It’s been a while since DSC made contact with the former British Le Mans young gun Ed Morris. So bumping into him at this year’s Oldtimer Grand Prix event (where he was driving a Lotus Elan) at the Nürburgring provided a good chance to learn more about his past, present and future in motorsport and fill in all the gaps.
So you have come back to the sport then after a brief period away from the track, which shows your passion for racing; where did that come from?
“Well I think it all started from the old man, Graham Morris. I suppose the height of his career was British GT back in the late 90s, it was a big, good grid of GTs. And as a youngster following him round the whole of the UK, and in that period I wanted to start racing, so I went for karting. Went through the realms of Super 1, and such but I never really clicked with Karting, it took quite a while to get into it really.
“Then in 2003 I jumped from Junior Max, and started Junior Rallycross, and that began my real career really. I had the choice of either T-Cars or Rallycross and I decided to go down the Rallycross route.
“I won the inaugural British Junior Rallycross round at Croft, and that was it, I kind of settled in from there. I was in the championship for about five or six rounds, and following on from that I decided to dip into Ginetta – we both did. He (Graham) did G27s and thought it was quite good, the cars were pretty inexpensive, and then at 16 I got my first G20 and then did a couple of years of that. I got on with it really, I was learning lots.”
So is that what initially gave you the sportscar bug?
“Yeah, then we hooked up with Tony Sinclair and Jade Sportscars, which led me to do international sportscar series around Europe. It was lots of different things really, it was where V de V really started. I learnt a great deal from that with slicks, wings and high downforce being standard kit. I never really wanted the single seater route though, always wanted to go to Le Mans.
“Then at the end of 2005, I was at a test session at Zolder with G-Force, then Paul Ricard at the beginning of 2006 for a test. It was alright, we had some problems, went to Istanbul and finished third on the podium and seventh overall.
“In fact I remember my Dad saying he was standing with GG and Malcolm watching the timing screens at Istanbul (not me I’m afraid – I wasn’t there! Ed), getting really excited, as they left me in the car to gain as much time as possible. That’s my biggest highlight really, scoring a podium in my first race in a P2 car – I had only done 12 laps at Paul Ricard.
“After that though there was big problems financially around the year, the team went to court at the end of Le Mans. But we did go to Le Mans, Mr Moore has now pipped me to the youngest ever Brit at the race record, but I’m still proud of it.”
And what happened after that, as you haven’t returned to La Sarthe since?
“After Le Mans I managed to do some FIA GT, I did some running in 2008 for Matech and a one off round with Damax. Other than that I did a bit of testing for an Ascari team, but after my first big race in 2008 we stepped aside a bit because of continued struggles with the finances.”
At that time you were part of the BRDC Rising Stars program; what was that experience like, did it get your name out there?
“I think most of my coverage was from guys like Dailysportscar, and a bit of Autosport coverage, but the BRDC didn’t do much really. It was a nice accolade to be attributed with, but it didn’t give me as much as I thought I would get out of it.
“At the end of it, when I took my sabbatical, I was dropped from it, they revoked the membership and that was it. At the height of it we did genuinely think I would get a chance in the top six shootout, in a different kind of grid. It may have opened up a chance in DTM, single seaters, Porsche. A lot of the other guys had only driven Formula Renault or Formula Ford so I thought I had an advantage, but it is and always has been favorable to the single seater route.
“Other than that it was a bit of mixed bag, like my whole career, lots of different things. In particular back in 2007 I raced at Monza in the FIA GT3 European series in the RPM Viper, with Bradley Ellis; that was a big highlight finishing 2nd and 3rd in the two races. I really surprised them that weekend, as they couldn’t understand where I got the pace from!”
So what made you come back to racing this year?
“I just thought, come 2013, it’s time to get into the historic paddock. It’s one of those things, a way to engage and meet with other people. There are a lot of financial opportunities here, I just have to make something happen, to become a fully paid professional driver. Obviously Graham (Morris) has always been involved with Lotus, with the Lotus owners club, having some rare cars. And that has allowed me to meet quite a few people, like Malcolm Ricketts for instance who has been so good to me and allowed me to use his car for this year.”
And what’s it like driving such a small car in a grid full of big saloons and GTs?
“It’s a fantastic little car, it goes so quickly – it is a giant killer come rain or shine and stays with the big boys. It may be a grid which is predominantly gentlemen drivers, but it’s good to make a name for yourself here and gain a reputation by doing so.”
So where do you see yourself in the coming years; back driving Sportscars?
“In fact there is something in the works right now for the future, which until we have signed for on paper I can’t talk about. The idea was to come out this year, do a bit of European racing, have some fun in historics and if an opportunity came up, grasp it.”
What’s the main aim then?
“The aim is to go back to Le Mans, because I have unfinished business there. Getting a manufacturer drive is the ultimate goal but it isn’t easy. I think historic racing with the (FIA) Masters is a good place to start on the ladder. It’s a well respected organisation that looks after you, and the racing is good and close. Silverstone (Classic) this year for instance caught peoples eye and this weekend too until we suffered a gearbox problem, and that’s what I need to keep doing each weekend. Getting back to to Le Mans for the classic next year I think is achievable and a good step closer to where I want to be.”
You mention that you have done the Silverstone Classic, which is a big event in it’s own right, but how does it compare to the Oldtimer Grand Prix here at the ‘Ring?
“The Oldtimer GP is brilliant really, to be honest. I was staggered at just how many people were here even on the Friday, and of course that is affected by it falling during the summer holiday. There is however more of a commercial side to this event, which is also a good thing. It’s also very strict, with control checks and scrutineering, but they put on a very good show. The SIlverstone Classic was fantastic, but it was more orientated around the drivers rather than the fans, whereas this seems to have so much more for the fans to do. It’s also more closely packed, giving the fans a better paddock experience. It’s done in a German way I suppose!”
Are you doing the other big Historic festival – the Goodwood Revival over in Britain this year too?
“I think I will make an appearance at the Revival, but I don’t think I will be racing. Ricketts is running a couple of cars though, so you never know. Goodwood is up there with Monaco and Le Mans. It’s such a great event to just attend though, just to show your face is sometimes good enough.”
Well I wish you all the best with your revitalised career, hopefully the next time we chat, you will be back in top-line sportscars!
“I hope so. Racing is the most addictive and expensive drug in the world to be honest, that’s what keeps so many people including me, coming back year after year.”
Stephen Kilbey
