Johnny Herbert: Farewell to a favourite.

The 2000 Formula One finale was also the last race in a grand prix car for Johnny Herbert, one of the most likeable, determined and human drivers of them all.

Herbert's racing history is well known by most devoted race fans. The story of a rapid rise halted by horrific injury and a courageous comeback frustrated by poor machinery is one of the most well told of motorsport tales. For all this, however, Herbert remained one of the most cheerful drivers in modern Formula One, revelling in his ''cheeky chappy'' persona.

The 2000 Formula One finale was also the last race in a grand prix car for Johnny Herbert, one of the most likeable, determined and human drivers of them all.

Herbert's racing history is well known by most devoted race fans. The story of a rapid rise halted by horrific injury and a courageous comeback frustrated by poor machinery is one of the most well told of motorsport tales. For all this, however, Herbert remained one of the most cheerful drivers in modern Formula One, revelling in his ''cheeky chappy'' persona.

His career began, like most of today's F1 stars, in karting. Several championships came his way, but not before he had been banned for racing underage! The next step was into the British Formula Ford series, beginning with a quiet campaign in 1984. It wasn't until the next season that Herbert finally captured the attention of the motorsport world.

After another relatively unsuccessful championship, Herbert stunned the regulars in the traditional end-of-season Formula Ford Festival at Brands Hatch. Driving an unfashionable Quest chassis, the Essex youngster won despite starting from the back of the grid - with a ten second penalty.

A troubled FF2000 campaign in 1986 was rescued with an end of year Formula 3 debut which netted fourth place, and secured Herbert a drive for the following season. Entered by Eddie Jordan Racing, Johnny dominated the early part of the season, and his five wins were enough to seal the championship.

Staying with EJR for the 1988 F3000 season, Herbert started in the best possible fashion by taking victory in round one at Jerez. A combination of accidents and poor results contrived to keep him behind the series leaders until Brands Hatch, when Herbert looked likely to dominate the meeting. In a restarted race, however, Herbert found himself at the centre of a multi-car pile-up on the high speed back straight. Both his ankles were broken, and experts doubted Herbert would ever walk again, let alone drive a racing car.

Prior to his accident, Johnny had excelled in his first F1 test with the Lotus team, outpacing reigning world champion Nelson Piquet. This performance led to the Benetton team offering the young Englishman an F1 contract for 1989, which the team subsequently honoured on his return to the cockpit.

Although he finished fourth on his Rio debut, Herbert was rested by the team mid-year and, despite a couple of late season outings with Tyrrell, looked likely to disappear from F1. A part season of F3000 in Japan rescued his reputation and Lotus snapped him up at the end of 1990.

Four seasons of toil at Hethel were punctuated by an historic Le Mans 24Hr victory with Mazda, before Herbert was again offered a seat at Benetton. A one-off race at Ligier preceded the move, which then turned sour as Herbert was forced to cede to team leader Michael Schumacher. Nevertheless, two grand prix victories - in Britain and Italy - and fourth overall in the championship came as some reward for his determination and courage.

For 1996, Herbert signed for the midfield Sauber team, outperforming team leader Heinz-Harald Frentzen. When the German left for Williams the following year, Herbert became number one, and rewarded the team with a podium finish in Hungary.

He was joined in the team for 1998 by Jean Alesi, as the pair made up the most experienced pairing on the grid. Sadly for the likeable Herbert, the relationship turned sour as Alesi gradually became the team's favourite, and the Englishman felt obliged to leave at the end of the year having scored a solitary point in the first race.

Going into 1999 facing possible retirement from F1, Herbert took the opportunity to sign for the Stewart team as team-mate to Rubens Barrichello. The partnership provided Stewart with its best season in F1 to date, although Herbert's year started slowly with a series of mechanical problems. A win in September's European GP was the start of the turn-around, however, and the Englishman outdrove Barrichello thereafter, as the team racked up fourth place in the constructors' series.

Bought by Ford mid-season, Stewart became Jaguar Racing for 2000, but stuck with Herbert following his end-of-year revival. Now partnered by championship runner-up Eddie Irvine, Johnny knew that he had another year of proving himself if he was to retain his place on the grid for 2001, but relished the chance to be driving a leading car once again.

Sadly for the second most experienced man on the grid, Jaguar proved, early on, to be anything by competitive, and a string of retirements did little to help Herbert's prospects. As had been common throughout his career, a number of seventh and eighth places materialised later in the season, with yielding the sort of point score that may have seen him kept on for a thirteenth season in the top flight.

Instead, a mid-season announcement confirmed that rising Brazilian star Luciano Burti would be occupying the seat alongside Eddie Irvine in 2001, leaving Johnny to look elsewhere to satisfy his competitive streak.

The future appears to lie in America, and the CART series already frequented by former Formula Ford friend and rival Mark Blundell. Herbert's Ford connections are working behind the scenes to secure him a competitive drive and, to listen to his paddock acquaintances in Malaysia, it seems almost certain that Johnny will be tackling the roads and ovals next season.

If his bad luck in F1 translates anything like that of former Lotus team-mate Alex Zanardi, Herbert will be one to watch.

Until then, his many fans will have the memories of twelve seasons in F1 - the fighting fourth on debut in Rio, the podium at Monaco, wins at two of the classic venues in 1995, the shock victory at the Nurburgring in 1999 - by which to remember one of the biggest favourites in Formula One.

Goodbye Johnny Herbert - may you succeed in whatever you do. At least we know you will always keep smiling.....

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