Bye bye Button 

No more F1 thrills and spills in Swindon, then eh?

 

No longa fonda Honda: Jenson Button

The news that Honda have pulled the plug on Formula One means we are highly unlikely to see Jenson Button back in town.

 

Or any of his grand prix contempories.

 

But when they have visited in the last few years, no one could deny it wasn't fast-paced fun.

 

We've had race winners, world champions, top team managers and some of the most expensive F1 machinery in the business all on show thanks to the close location of Honda's manufacturing HQ at South Marston.

 

The first real occasion being in 2001, when Honda invited their two Works teams at the time - BAR and Jordan - to give an F1 driving demonstration to celebrate the opening of their new second factory on 10 September.

 

Thrills - and spills: Jean Alesi loses his rear wing after crashing his Jordan Honda into the armco on the Swindon factory test track > full story + more pictures

 

The event attended by Jaques Villeneauve and Olivier Panis - and marked by the embarrassing spectacle of grand prix winner Jean Alesi crashing his Honda V10-powered Jordan into the safety barrier as he attempted to show-off his car-control skills to workers and Honda management on the factory test track.

 

A moment SwindonWeb was onhand to capture perfectly!

 

And then in 2004, Honda invited their star drivers Jenson Button and Takuma Sato to give a similiar display at their annual family fun day.

 

Stunt double: Honda drivers Jenson Button and Takuma Sato burn some rubber in Swindon in 2004 calyx multimedia > full story + more pictures

 

This time, though, the slightly cheaper four-wheel alternative of a Honda S400 and Civic Type R were supplied for what proved to be a thrilling spectacle held at the former Wroughton airfield.

 

Most recently, Jenson Button sent a note of congratulations to the Highworth Business Group, when they held their launch party in October this year.

 

The GP winner noting that he wished the seat in his F1 Honda was as comfortable as the one made by Highworth-based TS Tech in his company Civic.

 

Not that he'll be seen driving that again soon, we'll bet.