Auto racing team
Spirit Racing
was a racing car constructor and racing team from the United Kingdom. Founded in 1981, it participated in the
1982 European Formula Two Championship
, moved to
Formula One
in
1983
(staying to the end of the
1985
season), then competing in the
1988 F3000 season
before finally folding at the end of that year. In 26 F1 races (including the non-championship
1983 Race of Champions
), its best finish was seventh at the
1983 Dutch Grand Prix
.
Formula Two
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Thierry Boutsen's F2 Spirit 201
Spirit Racing was founded in August 1981 by ex-
March
employees
Gordon Coppuck
and
John Wickham
with backing from
Bridgestone
and
Honda
, who were keen to re-enter Formula One as an engine supplier.
[1]
The initial plan was to participate in the
1982 European Formula Two Championship
, and so ex-
McLaren
designer John Baldwin was hired to produce the
Spirit 201
chassis with Coppuck, to be powered by a
naturally-aspirated
2-litre Honda
V6 engine
. With sponsorship from
Marlboro
and capable drivers in
Stefan Johansson
and
Thierry Boutsen
, the car was an immediate success, taking
pole position
in eight of the 13 rounds of the championship, while Boutsen won three times and challenged for the title before losing out in the final round to the March of
Corrado Fabi
.
Formula One
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]
Before the F2 championship was over, Honda had built prototypes for a
turbocharged
Formula One engine. After a dummy unit was sent to Spirit, the team modified one of its 201 chassis to meet F1 regulations, and began a testing programme with the new engine in November 1982 at
Silverstone
, with plans to join the F1 World Championship midway through the 1983 season. Honda were anxious to keep a low profile ? much as they had been when they had first entered F1 two decades earlier ? and so the team avoided testing at the same time as other F1 teams, while also taking its programme to
Willow Springs
and
Riverside
in California.
[2]
Then, when the decision was made to enter one car into the World Championship, Johansson was chosen as the driver ? he was seen as a faded talent having made a disappointing F1 debut for
Shadow
in 1980, whereas Boutsen was seen as a star of the future.
After a further test at
Jacarepagua
, the team made its competitive F1 debut in April 1983, at the non-championship
Race of Champions
at
Brands Hatch
. In a field of 13 cars, Johansson set the second-fastest time in free practice, but suffered engine problems in qualifying and started 12th. He then retired early with a punctured radiator following a collision with the
Theodore
of
Roberto Guerrero
. Following this, the team resumed its testing programme, with sessions at Silverstone, Brands Hatch and
Donington Park
, before making its World Championship debut in July at the
British Grand Prix
at Silverstone. Driving a further revision of the F2 car, the 201C, Johansson qualified 14th out of 29 cars despite continued engine problems, and ran strongly in the early stages before retiring with a broken
fuel pump
.
The team then continued in the championship until the penultimate race of the season, the
European Grand Prix
at Brands Hatch. Johansson tended to qualify ahead of most of the naturally-aspirated cars, and finished seventh at
Zandvoort
, but mechanical problems continued to blight the car. In the meantime, the team was building its first purpose-designed F1 car, the
101
, but at the same time, Honda were showing concern at the lack of progress and were being courted by
Williams
, who offered a record of success. Following a disastrous weekend for Spirit at
Monza
, where the 101 was presented but not driven and Johansson suffered another early retirement, the Japanese company decided to supply its engines to Williams only, and Spirit thus missed the final race of the season at
Kyalami
.
[2]
Spirit's first Formula One chassis, the
201C
.
Spirit decided to continue in 1984 with
Hart
turbocharged engines. Initially twice world champion
Emerson Fittipaldi
and moneyed Italian
Fulvio Ballabio
were slated to drive. However Fittipaldi left to find a drive in
Indy car racing
after finding the machine uncompetitive and Ballabio was refused a
Super Licence
. Instead
Mauro Baldi
found funds and was nominated as the team's sole driver, Johansson being released as he could not find the funding to continue. The 101 was a neat but underpowered car and Baldi struggled to move away from the rear of the grid.
Jean-Louis Schlesser
had planned to take over from the third race before the threat of litigation from
RAM
(still owed money by the Frenchman) saw Baldi stay until
Huub Rothengatter
took over. When the Dutchman's money ran out Baldi found enough funds to complete the season. The team's best result was 8th place, scored by Baldi on three occasions and Rothengatter once.
The 101 chassis (having been progressively upgraded throughout 1984) was updated again for 1985 and Baldi continued to drive.
Allen Berg
had arranged a deal to take over the seat later in the season. Money was even tighter, however, and after three rounds Wickham decided to take up an offer from
Toleman
to buy out the team's tyre contract and folded the F1 outfit. Wickham initially promised to be back with a new car in 1986 but that never happened.
Formula 3000
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]
Spirit briefly resurfaced in
Formula 3000
in 1988, running
Bertrand Gachot
,
Steve Kempton
and
Paolo Barilla
with some success, but co-founder Wickham left the outfit midway through the season and the team folded at the end of the year.
Formula Two results
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]
(
key
) (results in
bold
indicate pole position)
Complete Formula One results
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]
(
key
)
References
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2024 season
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Former
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Proposed
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Although World Championship races held in 1952 and 1953 were run to Formula Two regulations, constructors who only participated during this period are included herein to maintain Championship continuity.
Constructors whose only participation in the World Championship was in the
Indianapolis 500
races between 1950 and 1960 are not listed.
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