1988, John Morton Racing

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24 Hours of Daytona

Cunningham Racing Mazda RX-7

IMSA Camel GT

January 31, 1988

DNF

Grand Prix of Miami

Nissan GTP ZX-T

IMSA Camel GT

February 28, 1988

8th

“At the IMSA Grand Prix of Miami in 1988, Geoff Brabham and John Morton drove the new Trevor Harris-designed Nissan GTP chassis in its first race. After qualifying on pole by two seconds, leading the first part of the race and setting the fastest race lap on Lap 2, the team experienced brake problems. In the haste of finishing the car and getting it ready for its first race, the brake ducts did not get the attention they needed. The Electramotive team, however, did its best to fix the problem and managed to finish the race two laps down in eighth place.”

Chris Willes

Morton collection – Ashley Page photo

Results:

12 Hours of Sebring

Clayton Cunningham Racing Mazda RX-7

IMSA Camel GT

March 19, 1988

12th overall, 5th in GTO

John drove this race with P.J. Jones.

Road Atlanta Raceway

IMSA Camel GT

Nissan GTP ZX-T

April 10, 1988

1st

Morton collection – Mark Windeker photo

Morton collection – Nissan PR photo

Morton collection – Jerry Howard photo

Morton collection – Mark Windeker photo

Morton collection

Results:

Grand Prix of Palm Beach

IMSA Camel GT

Nissan GTP ZX-T

April 24, 1988

1st

Morton collection

Results:

“At the IMSA Grand Prix of Miami in 1988, Geoff Brabham and John Morton drove the new Trevor Harris-designed Nissan GTP chassis in its first race. After qualifying on pole by two seconds, leading the first part of the race and setting the fastest race lap on Lap 2, the team experienced brake problems. In the haste of finishing the car and getting it ready for its first race, the brake ducts did not get the attention they needed. The Electramotive team, however, did its best to fix the problem and managed to finish the race two laps down in eighth place.”

Chris Willes

Summit Point Raceway

Clayton Cunningham Racing Mazda RX-7

IMSA Camel GT

May 22, 1988

7th

Results:

Lime Rock Park

IMSA Camel GT

Nissan GTP ZX-T

May 30, 1988

During the Memorial Day weekend in 1988, John was practicing for the IMSA Camel GT race in a brand-new Nissan GTP-ZXT at Lime Rock Park. During the second practice session, he became airborne cresting the hill after the back straight at full throttle while closely following another car. The Nissan flipped, landed upside down on its roof, and rolled several times in a ball of fire. Luckily, the car came to rest right side up but was completely destroyed with John’s life in question. He survived although he was dazed, bruised, cut, and burned.

When John’s open face helmet ripped off in the violent blowover crash of the Nissan GTP car at Lime Rock in 1988, the radio mounted on the front cut his mouth all the way to his ear. The helmet came to rest on the dashboard with John still strapped in the racing seat, prompting a driver to report to the pit that John was decapitated. Strangely the helmet strap was not broken. Months later, still mystified, John put on the helmet, strapped it tight and tried to pull it off. It stayed on. Then he rotated it forward and it came off easily. He never liked wearing a closed face helmet in a closed car due to both the heat and the tendency to fog his glasses, but he has worn one since that accident.

Gene Rosintoski, a motorsports photographer, captured the accident with the series of photos shown below.