2003 –, John Morton Racing

Monterey Historics

August, 2003

– 1964 Shelby Daytona Coupe (CSX 2300)

– Lotus 23B (S/N S55)

John drove Larry Bowman’s Daytona Coupe CSX 2300 at the 2003 Monterey Historics. The Coupe was painted white as it was in the 1965 Nurburgring 1000km race. The white with blue and red stripes reflected its status as a Ford France entry. Jo Schlesser and Andre Simon qualified as second best Cobra Daytona in 18th and drove to twelfth overall (third in class).

Morton collection

John also drove his 1964 Lotus 23B (S/N S55) for owner Tom Griffiths.

Morton collection

Morton collection – Bob Dunsmore photo

Portland Historic Races

July 11-13, 2003

Datsun 510

2004 Goodwood Revival

Goodwood, England

September 3-5, 2004

– 1964 Shelby Daytona Coupe (CSX 2300)

John in #26 (CSX 2300) ahead of Bob Bondurant in #13

Morton collection – LAT Photographic

Laguna Seca Raceway

Monterey Historics

August, 2005

– 1953 Porsche 550 Coupe

– McLaren M6B “McLeagle”

Morton collection – Bob Dunsmore photo

John drove Porsche’s first purpose-built race car, the 1953 Porsche 550 Coupe S/N 550-001 in the Pre-Historic Races

John in the #48 Richard Lins entered 1968 McLaren M6B “McLeagle.”

Morton collection – LAT Photographic

Laguna Seca Raceway

Monterey Historics

August, 2006

1964 Lang-Cooper II

“Craig Lang built this slick one-off, California-bodied King Cobra in 1964 especially for his friend and Shelby team driver, Dave McDonald. Their intention was to win the following year’s USRRC racing series. Just about the time the car was completed, McDonald was tragically killed in a second -lap crash at the Indianapolis 500.

Lang’s team raced the car a few times after that with top drivers Ed Leslie and Charlie Hayes, but without his friend in the cockpit, Lang soon lost interest and sold the car. The Lang Cooper “disappeared” for more than 30 years, finally to be rediscovered in sorry condition by famed race photographer Bill Warner in a junkyard in South Carolina.

Warner spent seven years collecting missing parts and equipment to restore the car but finally sold it in ’89, frustrated that it didn’t perform as hoped. Six years later Claude Nahum, a Shelby enthusiast from Switzerland, located the car in a private museum in Alabama and spent another three years having the car restored to race condition.

At Monterey in its first real racing appearance since completion, ex-BRE team driver John Morton drove the car to second overall in race 3B. Morton had worked at Shelby’s when the car was first built and knew its early history.”

“I think this is the fastest the car has ever run,” he said after the race. “It has great potential… it’s just too bad that Dave never got to drive it the way it is now. He could have done very well with it.”

*Vintage Motorsport – Nov/Dec 2006

Morton collection

Infineon Raceway

21st annual Wine Country Classic

June 2-3, 2007

1964 Lotus 23B (S/N S55)

John drove the Lotus 23B he purchased new in 1964 at this event. The car was owned by Tom Griffiths.

Morton collection

Petersen Automotive Museum

Tribute to Carroll Shelby

November 8, 2007

As a former Shelby team driver, John was invited to participate in the Petersen Automotive Museum’s 2007 tribute to Carroll Shelby.

John being interviewed by the legendary Dave McClelland at the 2007 Carroll Shelby tribute at the Petersen Museum

Morton collection

Laguna Seca Raceway

Monterey Historics

August, 2008

– 1958 Scarab Mk3

– 1963 Corvette Grand Sport

– 1964 Lotus 23B (S/N S55)

Morton collection – UltimateCarPage.com photo

Morton collection

Wine Country Classic Historic Car Races

Infineon Raceway

Sonoma, California

May 30-31, 2009

– 1984 Roush Protofab Mustang

– 1964 Lotus 23B (S/N S55)

– 1964 Sunbeam Tiger

John drove this 1984 Roush Protofab Mustang at the 2009 Wine Country Classic in Sonoma, California.

Morton collection

Morton collection – photo courtesy of John Garrett Scarlett

Monterey Historics

Laguna Seca Raceway

August 14-16, 2009

– 1964 Lotus 23B (S/N S55)

John drove the Lotus 23B he purchased new in 1964 at this event. The car was owned by Tom Griffiths.

Morton collection

Petersen Automotive Museum

Tribute to Trans Am

November, 2009

John was one of the honored guests at the Petersen Automotive Museum’s tribute to Trans Am event.

Morton collection – Steve Johnson photo

2010 Sebring Hall of Fame Induction

March 19, 2010

John next to Derek Bell at the 2010 Sebring Hall of Fame induction ceremony.

Morton collection

2010 Walter Mitty Challenge

Road Atlanta

MX-5 Miata racer in vintage BRE livery

April 29-May 2, 2010

To pay tribute to Peter Brock and John, Mazda built a special MX-5 Miata racer in BRE livery for the Walter Mitty Challenge. Mazda unveiled the car at the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach.

“This Walter Mitty weekend is very special for me because it is bringing together so many facets that were significant in my racing career. First is the reunion and recognition of our championship winning BRE team that Peter Brock developed in the late ’60s and that led me to two SCCA National Championships and two 2.5 Trans-Am Championships in the early ’70s. Second is the opportunity Mazda has given me to race in a professional race in my sixth decade of competition. Twenty-six years ago, I shared the BF Goodrich-sponsored, class-winning Mazda Lola at Le Mans, which was the beginning of a long relationship with both companies. The Mazda MX-5 I will be racing at the Mitty, the only real modern sports car in mass production, is a reincarnation of the cars that started this sport in America in the late ’40s.”

Morton collection – Mazda USA photo

Morton collection

The Sonoma Historic Motorsports Festival

June 4-6, 2010

– 1958 Scarab Sports Racer

– 1964 Sunbeam Tiger

– 1964 Lotus 23B (S/N S55)

Dennis Gray photo

Mid-Ohio Vintage Grand Prix

Spice – Ferrari (Chassis SE87L-001)

June 27, 2010

John co-drove with Peter McLaughlin in this race. The Spice race car was the first of three Spice Group C2 cars built under a contract with General Motors in 1986 to compete in IMSA’s Camel Lights class. Graham Humphrys designed the car for Gordon Spice’s company. The car was originally powered by a 4-cylinder engine. In 1990, the car was sold to Racecraft International where it received updated suspension and bodywork. Power is supplied by a V8 engine from a Ferrari 328.

Michael Casey-DiPleco photo

Laguna Seca Raceway

Monterey Historics

August 2010

1958 Scarab Sports Racer

John drove the 1958 Scarab Sports Racer at the 2010 Monterey Historics. Unfortunately, John was bumped by another car during the race and the car flipped over as a result. Fortunately, John only sustained only minor injuries in the incident.

A YouTube video of the incident can be seen here.

Morton collection

Morton collection

Laguna Seca Raceway

Monterey Historics

August, 2011

– 1960 Porsche Abarth Carrera GTL (S/N 1001)

– 1964 Lotus 23B (S/N S55)

John drove this 1960 Porsche Abarth Carrera GTL which won its class at Le Mans in 1960.

Morton collection

John in the 1964 Lotus 23B he purchased new in 1964. The car was owned by Tom Griffiths.

Willow Springs Raceway

April, 2013

– 2012 Porsche 997 GT3 Cup Brumos Edition

– 1973 Porsche 917-30 Can-Am Spyder

– 1990 Porsche 962C

– Gulf Racing 1970 Porsche 908 03 Spyder

Morton collection

Laguna Seca Raceway

Rolex Monterey Motorsports Pre-Reunion

August, 2013

– 1963 Grand Sport Corvette (Chassis #4)

– 1965 Ferrari 250 LM Berlinetta GT (S/N 6217)

Morton collection

The vehicles carried instrumentation installed by students from the Institute’s Revs Program at nearby Stanford University that captured specific information on driver/car interactions.