Burton, John

[petestenning]

My first memory of John Burton was at Snetterton Easter 1969, when he drove the Worcester Racing Association's Chevron B8.

He has mainly been a Chevron driver , winning in B19,21,23,and 26 Being Orwell sports car champion in 2004 and 2007.
I used to work for one of John team mates Peter Greasey, and he allways talked about John as Burty.

I know Peter drove Ginettas did John also ?



Pete

[John Turner]

A good subject, Pete. In fact, John is a member here and has contributed to the Chevron B26 thread, particularly since he still drives one to good effect in Historic racing. It's here:-

http://tentenths.com/forum/showthrea...t=81239&page=6

He has offered to provide us with some anecdotes, so they may well end up here.

[p261brm]

One of John's finest races 8th October 1972 Montjuich Park B19 1st and the 2litre Championship for Chevron, along with memories of the other John in the Cannon team; Boot, and the night spent together in no mans land at the Franco/Spanish border locked in for a vital piece of documentation missing, made us stay in a hotel, let us go the next day though, the reason? best left!

[driftwood]

It is situations like ths that do not appear in the race reports or books to show how hard it was to travel europe in those days to race
Today we calculate 3 hours to ferry 20 mins to clear check in 2 hr on ferry 5 hours through france belgium germany to track to get there and you could tell your mechanics 6 pm in the bar

then it was more like 6 hours to ferry
then hope to clear customs this end swiftly
then 2 hour ferry crossing to spend what 1-4 hours clearing french customs with your carnet
then 1 hour drive to belgian border same episode
You might stop for the night here or press on
then to German border 1-4 hours to clear customs then onto circuit
total 2 days IF you had no hassle or some wanna be making you empty car and spares to check every everything was listed
Then after your race meeting you had the same trip home so overall it was 1 week to go motor racing that we do now in 3/4 days at most

I am sure that many Brits found themselves sitting for hours or a day or 2 at some frontier waiting to clear customs

[p261brm]

The race referred to at Montjuich won by John was in itself a marathon. The Cannon sponsored car was in effect a works entry, all the works/Red Rose cars had been dispatched to South Africa for the Springbok. Chevron needed to win the last round of the 1972 FIA 2ltr series to secure the championship. Paul Owens et al set to on the Monday to construct a 21 from scratch, whilst the Board of Trade ATA carnet, Bank Guarantee's geencard etc obtained. English & French were accepted by the rest of the world for the carnet, not so Franco's Spain, Spanish!! I left Bolton at 5pm on Wednesday for practice 9am Friday, the 21 trailered behind my 3-8 Mk2, Southhampton for the midnight ferry to Le Harvre and through France non stop apart for fuel, to Perpignan and on to Barcelona. The trip completed in 36 hours including 6 on the ferry. The fact that Red Rose had 2 Spanish drivers on the team in 72 made no difference to the treatment one received from the Spanish authorities, the Carnet's having to be stamped by Custom's Officers not border guards. At least the Spanish worked 24 hrs the French 8-2 and 4-8 only.

[driftwood]

You took the words out of my mouth that i nearly added to my script about having local drivers as i was poised to suggest that i wondered if having local drivers in teams cars "aided" passage but you have peed on my bonfire!

I must say i think you should have been driving the race car if you could do Bolton to Soton docks sans trailer in 7 hours! there where no motorways to speak of back then but i accept less traffic too still a long journey !!
to recap
did you work for chevron factory or WRA team?

[p261brm]

Originally Posted by driftwood

You took the words out of my mouth that i nearly added to my script about having local drivers as i was poised to suggest that i wondered if having local drivers in teams cars "aided" passage but you have peed on my bonfire!

I must say i think you should have been driving the race car if you could do Bolton to Soton docks sans trailer in 7 hours! there where no motorways to speak of back then but i accept less traffic too still a long journey !!
to recap
did you work for chevron factory or WRA team?

Red Rose & Red Rose entered cars Ken Walker, George & Peter Humble, the Chevron Brotherhood used to look after their own and relationships forged then still remain strong to this day. On the Journey to Spain down the Mullsane the B21 attained a record speed going backwards thats for sure.

[p261brm]

1-4 hrs clearing German customs agreed plus having derv fuel tanks dipped and duty having to be paid if over 50litres, 2 days at Southampton taking bag tanks and foam out of race car to see if you had any drugs, at least life was not boring. Getting away with telling a Dover officer the V12 Ferrari engine was from a very bent E-type for which one had no papers at all. happy days.

[driftwood]

interesting comments on start money may explain why more RR race cars are at races with "different" drivers
i assume you have heaps of original photos of cars racing in those 2-3 years of b19 21 23 cars?
how many 19 became 21 or 23 cars for example JB raced a new model each year but where they new cars each season new plates etc or was the b19 updated to b21 ( very few mods) then to 23 ( again very little to change)

[p261brm]

In Rome as they say, want a better return in France insert French driver, provided of course he was of a standard at least as good as your own. The teams previous record at WCM events also counted, a good negotiator on your behalf, and Mr. Peter Gaydon was good, and not a three bad driver either. Mr.Jenkinson was on occasions very critical of some of the Brits efforts abroad, though in general 'Team Chevron' rarely let the side down. Jenks wrote 'a well run race' after our efforts at Spa and it did not come better than that from the man. As for piccies few the box brownie was not often included in the tool kit, though a few more appeared after Mr Brian Kriesky got involved with the FIA 2lire events somehow Ferret has them all! Brian was a hoot, but always seemed to be able to extract start money from reluctant organisers.