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Johnny Herbert
NAME: John Paul Herbert
DOB: 25th June 1964
Place of Birth: Brentwood, UK
Marital
Status: Married to Rebecca, with two
daughters: Chloe and Amelia.
For those of you not into motor racing, Johnny drove in Formula 1 for many, many
years (winning three races), as well as having competed in the ALMS series and
he's often in the Le Mans 24hrs - he has won it, as well as finishing on the
podium a couple of times.
Johnny's a lovely man, and the only person I've met where
my knees have been so wobbly that I thought I was going to collapse. I
admire him so much, and whenever I meet him I still go all silly and nervous...
which doesn't happen when I meet anyone else!
I admire him so much because of his attitude to life and to his career.
When he was young, he had the potential to be the Next Big Thing in F1... he
tested with Nelson Piquet, and was fastest. He had a decent F1 seat
semi-lined up........ and then he suffered a horrendous crash, and his feet were
ripped off almost completely (it's never a good sign when the first paramedic on
the scene promptly throws up and passes out on sight of your injuries, is it?)
Johnny's feet should have been removed, and his career would have been over.
Instead, he was driving in Formula One the next year. But his ability was
never the same again.
Since then, Johnny realised that the only way to cope with it all was to smile, to laugh, to joke. And this is something that I admire hugely. Life never goes as planned, and when tragedy struck him, he didn't let it get him down. He became one of the best loved personalities in recent F1 years, and never gave up his passion for racing. His grit and determination is, to me, awe inspiring. Nothing was going to stop him doing what he loved best: racing. Not that Brands Hatch crash, not the pain ever since, nothing. And good on him.
Johnny supports several charities, and holds a karting event
every November down in London. This has never failed to be the highlight
of my year - it's a fantastic chance to get to chat to Johnny, as well as to
mingle with several other celebrities from the racing and TV world. But
most of all, it's great fun... everyone has a ball, and a lot of money is raised
for charity.
Johnny on his way to win at Sebring, ALMS
Johnny test driving
the 2001 season Orange Arrows
F1 car
Johnny test driving
again
Find out MORE!!! http://www.johnnyherbert.co.uk
Many thanks to David Cunliffe
of the Johnny Herbert website for providing me with the headshot of Johnny and the Sebring
photo.
And thanks too, to Matt Fowler (and his 'sidekick' Edna) for the Arrows shots.