A devastating weekend

  CHAPTER 34: 1979 Sudden retirement and gone

  The flag comes down on a career of contrasts

  CHAPTER 35: The psychology of a champion

  A complicated scenario

  CHAPTER 36: 1979 The return to Britain

  Time on his hands and nothing to do

  CHAPTER 37: 1980 Disaster on the ski slopes

  Return to racing is thwarted by events

  CHAPTER 38: 1980 Fleetwood Mac, the BBC and all that

  A television great emerges

  CHAPTER 39: Goodbye Baby Jane

  The end of the affair

  CHAPTER 40: Meeting Sarah and wedding number two

  Not a match made in heaven

  CHAPTER 41: Family life, Freddie, Tom and…the budgerigars

  A false dawn as fatherhood beckons

  CHAPTER 42: Black dog and the lost decade

  Off the rails in his darkest period

  CHAPTER 43: Separation from Sarah and financial disaster

  He loses his fortune and his family

  CHAPTER 44: 1990-1993 Helen’s arrival sparks a personal revival

  Light in the dark tunnel again

  CHAPTER 45: Premature goodbye to a great champion

  £5,000 pays for the party

  CHAPTER 46: 1993 Life after James

  The aftermath of a premature death

  Appendices

  APPENDIX I: Formula One Career Statistics

  APPENDIX II: Other Races

  APPENDIX III: 1968 to 1969 Formula Ford 1600

  APPENDIX IV: 1969 to 1972 Formula 3

  APPENDIX V: 1971 to 1973 Formula 2

  APPENDIX VI: 1973 to 1979 F1 World Championship

  APPENDIX VII: 1973 to 1979 Non-Championship F1

  APPENDIX VIII: 1969 to 1978 Championship Tables

  APPENDIX IX: 1975 to 1977 F1 Wins by Season

  APPENDIX X: 1975 to 1977 10 F1 Wins

  APPENDIX XI: 1976 to 1977 F1 Pole Positions by Season

  APPENDIX XII: 1976 to 1977 14 F1 Pole Positions

  APPENDIX XIII: Top Pole Scorers of all Time

  APPENDIX XIV: Top Race Winners of all Time

  APPENDIX XV: James Hunt’s F1 Cars 1973 to 1979

  BIBLIOGRAPHY

  INDEX

  If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster

  And treat those two impostors just the same...

  Or walk with Kings – nor lose the common touch

  ...Yours is the Earth and everything that’s in it,

&nb
sp; And – which is more – you’ll be a Man, my son!

  Rudyard Kipling (1865-1936),

  Read on 29th September 1993 by

  Innes Ireland (1930-1993)

  Acknowledgements

  A book like this owes so many things to so many people. But I must first thank John Hogan for all his help in preparing this new account of James Hunt’s life. John was a constant presence throughout the entire process, putting me right so to speak. And there is no one better qualified. Without John, there would have been no James Hunt; and it is just as fair to say that without John, this book wouldn’t have happened either. Not only did he provide the basic framework for the book, he also verified and discredited all accounts that had come before. Right from the start, John was a wellspring of information as I went back to him time and time again to get the facts, check the facts and, finally, to verify the facts. John helped me blow away many of the myths surrounding James and urged me to retell the story as it really happened. John felt strongly that previous biographers had been misled by people who had over-exaggerated their roles in James’ life. As ever, he was right.

  Then there was Gerald Donaldson, who wrote the first significant biography of James Hunt, published shortly after James’ death. I have worked closely with Gerald in the past, notably on Formula 1 Magazine and my biography of Ayrton Senna. Gerry gave me free rein to dive into his book, which was very kind of him.

  Gerry’s book was ‘approved of ’ by the Hunt family and was thereby an ‘authorised’ biography, which mine clearly has not been. Such access made Gerry’s book the greater, especially as a result of the illuminating conversations he must have had with James’ father, Wallis, before he died in 2001. My book is all the better for access to Gerry’s material. The critics’ plaudits heaped upon Gerry’s book at time of its publication were, I found, very well deserved.

  My gratefulness also extends to Christopher Hilton, prolific as ever with his books Portrait of a Champion and Memories books on James. Memories was significant because so many of the people who knew James well have subsequently died, and Chris’ book is the only historical record of what they thought about him. Chris is a deeply honourable man and Formula One’s most prolific author, and therefore by default also its leading historian. My respect for him just grew and grew during the writing of this book. As it did for the late David Benson, the Daily Express motoring editor during the time James was racing. David is quite frankly one of the best car writers of all time and his writings on James and Niki Lauda in that era were remarkable for the depth of their content. 35 years later, David’s posthumous contribution to this book should not be underestimated.

  Here I must pay tribute also to James’ parents, Wallis and Sue. Over time, I became so impressed with their parenting abilities and qualities as people that, quite late into the book, I decided to give them their own chapter. They are clearly outstanding people. Immediately upon speaking with James’ 86-year-old mother, it became obvious to me where much of James’ charm and sheer goodness came from. All of the Hunt children were exceedingly lucky to have been raised by such fine parents. But whether they all fully appreciate that, I am not sure.

  Some of Hunt’s family decided not to speak to me about James, and I respected that and worked round it. David Hunt was an exception but, unfortunately, he was a youngster when James was racing. David didn’t really see much of James from when he retired to when he died, and naturally has limited recollection of key events. Sarah, Tom and Freddie Hunt also helped me considerably.

  Inevitably, people’s memories vary and are inaccurate when discussing events that took place as long ago as 40 years. Grahame White, part of the fabric of British motor sport, was absolutely delightful and didn’t blink an eyelid when my dog Doris joined us for the interview, sitting beside me on the spare chair in front of his desk. Even though he upset Doris when he offered me tea and failed to bring her a cup, they clearly hit it off and, in his subsequent emails, he unfailingly asked me how Doris was.

  I extend my thanks also to April Tod, the brilliant tennis journalist who also dabbles in Formula One. She spent an entire Saturday at Silverstone in the British Grand Prix paddock guiding me to people who knew James in his Formula Ford and Formula 3 days. There were some amusing moments when April decided to heavily censor and rewrite some of her own quotes that were to appear in the book. Having had some time to think about it, and perhaps out of sheer modesty, she turned the “long, hot, sweaty, bristled, sloppy, kiss on the lips” that James planted on her on the podium at Rouen in 1971 into a “quick kiss on both cheeks”. But that, as everyone knows, was not James at all.

  Peter Rieck was one of the few men who got the better of James Hunt over a girl. He wood and won his wife, Taormina, away from James in 1970. As ever, James took it all in stride and the three of them became great friends. Peter told me many stories, none of which were fit to be printed in this book, but I thank him anyway.

  Andrew Frankl, the co-founder of Car magazine, gave me a brilliant account of what happened at the 1976 British Grand Prix at Brands Hatch from the point of view of the man in the grandstand. It was illuminating.

  Philippe Gurdjian buttonholed me in the Silverstone paddock when he heard about my book. It turned out that he and James had a lot of history, all of the social kind, and he kindly recreated some events for me to tell in the book. Obviously, they all occurred many years ago and long before he was married. Thanks to Philippe, the high jinks at Monaco over 37 years ago are much more vividly retold.

  Overhearing our conversation, Stirling Moss also began telling me his own stories of James painting Monte Carlo red. But as he began recalling the details, he also began limiting his exposé, realising that much of what had happened actually took place after he had married his lovely wife, Suzy – who was standing nearby, taking it all in her stride, and smiling at me knowingly. Suzy Moss remembered James with tremendous affection but wasn’t afraid to tell me the negative sides to his character. This was also true of John Surtees, who had immense affection for James although he disliked his lack of respect for the conventions of life.

  David Gray was brilliant in giving me a wholly different view of James’ days in Formula One from the point of view of the hangers-on. He also took me behind the scenes of some of James’ sponsorship deals. Andrew Marriott filled me in on the details of James’ commercial deals and put me in touch with Linda Patterson, who provided much of the minutiae that Andrew and David couldn’t remember. Des Preece was very helpful to me with all sorts of odd information that I could not have obtained elsewhere. I am deeply indebted to them all.

  Of James’ broadcasting days at the BBC, Mark Wilkin and Jonathan Martin could not have been more helpful. Mark endured a long interview, and the only question on which he demurred was when I asked him how much James earned. I was immensely grateful for his candour. Jonathan, who launched James’ career in television, and without whom it definitely would not have happened, meticulously examined my narrative and made sure it was correct. Jonathan is a broadcasting legend and is responsible for the cult of former sports men and women becoming pundits; the whole of television sport today has reason to be grateful to him. Murray Walker, an immensely important personage in this story, told me the truth about the man he loved and hated, it seemed, in almost equal measure. We have Murray to thank for so much of the story after James Hunt finished racing. Mike Doodson also told me blow-by-blow, sometimes literally, what it was like to sit in the middle of James and Murray in the BBC commentary booth for 13 years.

  John Watson was my principal guide to James’ Formula One career. At one point during the writing of chapters 14 to 21, I was on the telephone to John every hour, on the hour, and he never once displayed any sign of being fed up with me. John was right there with James for virtually every lap he raced in Formula One, and, when I wanted it unvarnished, I went to John and he delivered. It is not often that someone in his position will take so much time to help an author with a story. Thank you, John, you a
re a true friend.

  Jackie Stewart also chipped in from time to time with his observations. Jackie only raced against James in 1973 and had less to say, but I was nonetheless astonished at his absolute recall and candour. Of all the memories I tested for the writing of this book, Jackie’s was the clearest.

  Max Mosley was also very helpful about James’ early days in Formula 3 and early Formula One. Max and James had the most unusual of relationships and were clearly very close despite their public differences in 1972. Most of Max’s stories of that time have made it into the book. Max gave me the unvarnished truth about James, and it was clear he loved the man dearly.

  Ian Phillips sat down with me for a long discussion about James and told me everything that went on in those days, leaving nothing to my imagination. James’ off-track antics were truly remarkable and do not need any embellishment when told. Alan Henry confirmed the truth of every word Ian told me and added a few more ‘truths.’ Howden Ganley gave me some very useful insights into James’ crossover from Formula Ford to Formula 3, which he personally witnessed and remembered. Bill Brown and Mike Costin, formerly of Cosworth, also furnished historical information and some enlightening stories about Bubbles Horsley and Lord Hesketh.

  Peter Collins, the former Lotus team principal, was a passionate admirer of James Hunt. I rank Peter’s opinion about all things motor racing incredibly highly, and when I got into difficulty, Peter Collins found out what I needed to know. Peter spent a lot of time with James discussing the deep intricacies of motor racing, and he provided me with a word-for-word account of many of those discussions, as much as he could remember.

  Eddie Jordan also chipped in with a few stories about how much James disliked the idea of his brother David entering into motor racing. According to Eddie, James simply didn’t think it safe enough and actively tried to sabotage David’s would-be career. Eddie and James ran a mutual appreciation society in the early nineties.

  My thanks goes also to Nicky Samengo-Turner who got to the bottom of the Lloyds saga for me but, alas, whose information was too hot even for this book. Nevertheless, we made the point, and Nicky’s story will be told at some time, in some place in the future; I feel sure.