{"id":492241,"date":"2012-03-01T18:00:52","date_gmt":"2012-03-02T02:00:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sportscardigest.com\/\/?p=29663"},"modified":"2024-04-02T14:04:15","modified_gmt":"2024-04-02T14:04:15","slug":"john-barnard-part-1","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.supercars.net\/blog\/john-barnard-part-1\/","title":{"rendered":"John Barnard – Part 1"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Involved with mechancial things virtually all his life, John Barnard first worked in racing at Lola, then a fertile training ground for many men who would impact racecar design. Upon \u201cgraduating\u201d<\/i>\u2008from Lola he went to work alongside Gordon Coppuck at McLaren to develop the M23. In 1975 he joined the Vel\u2019s Parnelli Jones operation in California where he rescued Maurice Phillippe\u2019s VPJ4 for F1 and then adapted it into a winning Indycar design. Next came the landmark Chaparral 2K Indycar for Jim Hall, and upon returning to McLaren he broke further ground with racing\u2019s first carbon composite monocoque, the MP4\/1, in 1981. This was developed into World Championship winners for \u201984, \u201985 and \u201986, but then he left for Ferrari where his paddle-shifted electronic gearchange system became another F1 standard. During a stint with Benetton he designed the car in which Michael Schumacher won the first of his 91 GPs, and then returned to Ferrari, where Schumacher scored the last GP<\/i>\u2008win for a Barnard-designed car. In the first of a multi-part interview, VR<\/i>\u2008Contributing Editor Mike Jiggle sat down with Barnard to discuss his successful career.<\/i><\/p>\n

\"John<\/a>
John Barnard
Photo: Mike Jiggle<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

You\u2019re rightly attributed as being one of the most influential and innovative designers of the modern era of Formula One.\u00a0 Where did it all start?<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n<\/div>\n