Rory Byrne - the maverick designer
He was always the first to enter the workshop in the morning and the last to leave in the evening. We used to tease him a bit for the way he dressed and his shabby look; but he was a man who knew how to make the most of his colleagues. He would give you space and wouldn’t impose; he never lost his cool. Once, when I had to go to the wind-tunnel, he lent me his 400bhp Sierra Cosworth. I hit a pavement and damaged the rear axle. I brought the car back in rather a sorry state and Rory didn’t bat an eyelid. ‘Okay’, he said, ‘let’s go on with our work.’ That’s all he ever thought about.
Willem Toet, engineer who worked many years with him.
Ex-Benetton Boys - F1 2012
itsawheelthing:
sharknose …
not the first (that honour goes to Tyrrell in modern day F1 racing), but the first to be successful in its design
Benetton-Ford B192, Monaco Grand Prix
And Steve Matchett with blue socks…
Monaco GP - 1993
David Redding (Patrese’s nr. 1 mechanic), Tim Baston (composites technician), Rory Byrne (chief designer) and Steve Matchett (Patrese’s nr.2 mechanic).
I’ll never forget the party the first time we won the title in Australia, with Michael’s wife hugging everyone in the general euphoria. As for him, I admired him from close up in the great moments early on in his career and even then he was a young man totally concentrated on his work, completely oblivious to things going on around him. In his mind, there was just one thought: winning.
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Alessandro Benetton - Benetton Formula 1: A Story
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Benetton 1990 shelf - Rory Byrne / Alessando Nannini / Flavio Briatore / Nelson Piquet / John Barnard / Luciano Benetton
1991 Italian GP - Piquet celebrates 200 GPs
