The History Of Endurance Racing

The History Of Endurance Racing – In less than 20 years of history, the Bahrain Sakhir department has carved out a prominent role in the automotive scene. This is not the only place that has hosted 19 Formula 1 Grands Prix since 2004. Surrounded by desert sands, the Bahrain International Circuit, 5.412 kilometers long and including 15 turns, has hosted many permanent race since its inception. The FIA ​​​​WEC has had a foot there since the beginning of the championship in 2012. Since then, it has accumulated seven victories in the classes obtained from the manufacturer. After testing in Bahrain in September, the 499P will make its official race at the end of the 2023 season.

The seven victories of the Trial Horse with the AF Corse team GTs are prominent in the list of honor of the FIA ​​​​World Endurance Championship. It won the LMGTE Pro class in the 2012-14, 2017 and 2021-22 seasons, and the LMGTE Am in 2021. Giancarlo Fisichella and Toni Vilander were the first drivers to climb onto the top step of the podium when they drive the 458 Italia GT2. in winning the world championship edition of the 6 Hours of Bahrain. The Finn won in the same car two years later, with Gianmaria Bruni. In 2017, the 488 GTE of Davide Rigon and Sam Bird won the 6 hours in the Persian Gulf, ahead of the team of Alessandro Pier Guidi and James Calado.

The History Of Endurance Racing

The last two seasons have seen the revival of Maranello’s tradition at the Sakhir circuit. In 2021, the year Bahrain hosted the final six and eight hour rounds of the FIA ​​WEC, it took one-two and won the last round of the season in the LMGTE Pro – when Pier Guidi and Calado have celebrated the car Award and contributed greatly to the laurel victory of the Manufacturers- and LMGTE Am, together with François Perrodo, Nicklas Nielsen and Alessio Rovera.

Porsche 917: Endurance Racing’s Monster April 2024

Ultimately, the 2022 eight-hour event went down in motorsport history. Antonio Fuoco and Miguel Molina celebrated at the checkered flag, taking their first world championships in the professional class, a result that is very important for the sport. Second consecutive hit.

Alessandro Pier Guidi and James Calado placed fifth. They led the standings until the last two hours when a transmission problem in the 488 GTE forced the Italian driver to use all his skills to finish the race in fifth place. The team’s determination to show a plan to finish the race earned the crew the points needed by Pier Guidi and Calado to win their second consecutive round and third of the World Drivers’ Championship. October 21, 2020 | Permanent Race | Posted in Events | From the Feb. issue. 2010 | Never miss a story

Professional street racing has been with us for a quarter of a century, and while many participants have come and gone different – the drivers, manufacturers and even the organizers of the series – the teams and fans remained loyal to one of the most authentic brands. the sports car. What we call the Grand-Am Koni Challenge has roots woven into the North American professional golf scene.

The Sports Car Club of America gets credit for planting the seeds for today’s sales trend. They first introduced Showroom Stock racing in 1972 as a cost-saving class for amateurs, setting a price for the cars at just $3000.

Motorsport Triple Crown Explained: Its Prestigious Races, History And Only Winner

The next big move happened ten years later. “Mitsubishi came to the United States in the fall of 1982—I was asked about a way to do low-cost racing,” said longtime racer Dave Wolin. “I recommended the Nelson Ledges 24 hours; which was just going to be a sales race that attracted the attention of Detroit manufacturers and the press.

Wolin took a Starion to Nelson and won hands down thanks to two hours on the gas tank and some good drivers, he said. “The next year, 1984, I won again,” he added. Dick Guldstrand and Steve Saleen also won their classes. The field also included famous drivers such as Stirling Moss and Parnelli Jones along with SCCA Vice President BillKing.

“After the race, Dick, Steve, Jim Trueman, Bill King and I decided to set up a schedule—the U.S. Endurance Championship—and four races,” Wolin said. Their schedule will include a six-hour regional in Lime Rock, a 24-hour in Mid-Ohio-Trueman, the owner of the track, agreed to host the race at the same time, added Wolin-plus 12-hour fellowship at Willow. Source. “Earl’s, who was my sponsor at the time, agreed to pick up the tab, and we won our class that time,” Wolin said.

This series of four races got the attention of the SCCA, and with King’s help it became a professional event in 1985: the Playboy United States Endurance Cup. However, they were not the only ones who had the idea. At the same time, IMSA introduced the campaign title Firestone Firehawk EnduranceChampionship.

How Cars—and Drivers—survive The Brutal 24 Hours Of Le Mans Race

Throughout the course of street racing—gone are the days of the $3000 sedan—it remains popular. While the fans seem to like to see almost all of their cars on the road fighting for supremacy, the manufacturers have long known that the place for promotions is very important. and development.

“Road racing is very important from the manufacturer’s point of view because it shows how good a manufacturer’s product is right off the assembly line,” said Bill Auberlen. , who dedicated cars to production—mostly BMW—for many years. “You put brakes, roll bars, oil, and you’re off to the races. That caris is very good.”

Fortunately, some great races are held at these events. “If fans want to see some of the best racing and 50-car fields, that’s where they’re going to see it,” he said. “There is nothing to separate the cars but the paint between the two, and the race is great. There are usually 10 cars fighting for the lead at the end of the race.

The arrangement has also helped many drivers climb the motor ladder. Names such as Stirling Moss, Derek Daly, Elliott Forbes-Robinson, Boris Said and brothers Bobby and Tommy Archer have graced the list of references. Even after they’ve reached the top of the pile, however, players still enjoy the series. Despite other gigs in other professional series, Randy Pobst has been a regular track since the beginning. The same goes for hotshoe and recently retired GM exec JohnHeinricy.

Le Mans Prototype

“A lot of guys are good at the top of the game and come back to race in a series like the Koni Challenge,” said Terry Borcheller, whose resume includes championships in Speedvision Cup and Speed ​​World Challenge. “I think I like Koni more than anything else I do. If you’re in a good car then you’re in a position to win, and that’s why we to do this.

In addition, this site is open to any driver, because rental cars are part of the arrangement. Just write a check and join the professional scene.

However, unlike other motor sports—think of NASCAR or Formula 1—the evolution of this scene has not been manipulated. The torch continues to be passed between criminal groups and organizations. Despite the pregnancy crisis, today’s professional sales team is in good health, sports a growing following and is increasingly supported by producer. This is how we got there.

The SCCA became heavily involved in professional road racing in the mid-’80s, and in 1985 they launched the Playboy United States Endurance Cup, the first part of the professional road racing series. on the roads. Escort Radar Warning Receivers sponsored a portion of the team, and 10 car manufacturers entered the series. While custom tires will eventually become a bigger part of the formula, this first year teams can choose tires from eight different brands.

Wec / Monza

A single Playboy Cup season consists of only six events, but those races vary in length from four to 24 hours. Some of the best tracks in the country were visited: Road Atlanta, Sears Point, Lime Rock and Mid-Ohio.

Was it successful? The series made its debut at Riverside Raceway, and 87 cars showed up to set a record for the most entries in an introductory race.

Drivers such as Don Knowles, Stirling Moss, Elliott Forbes-Robinson, John Heinricy and actor Bobby Carradine competed in four classes: SSGT, SSA, SSB and SSC. Hybrid engines include Corvettes, Dodge Shelby turbos, Peugeot 505 Turbos and the Honda CRX Si.

While SCCA Pro Racing launched their Playboy Cup, IMSA announced their own version of professional stock racing, the Firestone Firehawk Endurance Championship. As the name suggests, all teams were required to wear Firehawk road tires from brand sponsor Firestone.

The Iron Dames—the Only All Female Team In Endurance Racing History—take Daytona

The Firehawk series is nearly a decade old, and many of the teams and drivers still involved in stock road racing ran in the old IMSA competition. Look at the record books and you’ll find names like Joe Nonnamaker, Randy Pobst and David Rosenblum. Three classes—Super Sport, Sport and Touring—pitched everything to race, including the BMW M3, Camaro, Corvette, Pontiac Grand-Am and up to enough with the Ford Thunderbird.

The radar detector manufacturer Escort took on the sponsorship of the SCCA’s professional showroom stock series for 1986, changing the name to the Escort Endurance Championship. That’s not the only story, though. Of the