Henry Taylor |
For 1955, Henry bought a Mk VIII from Bob Gerard and having overcome paternal opposition was supplied with 2 new JAP engines by his father. The JAP wasn't equal to the best tuned Manx Nortons but Henry put in some creditable performances, helped by the running of JAP only races at Brands at that time, such was the popularity of the class. This allowed Henry to shine, even if he wasn't in a position to always challenge for outright senior wins. On 11th April he finished third in the Senior Second Final and the JAP Race at Brands, then on 1st May he improved this to a win in the Second Final and second in the JAP Race. Silverstone, two weeks later brought a third then on the 29th back at Brands, a win in the second Final and again in the JAP Race. The next day at the less familiar Crystal Palace, Henry had a fifth in his heat but didn't figure in the final of the Redex Trophy, then another win in the Consolation Final on 12th June but he was beaten in the JAP Race at home. A trip to Oulton Park in July yielded a podium but the Sporting Record Trophy meeting brought only a third in the JAP Race and he could only manage a sixth in the JAP Race in the Daily Telegraph Meeting.
Henry in the Cooper Mk VIII at Silverstone in 1955 and the same car at Cadwell Park in 2004 now in the hands of James Holland |
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In 1959, Henry moved up to Formula 1 with the Yeoman Credit British Racing Partnership Team, managed by Ken Gregory and running Cooper T51s and then with the UDT Laystall/BRP Team using Lotus 18s. After a promising start in non works machinery, his circuit racing career came to an end against the barriers at Aintree in '61 when he was Lotus spun in the wet and, though his injuries weren't life threatening, he lost the sight in one eye and with it, his Formula ambitions. |
Henry's disability didn't stop him, during the 60s he raced and rallied Ford Cortinas in the European Touring Car Championship before retiring from racing to become Ford's Competition Manager. In 1967, Geoff Clarke, who managed the Brands Hatch racing school, persuaded Henry to support a new formula based around a standard Cortina engine. The new Formula Ford very much reflected the original intentions of the 500 pioneers and went on to become one of the most influential racing classes of all time. After retiring from motorsport, Henry moved to the South of France to run a boat business in Cannes. Henry died in October 2013 Henry and Brian Media on the '65 Monte Carlo Rally. |