Obituary: Johnny Dumfries, 1958-2021
He faced a near no longer doable job alongside the Brazilian, and after that traumatic year, he below no conditions had every other shot at Huge Prix racing.
If truth be told, he changed into a plot more performed driver than the bare 1986 statistics suggested, as he had already shown in his F3 days, and would due to this truth expose in sportscar racing.
In loads of how Dumfries changed into a throwback to an earlier generation, following within the footsteps of aristocrats who raced ERAs and Bentleys within the pre-WW2 years. Nonetheless, in preference to spending the household fortune, he tried to construct it on his relish, no longer utilizing his title to originate doorways. Never one to endure fools gladly, he retained a dry sense of humour – and repeatedly had a down-to-earth perspective on his profession.
He changed into born John Colum Crichton-Stuart in 1958, and because the son of the Marquess of Bute, he changed into titled the Earl of Dumfries.
He had a shut connection to motor racing as his cousin Charlie Crichton-Stuart had been an F3 racer within the sixties, portion of a shut-knit neighborhood that incorporated Piers Courage, Frank Williams, Bubbles Horsley and Charles Lucas. Nonetheless, he changed into supplied to the sport by work colleagues who enjoyed karting, and after sampling it, he changed into curved.
He didn’t are attempting to make inform of his title or household cash to development. He worked in a diversity of jobs, particularly as a builder, and as painter and decorator. In 1977 he had a spell as a van driver/gofer for Williams, after which moved to the BS Fabrications crew, which ran Brett Lunger and Nelson Piquet.
Having given himself a surname that will no longer entice consideration, Dumfries first made his note in FF1600 in 1980. He received a vehicle from early mentor Bert Ray, whose manufacturing unit primarily primarily based shut to Producers Hatch, and his cousin Charlie helped out with contacts where he would possibly well.
In 1983 he graduated to F3, where he changed into on the initiating bustle by broken-down racer Dave Morgan. The following year he took a step up to Dave Designate’s frontrunning crew, with solid BP backing.
It proved to be a unbelievable season. He scored 10 victories and received the title with out problems – alongside with his prize including a McLaren F1 check. He even changed into down an opportunity to sub for the injured Martin Brundle at Tyrrell to point of curiosity on his F3 marketing campaign.
He received four races within the European F3 sequence, and despite no longer contesting the total rounds, he changed into a shut runner-up to champion Ivan Capelli.
He furthermore received his first sportscar journey, driving a Porsche 956 camera vehicle at Spa and at Sandown Park, sharing on the latter with Sir Jack Brabham. But he didn’t relish the journey of driving with a closed roof.
1985 Johnny Dumfries, Lola Motorsport
Photo by: Motorsport Photos
In 1985, Dumfries graduated to the unusual Scheme 3000 sequence, which featured a combination of bespoke equipment and broken-down F1 cars. He landed a seat with Onyx, incomes a simplest of a sixth position at Vallelunga, but funding ran out and he switched to the Lola Motorsport crew ahead of his season floor to a dwell. On the tip of the year he had his first just correct sportscar day out, sharing Richard Lloyd’s Porsche 956 with Kenny Acheson at Fuji.
His stock remained high, and he received F1 journey sorting out for various teams, particularly Ferrari. He signed a Maranello check contract that proved to be a dumb discontinue, having earlier changed into down an opportunity with Bernie Ecclestone and Brabham.
His chance to slip for Workforce Lotus alongside Senna in 1986 came after the Brazilian vetoed the sequence of Derek Warwick, feeling that a longtime British driver would possibly divert consideration from his marketing campaign. Dumfries, who examined for the crew at Donington Park, changed into an acceptable different.
Johnny Dumfries, Lotus 98T Renault, makes a pitstop
Photo by: Motorsport Photos
The Renault-powered 98T changed into for lumber one of many quickest and most highly effective cars of the turbo assign. Completely dominant exact via the camp, as changed into his wish, Senna took a string of poles.
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Nonetheless, the vehicle changed into no longer straightforward for a rookie to tame and Dumfries struggled to construct an impact. On paper his simplest efficiency changed into in Hungary, where he began eighth and performed fifth, whereas his fully assorted rating came with sixth on the Adelaide finale. Unhappy reliability, in particular with the gearbox, price him in other places, but he did no longer decrease than prepare seventh in his dwelling slip at Producers.
Johnny Dumfries, Lotus 98T Renault
Photo by: Rainer W. Schlegelmilch
Talking to F1’s Beyond the Grid podcast closing year he made a candid admission: “I didn’t assign it on the line sufficient. I changed into very wide awake of no longer attempting to be the rookie driver who kept stuffing the vehicle into the Armco barrier.
“I reflect it’s important to fabricate, but it’s furthermore important to construct a resolution about when it would also just nonetheless be placed on the line, and when pretty of caution would possibly just nonetheless be added.”
By the tip of the year, it changed into lumber that he would be dropped to construct attain for Satoru Nakajima, who came with the Honda engine deal.
A Lotus press convention: Peter Warr, Lotus Workforce Supervisor, Ayrton Senna, and crew mate Johnny Dumfries
Photo by: Sutton Photos
In 1987 Dumfries began a brand unusual profession within the World Sportscar Championship. His first day out came at Silverstone with the Ecurie Ecosse C2 crew, ahead of he stepped up to the principle class to pressure a Sauber-Mercedes at Le Mans, partnering Mike Thackwell and Indy vehicle racer Chip Ganassi.
He changed into then invited to affix Mauro Baldi in Richard Lloyd’s Porsche 962 for the Producers 1000kms – and the pair performed a solid 2nd. That summer season he received the Elkhart Lake IMSA slip with Designate Cobb in Plot shut Dyson’s 962.
By now he’d attracted the honour of fellow Scot Tom Walkinshaw, which ended in a pressure in a Jaguar XJR-8 at Spa. Dumfries received the slip with Martin Brundle and Raul Boesel. He furthermore returned to F3 for Macau, where he performed ninth.
The Spa efficiency earned him a fulltime Jaguar seat in 1988, alongside Jan Lammers. It changed into a traumatic year for the pair, and the sister Brundle/Eddie Cheever XJR-9 did most of the crew’s a hit. Nonetheless, Dumfries and Lammers triumphed within the monumental one, the Le Mans 24 Hours, joined by third driver Andy Wallace.
#2 Jaguar XJR-9LM: Jan Lammers, Johnny Dumfries, Andy Wallace
Photo by: Rainer W. Schlegelmilch
After a pair of crashes Dumfries changed into dropped by Walkinshaw, and for 1989 he went to the unusual TOM’S Toyota World Championship operation, with John Watson and Geoff Lees alternating as his crew mates.
The year received off to a execrable open with a spectacular note break at Monza – where Dumfries rolled after spinning into the Lesmo barrier. Toyota couldn’t match the trip of the Saubers, Porsches and Jaguars, and his simplest consequence changed into a fourth at Dijon. That year he furthermore continued to log F1 mileage sorting out for Benetton, engaged on racy suspension.
The 1990 season proved to be plot more disappointing, with Roberto Ravaglia his most frequent teammate, and Dumfries changed into no longer invited to be portion of Toyota’s transition to the unusual assuredly-aspirated principles for the World Sportscar Championship.
#37 Toyota Tom’s Workforce Toyota 89 CV: Johnny Dumfries, Geoff Lees, John Watson
Photo by: Philippe Hubert
In 1991 he drove a Cougar-Porsche for the Courage crew at Le Mans, sharing with Anders Olofsson and Thomas Danielsson. The vehicle retired on what would indicate to be his final day out within the 24 hours.
Dumfries’ racing profession fizzled out, after which his life modified when his father handed away in July 1993. He inherited the title, changing into the 7th Marquess of Bute. With it came the responsibility for running the household estate at Mount Stuart and its associated businesses, and he reduce up his time between his properties in London and Scotland.
He stayed away from racing thereafter but did construct a brief return to Le Mans in sorting out in 2003. For a pair of years he organised a Festival of Bustle-model occasion at Mount Stuart, but the logistics of getting cars and of us to the Isle of Bute proved too sophisticated. He retained few ties with the sport – he remained sharp with shut chums relish Dave Designate – but because the years handed he changed into in a position to stare attend fondly.
He suggested Beyond the Grid: “I assign in mind myself extremely lucky to occupy been in a position to construct a profession out of doing something that gave me such fantastic pleasure, and represented this form of monumental notify. And that be conscious notify is for lumber important, because I reflect challenges are for lumber important in life.
“I’ve repeatedly loved to notify myself, and shimmering that I challenged myself in an ghastly ambiance, and had a level of success, affords me an unlimited quantity of enjoyment.”
Johnny Dumfries, Eddie Cheever
Photo by: Kenneth Barton