John Colum Crichton-Stuart, 7th Marquess of Bute (26 April 1958 – 22 March 2021), was a
Scottish peer and
racing driver
Auto racing (also known as car racing, motor racing, or automobile racing) is a motorsport involving the racing of automobiles for competition. In North America, the term is commonly used to describe all forms of automobile sport including non ...
, best known for winning the
24 Hours of Le Mans
The 24 Hours of Le Mans () is an endurance-focused Sports car racing, sports car race held annually near the city of Le Mans, France. It is widely considered to be one of the world's most prestigious races, and is one of the races—along with ...
in
1988
1988 was a crucial year in the early history of the Internet—it was the year of the first well-known computer virus, the Morris worm, 1988 Internet worm. The first permanent intercontinental Internet link was made between the United State ...
. He was known as Johnny Dumfries, or, after he succeeded his father as marquess in 1993, John Bute.
He attended Ampleforth College
Ampleforth College is a co-educational Private schools in the United Kingdom, fee-charging boarding and day school in the English Public school (United Kingdom), public school tradition. It opened in 1803 as a boys' school. It is near the villa ...
, as had his father and most male members of the Crichton-Stuart family, but did not finish the normal five years of study.
Early life
Bute was born in Rothesay
Rothesay ( ; ) is the principal town on the Isle of Bute, in the council area of Argyll and Bute, Scotland. It lies along the coast of the Firth of Clyde. It can be reached by a Caledonian MacBrayne ferry from Wemyss Bay, which also offers an ...
into one of Scotland's oldest families, the son of John, 6th Marquess of Bute, and Nicola Weld-Forester. He was a descendant of the 3rd Earl of Bute, an 18th-century prime minister.[ His ]courtesy title
A courtesy title is a title that does not have legal significance but is rather used by custom or courtesy, particularly, in the context of nobility, the titles used by children of members of the nobility (cf. substantive title).
In some context ...
as heir to his father's peerage was " Earl of Dumfries".[
He had two older sisters, Sophia, who later married the musician ]Jimmy Bain
James Stewart Bain (19 December 1947 – 23 January 2016) was a Scottish musician, best known for playing bass guitar in the bands Rainbow and Dio. He also worked with Kate Bush and Thin Lizzy frontman Phil Lynott, co-writing on his solo albu ...
, and Caroline, who died in a car accident in 1984. He also had a younger brother, Anthony, who became an art dealer in the United States.["The 7th Marquess of Bute obituary"]
in ''The Times
''The Times'' is a British Newspaper#Daily, daily Newspaper#National, national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its modern name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its si ...
'', accessed 17 February 2023
The children's nanny was Helen Lightbody, who had served as nanny to Prince Charles
Charles III (Charles Philip Arthur George; born 14 November 1948) is King of the United Kingdom and the 14 other Commonwealth realms.
Charles was born at Buckingham Palace during the reign of his maternal grandfather, King George VI, and ...
and Princess Anne
Anne, Princess Royal (Anne Elizabeth Alice Louise; born 15 August 1950) is a member of the British royal family. She is the second child and only daughter of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, and the only sister of King ...
, and they were brought up in Mount Stuart House
Mount Stuart House, on the east coast of the Isle of Bute, Scotland, is a country house built in the Gothic Revival style and the ancestral home of the Marquesses of Bute. It was designed by Sir Robert Rowand Anderson for the 3rd Marquess in ...
on the Isle of Bute
The Isle of Bute (; or '), known as Bute (), is an island in the Firth of Clyde in Scotland, United Kingdom. It is divided into highland and lowland areas by the Highland Boundary Fault.
Formerly a constituent island of the larger County of ...
. Bute later recalled how easy it was for a child to hide in the house.[
Heir to a large fortune, the young Dumfries was educated at ]Ampleforth College
Ampleforth College is a co-educational Private schools in the United Kingdom, fee-charging boarding and day school in the English Public school (United Kingdom), public school tradition. It opened in 1803 as a boys' school. It is near the villa ...
, which he left at the age of sixteen and set about pursuing a career in motor racing.
Career
In 1984, Bute, then known as Johnny Dumfries, was the sensation of the F3 season, scoring 14 race victories on his way to winning, and completely dominating, the British Formula 3 Championship
The British Formula Three Championship was an international motor racing series that took place primarily in the United Kingdom with a small number of events in mainland Europe. It was a junior-level feeder formula that used small single sea ...
for Team BP (Dave Price Racing). He also finished runner-up to Ivan Capelli
Ivan Franco Capelli (born 24 May 1963) is an Italian sports broadcasting, broadcaster and former racing driver, who competed in Formula One from to .
Born and raised in Milan, Capelli began competitive kart racing aged 15. He was widely succe ...
in the European Formula Three Championship that year. In 1985, he graduated to the newly created FIA International Formula 3000
The Formula 3000 International Championship was a motor racing series created by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA) in 1985 to become the final preparatory step for drivers hoping to enter Formula One. Formula Two had become to ...
Championship, initially competing for Onyx Race Engineering before switching to Lola Motorsport. It was a disappointing season, with a sixth-place finish in Vallelunga being the highlight of the year.
In , he made his breakthrough into F1, and raced a single season for the JPS Team Lotus
Team Lotus was the motorsport sister company of English sports car manufacturer Lotus Cars. The team ran cars in many motorsport categories including Formula One, Formula Two, Formula Ford, Formula Junior, American Championship Car Racing, Ind ...
. He was a late addition to the team, apparently as a result of Ayrton Senna
Ayrton Senna da Silva (; 21 March 1960 – 1 May 1994) was a Brazilian racing driver, who competed in Formula One from to . Senna won three Formula One World Drivers' Championship titles with McLaren, and—at the time of his death—held ...
not wanting Derek Warwick
Derek Stanley Arthur Warwick (born 27 August 1954) is a British former racing driver, who competed in Formula One between and . In endurance racing, Warwick won the World Sportscar Championship and 24 Hours of Le Mans, both in 1992 with Peuge ...
as a teammate.[ He competed in 15 Grands Prix for Lotus (not qualifying at ]Monaco
Monaco, officially the Principality of Monaco, is a Sovereign state, sovereign city-state and European microstates, microstate on the French Riviera a few kilometres west of the Regions of Italy, Italian region of Liguria, in Western Europe, ...
), which used the turbocharged Renault
Renault S.A., commonly referred to as Groupe Renault ( , , , also known as the Renault Group in English), is a French Multinational corporation, multinational Automotive industry, automobile manufacturer established in 1899. The company curr ...
engines and scored 3 championship points. During most of the season he was usually one of the midfield drivers, on par with the Tyrrell drivers Martin Brundle
Martin John Brundle (born 1 June 1959) is a British former racing driver and sports broadcasting, broadcaster who competed in Formula One from to . In endurance racing (motorsport), endurance racing, Brundle won the World Sportscar Champions ...
and Philippe Streiff. He was replaced for by the Japan
Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...
ese driver Satoru Nakajima
is a Japanese former racing driver and motorsport executive, who competed in Formula One from to .
Born and raised in Okazaki, Aichi, Nakajima began his racing career at the Suzuka Circuit in 1973. He progressed to Japanese Formula Two in ...
as part of Lotus's deal to use Honda
commonly known as just Honda, is a Japanese multinational corporation, multinational Conglomerate (company), conglomerate automotive manufacturer headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan.
Founded in October 1946 by Soichiro Honda, Honda has bee ...
engines from that season onwards.
In 1988, Bute scored the biggest racing victory of his career when he won the Le Mans 24 Hours
The 24 Hours of Le Mans () is an endurance-focused sports car race held annually near the city of Le Mans, France. It is widely considered to be one of the world's most prestigious races, and is one of the races—along with the Monaco Grand ...
, driving a Jaguar XJR-9
The Jaguar XJR-9 is a sports-prototype race car built by Jaguar (car), Jaguar for both FIA Group C and International Motor Sports Association, IMSA IMSA GT Championship, Camel GTP racing. In 1988, Jaguar's XJR-9 won the 24 Hours of Le Mans, aft ...
for Tom Walkinshaw
Thomas Dobbie Thomson Walkinshaw (14 August 1946 – 12 December 2010) was a British racing car driver from Scotland and the founder of the racing team Tom Walkinshaw Racing (TWR). He was also involved in professional rugby union, as owner of ...
's Silk Cut
Silk Cut is a British brand of cigarettes, currently owned and manufactured by Gallaher Group. The packaging is characterised by a distinctive stark white packet with the brand name in a purple, blue, red, silver, white or green square.
History ...
Jaguar
The jaguar (''Panthera onca'') is a large felidae, cat species and the only extant taxon, living member of the genus ''Panthera'' that is native to the Americas. With a body length of up to and a weight of up to , it is the biggest cat spe ...
Team alongside Dutchman Jan Lammers and Englishman Andy Wallace.
Bute also participated in the 1-hour endurance race in the 1988 British Touring Car Championship
The 1988 Dunlop RAC British Touring Car Championship was the 31st season of the British Touring Car Championship, championship. The drivers title was won by Frank Sytner, driving a Prodrive, BMW Team Finance BMW E30, BMW M3. Second place overall ...
at Donington Park
Donington Park is a motorsport Race track, circuit located near Castle Donington in Leicestershire, England. The circuit business is now owned by Jonathan Palmer's MotorSport Vision organisation, and the surrounding Donington Park Estate, sti ...
with fellow ex-F1 Briton Guy Edwards
Guy Richard Goronwy Edwards, QGM (born 30 December 1942) is a British former racing driver. Best known for his sportscar and British Formula One career, as well as for brokering sponsorship deals, Edwards participated in 17 World Championship ...
for Andy Rouse
Andrew Ernest Rouse (born 2 December 1947) is a British racing driver, most notably in the British Saloon Car Championship. He won the BSCC in 1975, 1983, 1984 and 1985.
Andy Rouse is one of the most successful drivers ever to appear in the ...
's Kaliber Racing team in Ford Sierra RS500
The Ford Sierra RS Cosworth is a high-performance version of the Ford Sierra that was built by Ford Europe from 1986 to 1992. It was the result of a Ford Motorsport project with the purpose of producing an outright winner for Group A racing in ...
, finishing third overall and in Class A.
Wealth
Bute ranked 616th in the '' Sunday Times Rich List 2008'', with an estimated wealth of £125m. In the 2006 list, he ranked 26th in Scotland with £122m.
He lived with his family in London and at his ancestral seat, Mount Stuart House, south of Rothesay on the Isle of Bute. In December 2020 he was charged with breaching COVID-19
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. In January 2020, the disease spread worldwide, resulting in the COVID-19 pandemic.
The symptoms of COVID‑19 can vary but often include fever ...
restrictions for allegedly travelling to his Bute home from London.
In 2007, another family country house, Dumfries House
Dumfries House is a Palladian country house in Ayrshire, Scotland. It is located within a large estate, around west of Cumnock. Noted for being one of the few such houses with much of its original 18th-century furniture still present, including ...
in Cumnock
Cumnock (Scottish Gaelic: ''Cumnag'') is a town and former civil parish located in East Ayrshire, Scotland. The town sits at the confluence of the Glaisnock Water and the Lugar Water. There are three neighbouring housing projects which lie j ...
, Ayrshire
Ayrshire (, ) is a Counties of Scotland, historic county and registration county, in south-west Scotland, located on the shores of the Firth of Clyde. The lieutenancy areas of Scotland, lieutenancy area of Ayrshire and Arran covers the entirety ...
, was sold to a trust, now called The King's Foundation, for £45million. The house is now the headquarters of the foundation.
Personal life
In 1984, Bute married Carolyn Waddell; they were divorced in 1993. They had three children:
* Lady Caroline Crichton-Stuart (b. 26 September 1984)
* Lady Cathleen Crichton-Stuart (b. 14 September 1986)
* John Bryson Crichton-Stuart, 8th Marquess of Bute (b. 21 December 1989)
On the Isle of Bute in February 1999, he married his second wife, fashion designer
Fashion design is the Art (skill), art of applied arts, applying design, aesthetics, clothing construction, and natural beauty to clothing and its Fashion accessory, accessories. It is influenced by diverse cultures and different trends and has va ...
Serena Wendell. They had one child:
* Lady Lola Affrica Crichton-Stuart (b. 23 June 1999)
Bute died of cancer in March 2021.
Racing record
Complete British Formula Three results
( key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in ''italics'' indicate fastest lap)
Complete International Formula 3000 results
( key)
Complete Formula One results
( key)
Complete 24 Hours of Le Mans results
Complete British Touring Car Championship results
( key) (Races in bold indicate pole position in class) (Races in ''italics'' indicate fastest lap in class - 1 point awarded all races)
‡ Endurance driver.
References
* "Burke's Peerage and Baronetage"
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Crichton-Stuart, John
1958 births
2021 deaths
7
Scottish racing drivers
Scottish Formula One drivers
Team Lotus Formula One drivers
British Formula Three Championship drivers
24 Hours of Le Mans drivers
24 Hours of Le Mans winning drivers
Sportspeople from Rothesay, Bute
People educated at Ampleforth College
International Formula 3000 drivers
British Touring Car Championship drivers
World Sportscar Championship drivers
British people of American descent
British people of Dutch descent
Livingston family
Schuyler family
Deaths from cancer in Scotland
Porsche Motorsports drivers
TOM'S drivers
Jaguar Racing drivers
David Price Racing drivers
Ecurie Ecosse drivers
Sauber Motorsport drivers
Bute
Bute or BUTE may refer to:
People
* Marquess of Bute, a title in the Peerage of Great Britain; includes lists of baronets, earls and marquesses of Bute
* Lord of Bute, a title in medieval Scotland, including a list of lords
* Lucian Bute (born ...