Byrne rolls back the years with Ensign Formula 1 return
SILVERSTONE MASTERS HISTORIC F1 JULY 7-8
There was a time when climbing into a Formula 1 car at Silverstone might have put him on a different path, but last weekend Tommy Byrne said “it’s not going to change my life”.
The 60-year-old shot back into the forefront of motorsport culture a few years ago thanks to the entertaining biography Crashed and Byrned.
His racing career got off to a rapid start: within four years of starting, the Irishman was testing F1 cars having excelled as British Formula 3 champion in 1982. But the partying and off-track image frightened sponsors and often got him into trouble, and he disappeared off the scene almost as quickly as he had arrived.
After just two F1 starts in 1982 with Theodore Racing, Byrne ended up in America by ’86, and eventually became a coach at a school in Florida.
But for Silverstone’s 70th anniversary he was invited back by James Hagan to drive an Ensign N177 in the Masters Historic Formula 1 races in support of the British Grand Prix.
Perhaps the biggest chance of the loose cannon’s career came at Silverstone in 1982 with Mclaren, up against
Thierry Boutsen, so to hear him saying he had to learn the circuit was unusual. But of course, the track has changed massively.
“I tried to go in a simulator over in the States, and I couldn’t get a lap in without crashing,” Byrne says without the hint of a smile. “I have most of the corners down now but there’s one I’m still not comfortable with – Vale.
“Entering, I’m not sure what grip the car has since I’m new to it. It’s tough to learn quickly when you’re getting older.”
For someone who was criticised for perhaps not taking the commitment side of racing too seriously, it was an incredibly thorough approach from
Byrne, who suffered a broken halfshaft in qualifying. He recovered to 16th in race one, while engine issues put a halt to his run in Sunday’s second race.
Having addressed the question of how he would get on over the weekend, just one remained: would we see him racing in the UK again anytime soon?
“I’ll come back if there’s the right deal,” he says. “I’ve really enjoyed it, I love the team and James Hagan [car owner]. When I ask for something I get it and I like it a lot. It’s just a shame we didn’t finish it but at least the car isn’t wrecked and is all in one piece.”
So there you have it. Byrne may just be competing on a circuit near you soon. And if he is, it will be a chance to see one of the most talented drivers not to forge a long-term F1 career, taking it just as seriously – if not more so – than he did the first time around.