CRS Racing
Encyclopedia
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
starting in 2004. Niarchos, founder of the Cobra Group, sponsored and then partnered with Kirkaldy's team before it was reformed in 2007 in order to expand beyond Formula Renault to enter the European FIA GT Championship
and British GT Championship
.
, who went on to earn tenth in the Drivers Championship before leading the team to third in the series in 2005. It was however Swedish driver Alexander Storckenfeldt who earned Team AKA their first Formula Renault victory at the Thruxton Circuit
. Team AKA also entered Jakes in the Formula Renault 2000 Eurocup
. Jakes' third place in the British championship earned him a nomination for the McLaren Autosport BRDC Award
. As Jakes and Storckenfeldt moved to other series, AKA hired Jeremy Metcalfe
, Peter Rees, and Irishman Patrick Hogan
. Hogan led the team with six wins and tied Sebastian Hohenthal
on points but earned second in the championship by the tiebreaker
. AKA also earned second place in the Teams Championship behind Fortec Motorsport
.
In 2007 Chris Niarchos approached Kirkaldy with sponsoring of Team AKA in their fourth season of the British Formula Renault Championship. Niarchos and Kirkaldy had previously been teammates on the Scuderia Ecosse team which competed in the FIA GT Championship
. Team AKA then became known as AKA Cobra and hired Adam Christodoulou
, Chris Holmes
, and Australian Nathan Caratti to drive alongside the returning Metcalfe. Christodoulou finished fourth in the championship while Metcalfe earned two wins over the season. AKA Cobra once again completed the season second in the Teams Championship, trailing Fortec.
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. CR Scuderia employed defending multiple drivers to cover their two new series as well as their continuing efforts in Formula Renault. Defending Le Mans Series
champion Rob Bell co-drove with Kirkaldy in the FIA GT Championship while Niarchos led the team's other car. Luke Hines
, Jeremy Metcalfe, James Sutton
, Michael Meadows, Michael Cullen, Paddy Shovlin were the full-season entrants in the trio of Ferraris for British GT. Christodoulou returned for another season of Formula Renault and was joined by Scott Jenkins, Sten Pentus
, and Ryuji Yamamoto.
The 2008 season was successful for the reformed team as they managed victories in each of their three series. Kirkaldy and Bell won both races at the Bucharest City Challenge
and placed 6th in the FIA GT Championship, while all three Ferraris won races over the course of the British GT season, led by Hines and Metcalfe in second in the Drivers Championship, but also earning the team first in the Teams Championship. A second championship was earned by the team in British Formula Renault as Christodoulou won the Drivers Championship after seven victories over the season.
in the team's second Ferrari. Formula Renault entries continue for the team, but the drivers are entirely new as Harry Tincknell
, Matias Laine
, Joshua Scott, and Lewis Williamson
compete for the title.
Although they are the defending Team Champions in British GT, CRS Racing chose to move their other Ferraris to the FIA GT3 European Championship
for this season where Chris Goodwin
, Klaas Hummell, Phil Quaife
, and Robert Hissom will compete. CRS are also currently busy helping with the development of the GT3 racing variant of the McLaren MP4-12C
. The car made its competitive debut at a British GT Championship
round at Spa-Francorchamps
in July 2011, running as an invitational entrant with Chris Goodwin
and Andrew Kirkaldy
achieving a pole position and a best result of fourth place from the two races to be held. Three MP4-12C cars contested the Spa 24 Hours
in July, with only one reaching the event's end.
D.C. = Drivers' Championship position, T.C. = Teams' Championship position.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
auto racing
Auto racing
Auto racing is a motorsport involving the racing of cars for competition. It is one of the world's most watched televised sports.-The beginning of racing:...
team founded by British driver Andrew Kirkaldy
Andrew Kirkaldy (racing driver)
Andrew Kirkaldy is a Scottish 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...
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
British 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...
starting in 2004. Niarchos, founder of the Cobra Group, sponsored and then partnered with Kirkaldy's team before it was reformed in 2007 in order to expand beyond Formula Renault to enter the European 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...
and 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...
.
History
Andrew Kirkaldy's Team AKA debuted in the British Formula Renault championship in 2004, led by driver James JakesJames 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 went on to earn tenth in the Drivers Championship before leading the team to third in the series in 2005. It was however Swedish driver Alexander Storckenfeldt who earned Team AKA their first Formula Renault victory at the Thruxton Circuit
Thruxton Circuit
Thruxton Circuit is a motor racing circuit located near the village of Thruxton in Hampshire, England which is used to host a number of motorsport events including British Touring Cars and Formula 3 racing....
. Team AKA also entered Jakes in the Formula Renault 2000 Eurocup
Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0
Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0 is a Formula Renault 2.0 championship with a presence of many Formula Renault championships drivers. It serves as a support series to the Formula Renault 3.5 Series as part of the World Series by Renault....
. Jakes' third place in the British championship earned him a nomination for the McLaren Autosport BRDC Award
McLaren 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...
. As Jakes and Storckenfeldt moved to other series, AKA hired Jeremy Metcalfe
Jeremy Metcalfe
Jeremy Metcalfe is a British motor racing driver who last competed in 2008 in the British GT Championship where he finished the season as Vice-Champion along with team-mate Luke Hines. Racing in the Formula Renault UK championship prior to his move into GT, Metcalfe enjoyed a good level of success...
, Peter Rees, and Irishman Patrick Hogan
Patrick Hogan
Patrick Hogan is the name of:* Patrick Hogan , Irish Cumann na nGaedhael/Fine Gael politician, represented Galway* Patrick Hogan , Irish Labour party politician, represented Clare...
. Hogan led the team with six wins and tied Sebastian Hohenthal
Sebastian Hohenthal
Sebastian Hohenthal is a former racing driver from Sweden.-Karting:Hohenthal competed in kart racing from 1995 to 2000...
on points but earned second in the championship by the tiebreaker
Tiebreaker
In games and sports, a tiebreaker or tiebreak is used to determine a winner from among players or teams that are tied at the end of a contest, or a set of contests.-In matches:In some situations, the tiebreaker may consist of another round of play...
. AKA also earned second place in the Teams Championship behind Fortec Motorsport
Fortec Motorsport
Fortec Motorsport Ltd. is a motor-racing team that races in the Formula Renault 3.5 Series, the British Formula Three Championship, and several junior formulae categories at a British and pan-European level...
.
In 2007 Chris Niarchos approached Kirkaldy with sponsoring of Team AKA in their fourth season of the British Formula Renault Championship. Niarchos and Kirkaldy had previously been teammates 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 and hired Adam Christodoulou
Adam Christodoulou
Adam Robert Christodoulou is a British racing driver, who won the 2008 British Formula Renault Championship, also won the 2009 Star Mazda Championship in the United States. His cousin Riki Christodoulou is also an emerging racing driver, currently competing in British Formula...
, Chris Holmes
Chris Holmes
Chris Holmes may refer to:* Chris Holmes , US musician and member of the band W.A.S.P.* Chris Holmes , British Paralympian* Chris Holmes, American musician and producer who toured with The Smashing Pumpkins...
, and Australian Nathan Caratti to drive alongside the returning Metcalfe. Christodoulou finished fourth in the championship while Metcalfe earned two wins over the season. AKA Cobra once again completed the season second in the Teams Championship, trailing Fortec.
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. CR Scuderia employed defending multiple drivers to cover their two new series as well as their continuing efforts in Formula Renault. Defending Le Mans Series
Le Mans Series
The Le Mans Series is a European sports car racing endurance series based around the 24 Hours of Le Mans race and run by the Automobile Club de l'Ouest . The series was originally named the Le Mans Endurance Series, but changed its name prior to the 2006 season...
champion Rob Bell co-drove with Kirkaldy in the FIA GT Championship while Niarchos led the team's other car. Luke Hines
Luke Hines
Luke Hines is a British auto racing driver, he is the son of former karting champion and Zip Kart founder/owner Martin Hines. After a small amount of open wheel racing in Formula Ford, Luke entered the Production Class of the BTCC in 2003, with the Barwell Motorsport team. He was the class...
, Jeremy Metcalfe, James Sutton
James Sutton (racing driver)
James Sutton is a racing driver. He won the 2007 Porsche Carrera Cup-Early years:Before he embarked on a career in cars, Sutton raced in karting, winning the London Cup in 2000 before becoming the Junior TKM British champion in 2001, before moving onto Formula ICA and in 2003 racing in the British...
, Michael Meadows, Michael Cullen, Paddy Shovlin were the full-season entrants in the trio of Ferraris for British GT. Christodoulou returned for another season of Formula Renault and was joined by Scott Jenkins, Sten Pentus
Sten Pentus
Sten Pentus is an Estonian racing driver.He is a former Estonian Formula 4 Champion, and a previous winner of the Formula Baltic championship in a Reynard 903....
, and Ryuji Yamamoto.
The 2008 season was successful for the reformed team as they managed victories in each of their three series. Kirkaldy and Bell won both races at the Bucharest City Challenge
2008 FIA GT Bucharest 2 Hours
The 2008 Bucharest City Challenge was the sixth round of the 2008 FIA GT Championship season. It took place at the Bucharest Ring temporary street circuit in Bucharest, Romania, on 23 — 24 August 2008.-Format:...
and placed 6th in the FIA GT Championship, while all three Ferraris won races over the course of the British GT season, led by Hines and Metcalfe in second in the Drivers Championship, but also earning the team first in the Teams Championship. A second championship was earned by the team in British Formula Renault as Christodoulou won the Drivers Championship after seven victories over the season.
Current activities
Prior to the start of the 2009 season, CR Scuderia was renamed CRS Racing, but much of the team remains the same from their previous year. Kirkaldy and Bell continue in the FIA GT Championship, while Niarchos is joined full time by 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...
in the team's second Ferrari. Formula Renault entries continue for the team, but the drivers are entirely new as Harry Tincknell
Harry Tincknell
Harry Tincknell is a British auto racing driver.-Karting:Tincknell made his karting début in 2001, finishing in the top five of both the Dunkeswell Club Championship and the South West British Championship series...
, Matias Laine
Matias Laine
-Karting:Laine began his motorsport career in karting in 2003, finishing as runner-up in the Finnish Raket Cup Championship. In 2005 he won the Finnish Championship for the ICA Junior class.-Formula Renault:...
, Joshua Scott, and Lewis Williamson
Lewis Williamson
-Karting:Born in Dundee, Williamson began karting at the age of eight, and spent a successful decade racing in the various classes around the United Kingdom. By the time Williamson moved into the junior formulae in 2008, he had claimed three Scottish karting championship titles at Cadet and MiniMax...
compete for the title.
Although they are the defending Team Champions in British GT, CRS Racing chose to move their other Ferraris to the FIA GT3 European Championship
FIA GT3 European Championship
The FIA GT3 European Championship is a sports car racing series organized by the Stéphane Ratel Organisation and regulated by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile . It is a championship derived from the international FIA GT1 World Championship, but meant to provide competition for more...
for this season where Chris Goodwin
Chris Goodwin
Chris Goodwin is a British auto racing driver. Presently he works as Chief Test Driver for Mclaren Automotive. Additionally he manages the racing career of Bruno Senna and continues to race in International GT Endurance events....
, Klaas Hummell, Phil Quaife
Phil Quaife
Phil Quaife is an English racing driver currently competing in the Porsche Carrera Cup GB for Jota Sport and in the FIA GT3 European Championship in Apex Motorsport's Jaguar XKR.-Career:...
, and Robert Hissom will compete. CRS are also currently busy helping with the development of the GT3 racing variant of the McLaren MP4-12C
McLaren MP4-12C
The McLaren MP4-12C is a sports car designed and manufactured by McLaren Automotive. It is the first production car wholly designed and built by McLaren since the McLaren F1. The car's final design was unveiled on 8 September 2009, and it is set to be launched in 2011...
. The car made its competitive debut at a 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...
round at Spa-Francorchamps
Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps
The Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps is the venue of the Formula One Belgian Grand Prix and the Spa 24 Hours endurance race. It is also home to the all Volkswagen club event, 25 Hours of Spa, run by the Uniroyal Fun Cup. It is one of the most challenging race tracks in the world, mainly due to its...
in July 2011, running as an invitational entrant with Chris Goodwin
Chris Goodwin
Chris Goodwin is a British auto racing driver. Presently he works as Chief Test Driver for Mclaren Automotive. Additionally he manages the racing career of Bruno Senna and continues to race in International GT Endurance events....
and Andrew Kirkaldy
Andrew Kirkaldy (racing driver)
Andrew Kirkaldy is a Scottish 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...
achieving a pole position and a best result of fourth place from the two races to be held. Three MP4-12C cars contested the Spa 24 Hours
Spa 24 Hours
The Total 24 Hours of Spa is an endurance racing event held annually in Belgium at the Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps. Conceived by Jules de Their and Henri Langlois Van Ophem just one year after the first 24 Hours of Le Mans, the race was run under the auspices of the Royal Automobile Club Belgium...
in July, with only one reaching the event's end.
GP3
| Year | Car | Drivers | Races | Wins | Poles | Fast laps | Points | D.C. | T.C. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 2010 GP3 Series season The 2010 GP3 Series season was the first season of the GP3 Series, a feeder series for the GP2 Series. The championship was contested over sixteen races held at eight rounds, beginning on May 8 at Circuit de Catalunya and ending on September 12 at Autodromo Nazionale Monza... |
Dallara Dallara Dallara Automobili is an Italian chassis manufacturer for various motor racing series, being most notable for its near-monopoly in Formula 3 since 1993... -Renault Renault Renault S.A. is a French automaker producing cars, vans, and in the past, autorail vehicles, trucks, tractors, vans and also buses/coaches. Its alliance with Nissan makes it the world's third largest automaker... |
 Patrick ReitererPatrick Reiterer Patrick Reiterer is an Italian racing driver. He has competed in such series as Italian Formula Renault 2.0 and International Formula Master.-Complete GP3 Series results:... |
4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 33rd | 7th |
 Roberto MerhiRoberto Merhi Roberto Merhi Muntan is a Spanish auto racing driver.- Career :-Formula Renault:In 2007, Merhi mainly competed in Italian Formula Renault and the Formula Renault Eurocup, finishing 4th and 18th respectively. In 2008 he competed in the West European Series, where he was runner-up, and he finished... |
12 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 26 | 6th | |||
 Oliver OakesOliver Oakes Oliver Oakes is a British motor racing driver, and was the 2005 World Karting champion, the highest category for kart racing... |
16 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 28th | |||
| Vittorio Ghirelli Vittorio Ghirelli Vittorio Ghirelli is an Italian racing driver. He competed in such series as Italian Formula Three and GP3 Series.-Complete GP3 Series results:... |
16 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 34th | |||
D.C. = Drivers' Championship position, T.C. = Teams' Championship position.