Andrew Kirkaldy (racing driver)
Encyclopedia
Andrew Kirkaldy is a Scottish
racing driver and team principal.
in that year, which earnt him a prize test with the McLaren
Formula One
team. He was runner-up in Euroseries Formula Opel in 1998. He raced in the British Formula Three Championship
in 1999
and 2000.
in 2002, Kirkaldy made his FIA GT Championship
debut. In 2004 he moved to the British GT Championship
, winning the series in 2005 with teammate Nathan Kinch for Scuderia Ecosse. He also made his 24 Hours of Le Mans
debut in 2005 for the team. He returned to the FIA GT Championship in 2006 with Scuderia Ecosse, racing in the GT2 class. In 2008, he drove for his CRS Racing
team in the championship.
, ending up with a second in the 2006 teams championship. The team also achieved two top-three drivers championship positions with James Jakes
, who was third in 2005, and Patrick Hogan, who was second in 2006 only after losing a tie-breaker to Sebastian Hohenthal
. In 2007 Chris Niarchos approached Kirkaldy with sponsoring of Team AKA in their fourth season of the British Formula Renault Championship, with the two having previously been team-mates on the Scuderia Ecosse team which competed in the FIA GT Championship
. Team AKA then became known as AKA Cobra.
Following the 2007 season, Niarchos' interest in the team expanded as the two wished to enter their own team in not only the FIA GT Championship but the British GT Championship
as well, ending their relationship with Scuderia Ecosse. The team was renamed once more and was relaunched as CR Scuderia, reflecting their choice of Italian Ferrari
s for their entry into grand tourer
racing. The team was again renamed for 2009, becoming CRS Racing
.
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
racing driver and team principal.
Single-seaters
Kirkaldy began his career competing in karting, winning the Scottish Junior Championship in 1989 and the Scottish Senior Championship in 1993. He raced in the Formula Vauxhall championship in 1996 and 1997, finishing runner-up in 1997. He also won the McLaren Autosport BRDC AwardMcLaren Autosport BRDC Award
The McLaren Autosport BRDC Award is an award set up in 1989 to reward and recognise young racing drivers from the UK. As its names suggest, the award is backed by Formula One team McLaren, motorsport magazine Autosport, and the British Racing Drivers' Club...
in that year, which earnt him a prize test with the McLaren
McLaren
McLaren Racing Limited, trading as Vodafone McLaren Mercedes, is a British Formula One team based in Woking, Surrey, United Kingdom. McLaren is best known as a Formula One constructor but has also competed and won in the Indianapolis 500 and Canadian-American Challenge Cup...
Formula One
Formula One
Formula One, also known as Formula 1 or F1 and referred to officially as the FIA Formula One World Championship, is the highest class of single seater auto racing sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile . The "formula" designation in the name refers to a set of rules with which...
team. He was runner-up in Euroseries Formula Opel in 1998. He raced in the British Formula Three Championship
British Formula Three Championship
The British Formula Three Championship is an international motor racing series that takes place primarily in the United Kingdom with a small number of events in mainland Europe. It is a junior-level feeder formula that uses small single seater Formula Three chassis. Its current official title is...
in 1999
1999 British Formula Three season
The 1999 British Formula Three season was the 49th British Formula Three Championship season. It commenced on March 21, and ended on October 17 after sixteen races. Marc Hynes was the champion, with Martin O'Connell taking the spoils in Class B....
and 2000.
Sports cars
In addition to finishing runner-up in the Renault Clio CupRenault Clio Cup
The Renault Clio Cup is a One-make racing series created and managed by Renault Sport. As the name suggests, Renault Clio cars are used, and are grouped in 15 national championships and an International Cup.-Championships:...
in 2002, Kirkaldy made his FIA GT Championship
FIA GT Championship
The FIA GT Championship was a sports car racing series organized by the Stéphane Ratel Organisation at the behest of the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile . The championship was mostly concentrated in Europe, but throughout the years has visited other continents including Asia and South...
debut. In 2004 he moved to the British GT Championship
British GT Championship
The Avon Tyres British GT Championship is a sports car racing series currently based in the United Kingdom, although they have had select races outside of Britain in the past few years. The series was created by the British Racing Drivers' Club in 1993 and for its first two seasons was called the...
, winning the series in 2005 with teammate Nathan Kinch for Scuderia Ecosse. He also made his 24 Hours of Le Mans
24 Hours of Le Mans
The 24 Hours of Le Mans is the world's oldest sports car race in endurance racing, held annually since near the town of Le Mans, France. Commonly known as the Grand Prix of Endurance and Efficiency, race teams have to balance speed against the cars' ability to run for 24 hours without sustaining...
debut in 2005 for the team. He returned to the FIA GT Championship in 2006 with Scuderia Ecosse, racing in the GT2 class. In 2008, he drove for his CRS Racing
CRS Racing
CRS Racing is a British auto racing team founded by British driver Andrew Kirkaldy and Canadian-Greek entrepreneur and driver Chris Niarchos. The team was founded in 2007, but is based on the former team of Kirkaldy known as Team AKA which competed in the British Formula Renault Championship...
team in the championship.
Team AKA & CRS Racing
As well as his racing career, Kirkaldy is a successful team principal, founding his own Team AKA team in 2004. The team ran for four seasons in the British Formula Renault ChampionshipBritish Formula Renault Championship
The United Kingdom has two Formula Renault championships: Renault Sport UK's Formula Renault UK championship and the British Automobile Racing Club's BARC Formula Renault championship. Generally, the UK series is recognized as the British Formula Renault.-History:The "British Formula Renault...
, ending up with a second in the 2006 teams championship. The team also achieved two top-three drivers championship positions with James Jakes
James Jakes
- T-Cars :Jakes started his racing career in 2002 competing in 5 rounds of the T-Car Championship. In 2003 James continued in T-cars, finishing 2nd in the championship.- Formula Renault :...
, who was third in 2005, and Patrick Hogan, who was second in 2006 only after losing a tie-breaker to Sebastian Hohenthal
Sebastian Hohenthal
Sebastian Hohenthal is a former racing driver from Sweden.-Karting:Hohenthal competed in kart racing from 1995 to 2000...
. In 2007 Chris Niarchos approached Kirkaldy with sponsoring of Team AKA in their fourth season of the British Formula Renault Championship, with the two having previously been team-mates on the Scuderia Ecosse team which competed in the FIA GT Championship
FIA GT Championship
The FIA GT Championship was a sports car racing series organized by the Stéphane Ratel Organisation at the behest of the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile . The championship was mostly concentrated in Europe, but throughout the years has visited other continents including Asia and South...
. Team AKA then became known as AKA Cobra.
Following the 2007 season, Niarchos' interest in the team expanded as the two wished to enter their own team in not only the FIA GT Championship but the British GT Championship
British GT Championship
The Avon Tyres British GT Championship is a sports car racing series currently based in the United Kingdom, although they have had select races outside of Britain in the past few years. The series was created by the British Racing Drivers' Club in 1993 and for its first two seasons was called the...
as well, ending their relationship with Scuderia Ecosse. The team was renamed once more and was relaunched as CR Scuderia, reflecting their choice of Italian Ferrari
Ferrari
Ferrari S.p.A. is an Italian sports car manufacturer based in Maranello, Italy. Founded by Enzo Ferrari in 1929, as Scuderia Ferrari, the company sponsored drivers and manufactured race cars before moving into production of street-legal vehicles as Ferrari S.p.A. in 1947...
s for their entry into grand tourer
Grand tourer
A grand tourer is a high-performance luxury automobile designed for long-distance driving. The most common format is a two-door coupé with either a two-seat or a 2+2 arrangement....
racing. The team was again renamed for 2009, becoming CRS Racing
CRS Racing
CRS Racing is a British auto racing team founded by British driver Andrew Kirkaldy and Canadian-Greek entrepreneur and driver Chris Niarchos. The team was founded in 2007, but is based on the former team of Kirkaldy known as Team AKA which competed in the British Formula Renault Championship...
.
24 Hours of Le Mans results
| Year | Class | No | Tyres | Car | Team | Co-Drivers | Laps | Pos. | Class Pos. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 2005 24 Hours of Le Mans The 2005 24 Hours of Le Mans was the 73rd Grand Prix of Endurance, and took place on June 18 and 19 2005.This race marked the record 7th victory for Tom Kristensen, including his 6th straight.-Race:... |
GT2 | 93 | Ferrari 360 Modena GTC Ferrari Ferrari Ferrari S.p.A. is an Italian sports car manufacturer based in Maranello, Italy. Founded by Enzo Ferrari in 1929, as Scuderia Ferrari, the company sponsored drivers and manufactured race cars before moving into production of street-legal vehicles as Ferrari S.p.A. in 1947... F131 3.6L V8 |
 Scuderia Ecosse |
Nathan Kinch Anthony Reid Anthony Reid Anthony Reid is a British auto racing driver, born on 17 May 1957 in Glasgow, Scotland. Although Scottish he now lives in England.-Formula cars:... |
70 | DNF | DNF | |
| 2006 2006 24 Hours of Le Mans The 2006 24 Hours of Le Mans was the 74th Grand Prix of Endurance, and took place over June 17–18, 2006.-Pre-race:Prior to this race the ACO redeveloped the area around the Dunlop Curve and Dunlop Chicane, moving the Dunlop Curve in tighter to create more run-off area, while also turning the Dunlop... |
GT2 | 87 | Ferrari F430 GT2 Ferrari Ferrari Ferrari S.p.A. is an Italian sports car manufacturer based in Maranello, Italy. Founded by Enzo Ferrari in 1929, as Scuderia Ferrari, the company sponsored drivers and manufactured race cars before moving into production of street-legal vehicles as Ferrari S.p.A. in 1947... 4.0L V8 |
Scuderia Ecosse |
 Chris Niarchos Tim MullenTim Mullen Tim Mullen is a British racing driver. After starting his career in Karting, he entered the Irish Formula Ford championship in 1995 where he won the title... |
311 | 17th | 3rd | |
| 2007 2007 24 Hours of Le Mans The 2007 24 Hours of Le Mans was the 75th Grand Prix of Endurance, and took place at the Circuit de la Sarthe, Le Mans, France from 16–17 June 2007. Four classes of cars raced together, with each class having honors for its highest finishers... |
GT2 | 87 | Ferrari F430 GT2 Ferrari Ferrari Ferrari S.p.A. is an Italian sports car manufacturer based in Maranello, Italy. Founded by Enzo Ferrari in 1929, as Scuderia Ferrari, the company sponsored drivers and manufactured race cars before moving into production of street-legal vehicles as Ferrari S.p.A. in 1947... 4.0L V8 |
Scuderia Ecosse |
Chris Niarchos Tim Mullen Tim Mullen Tim Mullen is a British racing driver. After starting his career in Karting, he entered the Irish Formula Ford championship in 1995 where he won the title... |
241 | DNF | DNF | |
| 2009 2009 24 Hours of Le Mans The 2009 24 Hours of Le Mans was the 77th Grand Prix of Endurance, an endurance auto race run over 24 hours. It took place at the Circuit de la Sarthe, Le Mans, France, and was organised by the Automobile Club de l'Ouest over June 13–14, 2009 and was started by Fiat and Ferrari chairman Luca... |
GT2 | 92 | Ferrari F430 GT2 Ferrari Ferrari Ferrari S.p.A. is an Italian sports car manufacturer based in Maranello, Italy. Founded by Enzo Ferrari in 1929, as Scuderia Ferrari, the company sponsored drivers and manufactured race cars before moving into production of street-legal vehicles as Ferrari S.p.A. in 1947... 4.0L V8 |
JMW Motorsport |
Rob Bell Robert Bell (racing driver) Robert "Rob" Bell is a British racing driver. He has competed in such series as the FIA GT Championship, the British GT Championship and Formula Renault V6 Eurocup. He won the Winter Series of Formula Renault UK in both 2001 and 2002. He has won the GT2 class of the Le Mans Series for Virgo... Tim SugdenTim Sugden Tim Sugden is a British racing driver. He is both driver and manager for his own racing team, Tim Sugden Motorsport.-Early career:... |
320 | 23rd | 4th | |