Emmet O'Brien
Encyclopedia
Emmet O'Brien is an Irish
auto racing
driver.
championship in 2000 which he competed in straight out of karting, in 2001 he competed in British Formula Ford
championship for Aztec Racing. O'Brien then signed up for two years in the British SEAT Cupra Championship
. In 2005 he competed in the European Alfa Romeo 147 Challenge for PRS racing, where he went on to win the Rookie championship with 10 wins.
His success led to a test drive for independent BMW
team Wiechers-Sport
at the German
circuit Oschersleben
, having impressed enough in the test he was signed to compete in the FIA World Touring Car Championship
, with the independent Wiechers-Sport
BMW team for 2006. He competed for the first half of the season and left the team after a string of reliability retirements. Late in 2006 he was signed by the GR Asia SEAT Leon
team and finished an impressive second in the European Touring Car Cup against the likes of works drivers Alex Zanardi
and other FIA [World Touring Car Championship] regulars.
After impressing in in the 2006 FIA [European Touring Car Cup], O'Brien was signed to compete in the 2007
. O'Brien drove for GR Asia in the WTCC in a SEAT Leon
. The season was a struggle, driving SEAT's first test car the SEAT Leon
001 chassis, with aging equipment and due to no support from the Irish
SEAT
distributor the season proved difficult and like the previous year, his campaign ended early due to these issues. Like the previous year O'Brien got a late call to race for the Independent Danish Poulsen Motorsport BMW
Team in the FIA European Touring Car Cup in Adria
in Italy
. Even though O'Brien had not driven since his departure from GR Asia SEAT
he qualified as top BMW
driver and finished in 3rd place.
In 2008 he competed in the Danish Touring Car Championship
for Poulsen Motorsport in a BMW 320si
. O'Brien enjoyed racing in Denmark
and had a succsefull end to the championship finishing with two podiums and third place in the Valvoline Finale just behind series champions Jan Magnussen
and Michel Nykaer, O'Brien was representing Coca-Cola
in Denmark and carried the striking livery of the Burn Energy brand on his BMW 320si
.
Irish people
The Irish people are an ethnic group who originate in Ireland, an island in northwestern Europe. Ireland has been populated for around 9,000 years , with the Irish people's earliest ancestors recorded having legends of being descended from groups such as the Nemedians, Fomorians, Fir Bolg, Tuatha...
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:...
driver.
Career
O'Brien started competing in the Irish Karting championships at a young age, he finished 2nd in the National Irish Formula A karting championship for PCR in 1998 and also finished 2nd in the All Ireland's in 1998 winning four races. His early racing included the British Formula Palmer AudiFormula Palmer Audi
Formula Palmer Audi, officially abbreviated to FPA, and sometimes informally abbreviated to Palmer Audi, was a one-make class of open wheel Formula racing founded in 1998 by former Formula One driver, Jonathan Palmer. It was based in the United Kingdom , and was organised and operated by MotorSport...
championship in 2000 which he competed in straight out of karting, in 2001 he competed in British 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....
championship for Aztec Racing. O'Brien then signed up for two years in the British SEAT Cupra Championship
SEAT Cupra Championship
The SEAT Cupra Championship was a one make series that ran for six years between 2003 and 2008, the last five of which ran as a support package to the British Touring Car Championship. The series will not continue for 2009, due to SEAT UK ending its racing activities...
. In 2005 he competed in the European Alfa Romeo 147 Challenge for PRS racing, where he went on to win the Rookie championship with 10 wins.
His success led to a test drive for independent BMW
BMW
Bayerische Motoren Werke AG is a German automobile, motorcycle and engine manufacturing company founded in 1916. It also owns and produces the Mini marque, and is the parent company of Rolls-Royce Motor Cars. BMW produces motorcycles under BMW Motorrad and Husqvarna brands...
team Wiechers-Sport
Wiechers-Sport
Wiechers-Sport is a German auto racing team which is based in Nienburg. The team was first established in 1999, competing in German touring cars. Since its inaugural year in 2005, they have entered cars in the FIA World Touring Car Championship as an independent team with BMWs. In that first year,...
at the German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
circuit Oschersleben
Oschersleben
Oschersleben is a town in the Börde district, in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. The population in 1905 was 13,271, in 2005 about 18,000.-Geography:...
, having impressed enough in the test he was signed to compete in the FIA World Touring Car Championship
World Touring Car Championship
For the video game, known as World Touring Car Championship in Japan, see TOCA World Touring CarsThe FIA World Touring Car Championship is an international Touring Car championship sanctioned by the FIA.-History:...
, with the independent Wiechers-Sport
Wiechers-Sport
Wiechers-Sport is a German auto racing team which is based in Nienburg. The team was first established in 1999, competing in German touring cars. Since its inaugural year in 2005, they have entered cars in the FIA World Touring Car Championship as an independent team with BMWs. In that first year,...
BMW team for 2006. He competed for the first half of the season and left the team after a string of reliability retirements. Late in 2006 he was signed by the GR Asia SEAT Leon
SEAT León
The SEAT León is a small family car built by the Spanish car manufacturer, and Volkswagen Group subsidiary SEAT, S.A. since October 1998.The two León generations are, or have been built upon two differing variants of the Volkswagen Group A platform, and they also share many other components with...
team and finished an impressive second in the European Touring Car Cup against the likes of works drivers Alex Zanardi
Alex Zanardi
Alessandro "Alex" Zanardi is an Italian racing driver and paracyclist.He won two CART championship titles in North America during the late 1990s. He also had a less successful career as a Formula One driver...
and other FIA [World Touring Car Championship] regulars.
After impressing in in the 2006 FIA [European Touring Car Cup], O'Brien was signed to compete in the 2007
2007 World Touring Car Championship season
The 2007 World Touring Car Championship season was the 4th season of FIA World Touring Car Championship motor racing. The championship, which commenced on March 11 and ended on November 18, after twenty-two races, was open to Super 2000 Cars, Diesel 2000 Cars and Super Production Cars as defined by...
. O'Brien drove for GR Asia in the WTCC in a SEAT Leon
SEAT León
The SEAT León is a small family car built by the Spanish car manufacturer, and Volkswagen Group subsidiary SEAT, S.A. since October 1998.The two León generations are, or have been built upon two differing variants of the Volkswagen Group A platform, and they also share many other components with...
. The season was a struggle, driving SEAT's first test car the SEAT Leon
SEAT León
The SEAT León is a small family car built by the Spanish car manufacturer, and Volkswagen Group subsidiary SEAT, S.A. since October 1998.The two León generations are, or have been built upon two differing variants of the Volkswagen Group A platform, and they also share many other components with...
001 chassis, with aging equipment and due to no support from the Irish
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
SEAT
SEAT
SEAT, S.A. is a Spanish automobile manufacturer founded on May 9, 1950 by the Instituto Nacional de Industria , a state-owned industrial holding company....
distributor the season proved difficult and like the previous year, his campaign ended early due to these issues. Like the previous year O'Brien got a late call to race for the Independent Danish Poulsen Motorsport BMW
BMW
Bayerische Motoren Werke AG is a German automobile, motorcycle and engine manufacturing company founded in 1916. It also owns and produces the Mini marque, and is the parent company of Rolls-Royce Motor Cars. BMW produces motorcycles under BMW Motorrad and Husqvarna brands...
Team in the FIA European Touring Car Cup in Adria
Adria
Adria is a town and comune in the province of Rovigo in the Veneto region of Northern Italy, situated between the mouths of the rivers Adige and Po....
in Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
. Even though O'Brien had not driven since his departure from GR Asia SEAT
SEAT
SEAT, S.A. is a Spanish automobile manufacturer founded on May 9, 1950 by the Instituto Nacional de Industria , a state-owned industrial holding company....
he qualified as top BMW
BMW
Bayerische Motoren Werke AG is a German automobile, motorcycle and engine manufacturing company founded in 1916. It also owns and produces the Mini marque, and is the parent company of Rolls-Royce Motor Cars. BMW produces motorcycles under BMW Motorrad and Husqvarna brands...
driver and finished in 3rd place.
In 2008 he competed in the Danish Touring Car Championship
Danish Touring Car Championship
The Danish Touringcar Championship was a touring car racing series in Denmark. The inaugural year for the DTC was 1999, after the huge success in Scandinavia of the British Touring Car Championship. For the first two years it was known as the Danish Touring Car Challenge...
for Poulsen Motorsport in a BMW 320si
BMW
Bayerische Motoren Werke AG is a German automobile, motorcycle and engine manufacturing company founded in 1916. It also owns and produces the Mini marque, and is the parent company of Rolls-Royce Motor Cars. BMW produces motorcycles under BMW Motorrad and Husqvarna brands...
. O'Brien enjoyed racing in Denmark
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
and had a succsefull end to the championship finishing with two podiums and third place in the Valvoline Finale just behind series champions Jan Magnussen
Jan Magnussen
Jan Magnussen is a racing driver from Denmark and a GM factory driver. He has competed in several of the most prestigious events in motor sport including CART, NASCAR, the FIA Formula One World Championship and the 24 Hours of Le Mans.- Lower series racing :Magnussen dominated the 1994 British...
and Michel Nykaer, O'Brien was representing Coca-Cola
Coca-Cola
Coca-Cola is a carbonated soft drink sold in stores, restaurants, and vending machines in more than 200 countries. It is produced by The Coca-Cola Company of Atlanta, Georgia, and is often referred to simply as Coke...
in Denmark and carried the striking livery of the Burn Energy brand on his BMW 320si
BMW
Bayerische Motoren Werke AG is a German automobile, motorcycle and engine manufacturing company founded in 1916. It also owns and produces the Mini marque, and is the parent company of Rolls-Royce Motor Cars. BMW produces motorcycles under BMW Motorrad and Husqvarna brands...
.
Complete WTCC results
(Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)| Year | Team | Car | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | Position | Points | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 2007 World Touring Car Championship season The 2007 World Touring Car Championship season was the 4th season of FIA World Touring Car Championship motor racing. The championship, which commenced on March 11 and ended on November 18, after twenty-two races, was open to Super 2000 Cars, Diesel 2000 Cars and Super Production Cars as defined by... |
GR Asia GR Asia GR Asia is an auto racing team based in the United Kingdom and Hong Kong. They have raced in the World Touring Car Championship, the European Touring Car Championship and the British Touring Car Championship.... |
SEAT León SEAT León The SEAT León is a small family car built by the Spanish car manufacturer, and Volkswagen Group subsidiary SEAT, S.A. since October 1998.The two León generations are, or have been built upon two differing variants of the Volkswagen Group A platform, and they also share many other components with... |
CUR Autódromo Internacional de Curitiba Autódromo Internacional de Curitiba is a motorsports circuit located in Pinhais, Brazil. It has been host to the World Touring Car Championship, TC2000, Fórmula Truck and Stock Car Brasil racing.-The circuit:Fabrizio Giovanardi of JAS Motorsport suggested the circuit is bumpy...  |
ZAN Circuit Park Zandvoort Circuit Park Zandvoort is a motorsport race track located in Burgemeester van Alphenstraat 108, 2041 KP in the dunes north of the town of Zandvoort, in the Netherlands, near the North Sea coast line.- History :...  |
VAL Circuit de Valencia Circuit Ricardo Tormo, also known as Circuit de Valencia and officially named Circuit de la Comunitat Valenciana Ricardo Tormo, is a motorsport race track located in Cheste and built in 1999. It has a capacity of 120,000 spectators and seating for 60,000...  |
PAU  |
BRN Masaryk Circuit The Masaryk circuit or Masarykring, now referred to as the Brno Circuit, refers two Czech racing circuits located close to the city of Brno.The original circuit was made up of public roads, and at its longest measured nearly...  |
POR  |
AND Scandinavian Raceway The Scandinavian Raceway is a race circuit in Anderstorp , Sweden.The track was built on marshlands in 1968 and became an extremely popular venue in the 1970s, just as Swede Ronnie Peterson was at the height of his career...  |
OSC Motorsport Arena Oschersleben The Motorsport Arena Oschersleben is long race track with a width of 11 – 13 meters and elevation changes of 23 metres. The circuit is located in Oschersleben, Börde , Northern Germany...  |
BRA Brands Hatch Brands Hatch is a motor racing circuit near West Kingsdown in Kent, England. First used as a dirt track motorcycle circuit on farmland, it hosted 12 runnings of the British Grand Prix between 1964 and 1986 and currently holds many British and international racing events...  |
MON Autodromo Nazionale Monza The Autodromo Nazionale Monza is a race track located near the town of Monza, north of Milan, in Italy. The circuit's biggest event is the Formula One Italian Grand Prix, which has been hosted there since the sport's inception....  |
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