Donington Park Test Days – Historic Formula One Stars and a Surprise Collection

As the end of the year approaches, so does the end of the racing season at Donington Park. There are still a handful of Donington Park test days remaining, although the number of cars attending is beginning to thin out.

Rather than concentrate on a single meeting, I’ve brought together some of the highlights from two October Donington Park test days. There were some fascinating cars in the paddock, including two historic Formula One machines, a pair of classic Chevrons and, as you’ll discover towards the end, the promise of something rather special.

1982 Arrows A4 – Brian Morris Steps Up to Formula One

Brian Morris started racing at the age of 40. Now 63, he took an unusual route into motorsport, bypassing karting altogether and heading straight into Formula Ford.

He went on to win the Over 50s Championship in both 2020 and 2021 before moving into Formula 4000 and Historic Formula Two. His car was an ex-Piercarlo Ghinzani March 782, which he restored with help from the former Italian driver.

Brian told me that Ghinzani still lives in Bologna. With his assistance, they spent considerable time returning the March to its original period specification. Brian is understandably proud of the result, describing it as an immaculate and beautiful car.

After selling his company in April this year, Brian decided to devote more time to his passion for racing. His next ambition was to take the rather significant step into historic Formula One.

When he heard that an Arrows A4 was available in America, he and his team manager, Neil Fallo of Neil Fallo Motorsport, flew over to inspect it. Neil is himself a multiple Formula Ford champion, so Brian had an experienced pair of eyes alongside him.

The previous owner had recently stripped and refurbished the Arrows, and had already competed with it on several occasions. They liked what they saw, bought the car and arranged to have it flown back to the UK.

However, the Arrows wasn’t the only purchase. Sitting in the same showroom was a Lotus Cortina. Brian asked the owner, “Well, what do you want to do with that? “The reply was, “I don’t know, the Americans don’t race them.” Brian’s answer was simple: “I will.”

So he bought both cars! The Cortina had originally been owned and raced by Steve Soper, and Brian hopes to take it to Goodwood next year.

The Arrows A4

Back to the Arrows, and Brian describes it as a lovely car. However, getting comfortable inside is another matter. At six foot one, squeezing into a cockpit designed for someone around five foot six presents a bit of a challenge!

The Arrows A4 is a particularly interesting piece of Formula One history. Three examples were built for the 1982 season, with Mauro Baldi as the team’s principal driver and Marc Surer also taking the wheel during the season.

Power comes from the familiar three-litre Ford Cosworth V8, an engine that powered much of the Formula One grid during this era.

The A4 also represents the final generation of ground-effect Formula One cars. Its sliding side skirts helped seal the underside of the car to the track, generating enormous aerodynamic downforce. However, the FIA banned sliding skirts at the end of 1982 because of concerns about the extreme cornering speeds and physical forces placed on drivers.

Brian hopes to campaign the Arrows next year in the Historic Formula One series at Monaco. He is also considering the Masters or Motor Racing Legends (MRL) championships, although he has yet to decide which route to take.

When I asked him what he hoped to achieve in racing, he gave me a refreshingly honest answer:

“I suppose I’m a competitive guy by nature, but I know there’s not really any chance of beating the pros. So, all I want to be is the best of the rest and being up there where it matters, yeah.”

1979 McLaren M29C – A Personal Connection

Next, I met the very likeable Warren Briggs, originally from New Zealand, who moved to the UK in the late 1970s. Like Bruce McLaren before him, Warren followed his passion for motorsport across the world.

He joined McLaren in 1978/79 as a fabricator, working alongside some of the sport’s biggest names, including Patrick Tambay, John Watson and James Hunt. Warren eventually moved into racing himself, competing in Formula Ford, Formula 1600 and Formula Three.

After stepping away from competition to concentrate on building his engineering business, he eventually returned to motorsport. Today, he owns and races this 1979 McLaren M29C. The car has a particular personal connection for Warren because he worked on its predecessor, the M28, during his time at McLaren.

Patrick Tambay debuted the M29 before John Watson campaigned the car during the 1980 season. One of its most significant features is its originality, particularly the retention of its original monocoque chassis, something increasingly rare among historic racing cars.

Like the Arrows, the McLaren belongs to the early generation of Formula One ground-effect machinery. Its sliding side skirts helped create the aerodynamic seal that became such an important part of the ground-effect era.

Warren bought the car around ten years ago and has competed with it regularly for the last eight years.

Driving the 1979 McLaren M29C

He told me that he still gets a tremendous thrill every time he climbs into the cockpit. For him, driving the McLaren is a privilege. He sits in exactly the same monocoque that once carried Patrick Tambay and John Watson around some of the world’s greatest circuits.

He also enjoys sharing the car with spectators and enthusiasts through demonstrations and historic racing. People appreciate its physical presence, the unmistakable sound of the engine and, importantly, the fact that it remains an active competition car rather than spending its life behind museum glass.

I can certainly understand that appeal. Standing just six feet away in the garage as the Ford Cosworth V8 was cold-started was quite an experience. Awesome is probably the best word I can find to describe it!

I thought that was the end of my conversation with Warren. However, as I thanked him for his time, he casually mentioned his private car collection. Well, I couldn’t possibly walk away without asking a few more questions!

Warren revealed that his collection includes a 1971 McLaren M8E Can-Am car, powered by an enormous 8.8-litre Chevrolet big-block V8 producing around 959 horsepower.

He also owns a genuine NASCAR Cup car built by Joe Gibbs Racing. The car was specially constructed as a Chevrolet after the team switched to Toyota in 2008, making it an unusual factory-built example, particularly in Europe.

And just to round things off, he also has several Ford Mustangs. That certainly gives us plenty more to talk about another day!

Chevron B8 and B19 – A Family Affair

You might be thinking that I’ve managed to find a third Formula One car for this report. Unfortunately, not quite! However, the next two cars are still rather special. The Chevron B8 and B19 belong to father-and-son team Mike and Matthew Wrigley, who have built an impressive collection of racing cars over the years.

The B19 has been in their ownership for around twenty years and regularly competes each season. The B8, however, is a more recent addition. They bought it two years ago, but it has remained in the workshop ever since without turning a wheel.

In fact, the car had already been unused for around two years before they acquired it. So, this October test day marked an important occasion: the first time either of them had driven the B8 since buying it. They also brought the familiar B19 out for a run.

I first spoke with Matthew about his introduction to motorsport. Like many racing drivers, he started in karting at 16 before moving into historic racing in an Austin A35. He then progressed into Formula Ford.

His career has since developed considerably. Matthew won the Class D Championship in Historic Formula Two driving a March 782 and has also competed in Historic Formula One with several different cars.

In 2024, he won the Historic Formula One Championship in a Tyrrell 011 ground-effect car, exactly twenty years after his father had achieved the same success in a Tyrrell 012. The main objective of the day was to prepare both Chevrons for next season, when Matthew hopes to race alongside his father.

Chevron B8 and B19

The B8 presented a new challenge, as Matthew had never driven it before. The B19 is much more familiar, having shared driving duties with his father over the years.

Following Mike’s recent health difficulties, they are also looking to find a car that he enjoys driving and can comfortably share with his son. The aim is to get them both back out on track together more frequently.

Matthew describes motorsport as something that has always been in his blood. Having grown up around his father’s racing career, he has spent much of his life at circuits and feels naturally at home on pit walls and behind the wheel. His enthusiasm for the sport is clearly something passed down through the family. I then had the opportunity to speak with Mike about his own racing history.

His competitive career began in 1972 and included spells in Formula Ford 2, Formula Ford 3 and the European Chevron B19 series. In 2019, he moved into Group C1 and C2 sports cars, alongside Historic Formula One, a championship he had previously won in 2004.

His collection and racing interests also extend to an Audi R8 and a Jaguar E-Type. However, Mike admitted that age and ill health have forced him to step back from regular competition. He still hopes to get out on track with Matthew next year, ideally sharing one of the Chevrons.

When I asked him how he would describe a lifetime in motorsport, his answer was particularly telling:

“As an obsession that eventually becomes difficult to manage with age.”

It’s a sentiment that I suspect many lifelong motorsport enthusiasts would understand.

A Surprise Formula One Collection – To Be Continued!

Remember I mentioned that there was something special waiting at the end of this story? During my conversation with Mike, he began telling me about his private collection of racing cars. Eventually, I had to interrupt him and ask the obvious question.

Exactly how many cars do you own? His answer was rather understated:

“Quite a few, including eight or nine Formula One cars, with another one arriving in a week or two.”

Well, that certainly got my attention! I immediately asked whether he would be happy for me to visit his premises, interview him about the collection and photograph the cars.

His response was wonderfully straightforward: of course, no problem. Just arrange it with Matt. And that’s where we left things. So, while this Donington Park report has already featured some remarkable machinery, I suspect the next instalment could be even more interesting.

Eight or nine Formula One cars, another one on the way, and a collection waiting to be explored. I think we have the makings of another rather special PistonClick feature. Watch this space!

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Thanks to Graham Atkinson for this Donington Park Test Days report. You can find more of his work by following the links below.