David Hunt (racer)
Encyclopedia
David Hunt is former British
racing driver and younger brother of 1976 Formula One
world champion James Hunt
.
Hunt started racing at 15 and moved up to Formula Ford
in 1981. He competed in the British Formula Three Championship
for five seasons from 1983 to 1987 against the likes of Ayrton Senna
, Martin Donnelly, Martin Brundle
and Damon Hill
. He raced in the International Formula 3000 championship in 1988 and in the same year tested for the Benetton Formula 1 team
. He then quit racing.
At the end of 1994 he sold his network marketing business and purchased the bankrupt Lotus team
to try to save it, but had no success. He continued to work on getting Lotus back into the top echelons of motor sport until 2009, when he sold the rights to the Lotus name to the Litespeed Formula 3
team. Litespeed applied to compete in the 2010 Formula One season
but was refused entry. However, a Lotus entry backed by the Malaysian government was later given an entry for 2010 after the selection process was re-opened following the announcement that BMW Sauber
will withdraw from the sport at the conclusion of the 2009 season. The team will be called Lotus Racing.
In the summer of 2010, 1Malaysia which ran an F1 team as Lotus Racing under licence from Lotus Cars bought Team Lotus Ventures Ltd from David Hunt. After this 1Malaysia would run its team as Team Lotus from 2011 onwards.
British people
The British are citizens of the United Kingdom, of the Isle of Man, any of the Channel Islands, or of any of the British overseas territories, and their descendants...
racing driver and younger brother of 1976 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...
world champion James Hunt
James Hunt
James Simon Wallis Hunt was a British racing driver from England who won the Formula One World Championship in . Hunt's often action packed exploits on track earned him the nickname "Hunt the Shunt." After retiring from driving, Hunt became a media commentator and businessman...
.
Hunt started racing at 15 and moved up to Formula Ford
Formula Ford
Formula Ford is a single seater, open wheel class in motorsport which exists in some form in many countries around the world. It is an entry-level series to motor racing....
in 1981. He competed 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...
for five seasons from 1983 to 1987 against the likes of Ayrton Senna
Ayrton Senna
Ayrton Senna da Silva was a Brazilian racing driver. A three-time Formula One world champion, he is widely regarded as one of the greatest F1 drivers of all time...
, Martin Donnelly, Martin Brundle
Martin Brundle
Martin John Brundle is a British racing driver from England, known as a Formula One driver and as an F1 commentator for ITV Sport from 1997 to 2008, the BBC from 2009 to 2011 and Sky Sports from 2012....
and Damon Hill
Damon Hill
Damon Graham Devereux Hill OBE is a retired British racing driver. In 1996 Hill won the Formula One World Championship. As the son of the late Graham Hill, he is the only son of a world champion to win the title...
. He raced in the International Formula 3000 championship in 1988 and in the same year tested for the Benetton Formula 1 team
Benetton Formula
Benetton Formula Ltd., commonly referred to simply as Benetton, was a Formula One constructor that participated from to . The team was owned by the Benetton family who run a worldwide chain of clothing stores of the same name. In 2000 the team was purchased by Renault, but competed as Benetton for...
. He then quit racing.
At the end of 1994 he sold his network marketing business and purchased the bankrupt Lotus team
Team Lotus
Team Lotus was the motorsport sister company of English sports car manufacturer Lotus Cars. The team ran cars in many motorsport series including Formula One, Formula Two, Formula Ford, Formula Junior, IndyCar and sports car racing...
to try to save it, but had no success. He continued to work on getting Lotus back into the top echelons of motor sport until 2009, when he sold the rights to the Lotus name to the Litespeed Formula 3
Litespeed F3
Litespeed F3 is a Norfolk UK based F3 team formed by directors who have over 25 years of race experience at all levels up to and including Formula One and Formula Three...
team. Litespeed applied to compete in the 2010 Formula One season
2010 Formula One season
The 2010 Formula One season was the 61st Formula One season of World Championship motor racing competition. Red Bull Racing won its maiden Constructors' Championship with a one-two finish in Brazil, while Red Bull Racing's Sebastian Vettel won the Drivers' Championship after winning the final race...
but was refused entry. However, a Lotus entry backed by the Malaysian government was later given an entry for 2010 after the selection process was re-opened following the announcement that BMW Sauber
BMW Sauber
BMW has been involved in Formula One in a number of capacities since the inauguration of the World Drivers' Championship in . The company entered occasional races in the 1950s and 1960s , before building the BMW M12/13 inline-four turbocharged engine in the 1980s...
will withdraw from the sport at the conclusion of the 2009 season. The team will be called Lotus Racing.
In the summer of 2010, 1Malaysia which ran an F1 team as Lotus Racing under licence from Lotus Cars bought Team Lotus Ventures Ltd from David Hunt. After this 1Malaysia would run its team as Team Lotus from 2011 onwards.