Chris Buncombe
Encyclopedia
Christopher James Buncombe (born 5 May 1979 Taunton
, Somerset, England) is a British racing driver currently signed as an official factory driver for Aston Martin Racing
in their Le Mans programme. He joined Aston Martin Racing at the end of the 2009 season when he drove in the Le Mans Series
scoring a podium finish on his debut with the team at Nürburgring driving the 008 Aston Martin LMP1 car. Chris won the 2007 24 Hours of Le Mans
in the LMP2 class driving for Binnie Motorsports in their Lola B05/40
-Zytek
.
before signing for the factory Nissan Motorsports Europe (NME) Team when he raced the Nissan Primera
in the Benelux Championship during 1999 and the RJN Motorsport Nissan Primera in the 2000 Spa 24 Hours
. In 2001 Chris joined reigning Formula Renault Champions, Manor Motorsport
to again compete in British Formula Renault. He rejoined the RJN Motorsport Team in 2002 for select races in the FIA European Touring Car Championship
.
He joined JMB Racing
in 2004 driving their Ferrari 575M
GT1 car in the FIA GT Championship
. Teammates included Karl Wendlinger
, Tarso Marques
and Bert Longin. In 2005 Chris remained in the FIA GT Championship driving the Red Bull sponsored Maserati MC12
for JMB Racing, driving with Philipp Peter
and Roman Rusinov
. He raced in the 2007 Spa 24 Hours
for Team SRT in their Corvette C5-R
.
In 2007 Chris drove in the Le Mans Series for US based Team, Binnie Motorsports driving with Bill Binnie
and Allen Timpany in the Lola B05/40-Zytek LMP2, winning the LMP2 class at Le Mans on his debut. In 2008, Chris raced in the Speedcar Series alongside various outings for JD Classics in their Group C
Jaguar XJR-9
& XJR-11
. He joined Aston Martin Racing
in the LMP1 car number 008 for the final races on the 2009 Le Mans Series
where the Team scored an Aston Martin 1-2-3 at the ADAC 1000 km of Nürburgring, 50 years on from Aston Martin's 1959 win at the classic German endurance race in the DBR1.
Chris' brother, Alex is currently driving for RJN Motorsport Nissan Team in the PlayStation GT Academy Nissan 370Z
in GT4 European Cup
.
Taunton
Taunton is the county town of Somerset, England. The town, including its suburbs, had an estimated population of 61,400 in 2001. It is the largest town in the shire county of Somerset....
, Somerset, England) is a British racing driver currently signed as an official factory driver for Aston Martin Racing
Aston Martin Racing
Aston Martin Racing is an auto racing team established in 2004 as a partnership between automobile manufacturer Aston Martin and engineering group Prodrive. The partnership was initially created for the purpose of returning Aston Martin to sports car racing with the DBR9, a heavily modified...
in their Le Mans programme. He joined Aston Martin Racing at the end of the 2009 season when he drove in the 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...
scoring a podium finish on his debut with the team at Nürburgring driving the 008 Aston Martin LMP1 car. Chris won the 2007 24 Hours of Le Mans
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...
in the LMP2 class driving for Binnie Motorsports in their Lola B05/40
Lola B05/40
The Lola B05/40 is a Le Mans Prototype built by Lola Cars International for use in the LMP2 class for the American Le Mans Series, Le Mans Series, and 24 Hours of Le Mans. Developed in 2005, it was intended as a replacement for both the Lola B2K/40 and the MG-Lola EX257. It shares various...
-Zytek
Zytek
Zytek Group Ltd is an automotive and motorsport company founded in 1981 and based in Fradley and Repton, United Kingdom. Zytek Group has two main division: Zytek Automotive, which is based at Fradley, Staffordshire; and Zytek Engineering, which is based at Repton, Derbyshire.-Zytek Automotive:Zytek...
.
Career
Chris Buncombe began his career in schoolboy motocross in the early '90's before moving across to the Super 1 British Karting Championship in 1993. Shortly after his 16th birthday, Chris won a national scholarship to race in the Formula Vauxhall Junior Championship. In 1997 & 1998 he raced 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...
before signing for the factory Nissan Motorsports Europe (NME) Team when he raced the Nissan Primera
Nissan Primera
The Nissan Primera is a medium sized family car produced by the Japanese automaker Nissan for the Japanese domestic and European markets.-Nissan Primera P10 :...
in the Benelux Championship during 1999 and the RJN Motorsport Nissan Primera in the 2000 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 2001 Chris joined reigning Formula Renault Champions, Manor Motorsport
Manor Motorsport
Manor Motorsport is a British motor racing team that was formed in 1990 by former single-seater champion John Booth.Throughout its history the team primarily competed in Formula Renault, with past drivers including 2007 Formula One World Champion Kimi Räikkönen, 2008 F1 World Championship winner...
to again compete in British Formula Renault. He rejoined the RJN Motorsport Team in 2002 for select races in the FIA European Touring Car Championship
European Touring Car Championship
The European Touring Car Championship was an international touring car racing series organised by the FIA. It had two incarnations, the first one between 1963 and 1988, and the second between 2000 and 2004...
.
He joined JMB Racing
JMB Racing
JMB Racing is a racing team from Monaco that competes in sports car racing. It was founded in Nice, France, in 1995 as JB Racing by Jean-Michel Bouresche and Jean-Pierre Jabouille. It was renamed JMB in 2000 after Jabouille left the partnership...
in 2004 driving their Ferrari 575M
Ferrari 575M Maranello
The Ferrari 575M Maranello is a two-seat, two-door, grand tourer built by Ferrari. Launched in 2002, it is essentially an updated 550 Maranello featuring minor styling changes from Pininfarina...
GT1 car 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...
. Teammates included Karl Wendlinger
Karl Wendlinger
Karl Wendlinger is an Austrian sportscar racing and former Formula One driver.- Mercedes Juniors :Wendlinger started his career in karting and in Formula Ford before entering the German Formula 3 Championship in 1988...
, Tarso Marques
Tarso Marques
Tarso Anibal Santanna Marques is a racing driver from Brazil. He participated in 24 Formula One Grands Prix, debuting on March 31, 1996...
and Bert Longin. In 2005 Chris remained in the FIA GT Championship driving the Red Bull sponsored Maserati MC12
Maserati MC12
The Maserati MC12 is a two-seater sports car produced by Italian car maker Maserati to allow a racing variant to compete in the FIA GT Championship. The car entered production in 2004 with 30 cars produced...
for JMB Racing, driving with Philipp Peter
Philipp Peter
Philipp Peter is a race car driver from Austria.In 2003 he won the 12 Hours of Sebring in a Team Joest Audi R8 with teammates Marco Werner and Frank Biela...
and Roman Rusinov
Roman Rusinov
Roman Aleksandrovich Rusinov is a Russian auto racing driver.Rusinov was the first Russian driver to win an international race in Europe, in 2000 he won the International Renault Finals in French Formula Renault. In 2002 he led the Formula Palmer Audi championship till the last event, but collided...
. He raced in the 2007 Spa 24 Hours
2007 Spa 24 Hours
The 2007 Total Spa 24 Hours was the 60th running of the Spa 24 Hours as well as the fifth round of the 2007 FIA GT Championship season. The G3 class also included cars running in the GT3 specification seen in the FIA GT3 European Championship, although this event was not part of their scheduled...
for Team SRT in their Corvette C5-R
Chevrolet Corvette C5-R
The Chevrolet Corvette C5-R is a grand touring racing car built by Pratt & Miller and General Motors for competition in endurance racing. The car is based on the C5 generation of the Chevrolet Corvette sports car, yet is designed purely for motorsports use...
.
In 2007 Chris drove in the Le Mans Series for US based Team, Binnie Motorsports driving with Bill Binnie
William Harrison Binnie
William Harrison "Bill" Binnie is a New Hampshire industrialist, investment banker, and former political candidate who currently serves as president of Carlisle Capital Corporation and was formerly chairman of Carlisle Plastics, Inc...
and Allen Timpany in the Lola B05/40-Zytek LMP2, winning the LMP2 class at Le Mans on his debut. In 2008, Chris raced in the Speedcar Series alongside various outings for JD Classics in their Group C
Group C
Group C was a category of motorsport, introduced by the FIA in 1982 for sports car racing, along with Group A for touring cars and Group B for GTs....
Jaguar XJR-9
Jaguar XJR-9
The Jaguar XJR-9 is a sports-prototype race car built by Jaguar for both Group C and IMSA Camel GTP, debuting in at the 1988 24 Hours of Daytona....
& XJR-11
Jaguar XJR-11
The Jaguar XJR-11 was a sports-prototype racing car introduced for the 1989 World Sportscar Championship season - its sister car the XJR-10 running in IMSA....
. He joined Aston Martin Racing
Aston Martin Racing
Aston Martin Racing is an auto racing team established in 2004 as a partnership between automobile manufacturer Aston Martin and engineering group Prodrive. The partnership was initially created for the purpose of returning Aston Martin to sports car racing with the DBR9, a heavily modified...
in the LMP1 car number 008 for the final races on the 2009 Le Mans Series
2009 Le Mans Series season
The 2009 Le Mans Series season was the sixth season of Automobile Club de l'Ouest's Le Mans Series. It was contested over five events between 5 April and 13 September 2009....
where the Team scored an Aston Martin 1-2-3 at the ADAC 1000 km of Nürburgring, 50 years on from Aston Martin's 1959 win at the classic German endurance race in the DBR1.
Family History
Chris grew up from a motorsport family. His Grandfather, John Buncombe, competed during the 1950s & '60's. His Father, Jonathan Buncombe raced in saloon cars for over 20 years.Chris' brother, Alex is currently driving for RJN Motorsport Nissan Team in the PlayStation GT Academy Nissan 370Z
Nissan 370Z
The Nissan 370Z is a sports car manufactured by Nissan Motors. It was announced on October 29, 2008 and was first shown at an event in Los Angeles ahead of the 2008 Greater LA Auto Show, before being officially unveiled at the show itself...
in GT4 European Cup
GT4 European Cup
The GT4 European Cup is a sports car championship created and organized by the Stéphane Ratel Organisation and sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile . It is an amateur championship which follows a formula similar to the FIA GT3 European Championship, which is itself derived...
.
24 Hours of Le Mans results
| Year | Class | No | Tyres | Car | Team | Co-Drivers | Laps | Pos. | Class Pos. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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... |
LMP2 | 31 | Lola B05/42 Lola B05/40 The Lola B05/40 is a Le Mans Prototype built by Lola Cars International for use in the LMP2 class for the American Le Mans Series, Le Mans Series, and 24 Hours of Le Mans. Developed in 2005, it was intended as a replacement for both the Lola B2K/40 and the MG-Lola EX257. It shares various... Zytek Zytek Zytek Group Ltd is an automotive and motorsport company founded in 1981 and based in Fradley and Repton, United Kingdom. Zytek Group has two main division: Zytek Automotive, which is based at Fradley, Staffordshire; and Zytek Engineering, which is based at Repton, Derbyshire.-Zytek Automotive:Zytek... ZG348 3.4L V8 |
 Binnie Motorsports |
William Binnie Allen Timpany |
318 | 18th | 1st | |
| 2011 2011 24 Hours of Le Mans The 2011 24 Hours of Le Mans was the 79th Grand Prix of Endurance, and took place on 11–12 June 2011 at the Circuit de la Sarthe, Le Mans, France, and organised by the Automobile Club de l'Ouest... |
GTE Pro |
79 | Aston Martin V8 Vantage GT2 Aston Martin Aston Martin Aston Martin Lagonda Limited is a British manufacturer of luxury sports cars, based in Gaydon, Warwickshire. The company name is derived from the name of one of the company's founders, Lionel Martin, and from the Aston Hill speed hillclimb near Aston Clinton in Buckinghamshire... 4.5L V8 |
Jota |
Sam Hancock Sam Hancock Sam Hancock is a British racing driver. He has competed in such series as Porsche Supercup, Porsche Carrera Cup Great Britain and International Formula 3000. He won the LMP2 class of the Le Mans Series in 2004 with Swiss driver Alexander Frei.-24 Hours of Le Mans results:-External links:* *... Simon Dolan |
74 | DNF | DNF | |