John Horsman (John Wyer Automotive) has passed away

There are liveries that will forever remain in racing history. Among them, and perhaps even more than all the others, is that of the Gulf oil tanker. For what ? Because it notably dressed the two most legendary cars of the 24 Hours of Le Mans : the Ford GT40 and the Porsche 917… star of the film Le Mans by Steve McQueen.

If it is used today in all sauces – with excess and sometimes bad taste – the “Blue & Orange” dress will forever be linked to JW Automotive Engineering, a team founded in the mid-sixties and credited with three victories in the Sarthe .

In 1968 (a year after its first appearance) and 1969 with private Ford GT40s respectively driven by Pedro Rodriguez-Lucien Bianchi and Jacky Ickx-Jackie Olivier then in 1975 with the Ford-powered Mirage GR8 entrusted to Jacky Ickx and Derek Bell. A few months later, JW Automotive Engineering will close its doors.

1968, first of two victories in a row with the Ford GT40 at the 24 Hours of Le Mans. © DPPI

John Wyer owes these successes in large part to his henchman, his right arm, his conscience, his trusted man on the ground: John Horsman, with whom he worked for several decades and who wore the hat of director technical and team management.

It was he who, in 2018, came to inaugurate, at the 24 Hours Museum, the “Blue & Orange” exhibition commemorating the 50th anniversary of the British team’s first victory at Le Mans.

Horsman and Wyer met in the 50s at Aston Martin, of which the second mentioned was the sporting director for around ten years, a brand that he led to victory at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1959 with Roy Salvadori and Carroll Shelby. But in addition to all these triumphs around the world, Horsman is known for having participated in the development of the Porsche 917.

A car that he discovered during a test session conducted at the end of 1969 in Austria, at Zeltweg, a few weeks after it participated in its first 24 Hours of Le Mans. At the end of this edition, Vic Elford did not hesitate to declare: “The Mulsanne straight was not wide enough to make it run straight! »

It was Horsman who, by thoroughly overhauling the rear part of the car, managed to tame it, to make this beast, so reluctant at its beginnings, one of the most legendary cars in the history of motorsport, all disciplines combined.

« I noticed that there were hardly any dead midges on the rear spoilers, he wrote in his biography Racing in the Rain. I immediately knew that we had to raise the rear part of the car and add small adjustable spoilers to the trailing edge. It was obvious, given the flow of air over the rear part, that it was able to offer significant support. »

A few months before closing, JW Automotive Engineering (under the name Gulf Research) won a third and final victory at Le Mans with the Mirage GR3. © DPPI

No sooner said than done, Horsman then used aluminum sheets cut with shears, which he hammered against the barriers. Changes that will make Brian Redman immediately say: “ That's a racing car! » This is how the 917K was born.

Despite 11 victories in the World ChampionshipEndurance including two at the 24 Hours of Daytona, The Wyer-Horsman duo will not manage to win the 24 Hours of Le Mans with the German car. The two friends will have to be content with a second place signed by Richard Attwood and Herbert Müller in 1971, after Pedro Rodriguez took pole position in the sister car in 3'13"9. A time set at an average of 250,069 km/h, a record for the 13,469 km route.

Born on November 22, 1934 in Oldham, John Horsman passed away at the age of 85. To his family and loved ones, the editorial staff of AUTOhebdo sends its most sincere condolences.