Pescarolo Sport
Encyclopedia
Motorsport
Motorsport or motorsports is the group of sports which primarily involve the use of motorized vehicles, whether for racing or non-racing competition...
team based in Le Mans
Le Mans
Le Mans is a city in France, located on the Sarthe River. Traditionally the capital of the province of Maine, it is now the capital of the Sarthe department and the seat of the Roman Catholic diocese of Le Mans. Le Mans is a part of the Pays de la Loire region.Its inhabitants are called Manceaux...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
and founded in 2000 by French racing driver Henri Pescarolo
Henri Pescarolo
Henri Pescarolo is a former racing driver from France. He participated in 64 Formula One World Championship Grands Prix, debuting on 22 September 1968. He achieved one podium, and scored a total of 12 championship points...
. They race 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...
and the 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...
. In October 2007, Henri Pescarolo purchased Jacques Nicolet's Saulnier Racing and created Pescarolo Automobiles, with the racing team becoming a division of the new company. The Pescarolo Automobiles went into receivership on 15 June 2010. Following a liquidation sale, the company was resold back to Henri Pescarolo and rebranded as Pescarolo Team for the 2011 season.
Racing history
Although Henri Pescarolo had been racing, and winning, at Le Mans for many decades, he had always been driving for other teams. From 1994 to 1998, Pescarolo had been driving for the Courage CompétitionCourage Compétition
Courage Compétition was a racing team and chassis constructor company now owned by Oreca, based in Le Mans, France near the Circuit de la Sarthe. It was founded by Yves Courage, a French race driver who ran hillclimbs before founding the company...
squad with some success, but decided in 1999 that he would like to run his own team for the 24 Hours of Le Mans, although he would remain connected to Courage and would be a customer team of the factory's chassis. The team was initially known as the Pescarolo Promotion Racing Team, and would take a well-deserved ninth place finish.
Following this success, Pescarolo decided that he would retire from racing as a driver, but remain in sports car racing
Sports car racing
Sports car racing is a form of circuit auto racing with automobiles that have two seats and enclosed wheels. They may be purpose-built or related to road-going sports cars....
as a team owner. On January 1, 2000, Pescarolo Sport was founded in the town of Le Mans, within the grounds of the Circuit de la Sarthe
Circuit de la Sarthe
The Circuit des 24 Heures, also known as Circuit de la Sarthe, located near Le Mans, France, is a semi-permanent race course most famous as the venue for the 24 Hours of Le Mans auto race. The track uses local roads that remain open to the public most of the year...
and near Courage Competition's headquarters. Pescarolo remained close to Courage, using their C52 chassis, as well as reaching an agreement with Peugeot
Peugeot
Peugeot is a major French car brand, part of PSA Peugeot Citroën, the second largest carmaker based in Europe.The family business that precedes the current Peugeot company was founded in 1810, and manufactured coffee mills and bicycles. On 20 November 1858, Emile Peugeot applied for the lion...
to supply new turbocharged engines. The team initially concentrated on the Le Mans 24 Hours, although they would also make an appearance at the American Le Mans Series
American Le Mans Series
The American Le Mans Series presented by Tequila Patrón is a sports car racing series based in the United States and Canada. It consists of a series of endurance and sprint races, and was created in the spirit of the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Teams compete in one of five classes: LMP1, LMP2 and LMPC...
event at Silverstone Circuit
Silverstone Circuit
Silverstone Circuit is an English motor racing circuit next to the Northamptonshire villages of Silverstone and Whittlebury. The circuit straddles the Northamptonshire and Buckinghamshire border, with the current main circuit entry on the Buckinghamshire side...
. In their first run at Le Mans, the team managed an impressive fourth place finish for drivers Sébastien Bourdais
Sébastien Bourdais
Sébastien Olivier Bourdais is a French race car driver. He is one of the most successful drivers in the history of the Champ Car World Series, having won four successive championships from 2004 to 2007....
, Olivier Grouillard
Olivier Grouillard
Olivier Grouillard is a racing driver from France. He raced in Formula One from to , participating in 62 Grands Prix, scoring 1 championship point....
, and Emmanuel Clerico, made even more impressive by the fact that the top three finishers were all from the factory Audi
Audi
Audi AG is a German automobile manufacturer, from supermini to crossover SUVs in various body styles and price ranges that are marketed under the Audi brand , positioned as the premium brand within the Volkswagen Group....
team.
With this success, Pescarolo Sport expanded vastly for the 2001 season, purchasing two new Courage C60 chassis (chassis numbers 03 and 04) for use in various races of the American Le Mans Series
American Le Mans Series
The American Le Mans Series presented by Tequila Patrón is a sports car racing series based in the United States and Canada. It consists of a series of endurance and sprint races, and was created in the spirit of the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Teams compete in one of five classes: LMP1, LMP2 and LMPC...
, European Le Mans Series
European Le Mans Series
The European Le Mans Series was a sports car endurance series based around the 24 Hours of Le Mans that was created in 2000 and ran its only season in 2001 before being cancelled. It was created by Don Panoz as an expansion on his successful American Le Mans Series run by IMSA...
, FIA Sportscar Championship
FIA Sportscar Championship
The FIA Sportscar Championship was a sports car racing series created by John Mangoletsi and was eventually taken control of by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile . It was a series similar to the FIA GT Championship, concentrating on two classes of open-cockpit sports prototypes in...
, as well as the usual entry at Le Mans. Unfortunately the team saw their worst effort ever at Le Mans, with only a single car managing to finish in a distant 13th place. However this trouble was soon reversed in July of that year, when Pescarolo recorded their first win at the 1000km of Estoril
2001 1000km of Estoril
The 2001 1000 km of Estoril was the fourth race of the 2001 European Le Mans Series season. It took place at Autódromo do Estoril, Portugal, on July 15, 2001....
, followed two weeks later by a win in front of a home crowd at Magny-Cours
Circuit de Nevers Magny-Cours
Circuit de Nevers Magny-Cours is a motor racing circuit located in central France, near the towns of Magny-Cours and Nevers, some 250 km from Paris...
for the FIA Sportscar Championship, beating the likes of Ferrari 333 SP, Dome-Judd S101 and Ascari-Judd A410.
For 2002, Pescarolo Sport settled on running a full season of the FIA Sportscar Championship, and were able to continue on from their first two successful wins. The team took two more victories over the course of the season, clinching second place in the teams championship behind Racing for Holland
Racing for Holland
Racing for Holland is a Dutch motor racing team started by Jan Lammers in 1999. The team is initially specialised in endurance races such as 24 hours of Le Mans and FIA sportscars series. The team is now also participating in the A1 Grand Prix as the A1 Team The Netherlands.-History:Racing for...
. At Le Mans though, the team did not improve much, recording only a tenth place finish for their one finishing car.
Moving to 2003, the team unfortunately suffered major difficulties. Running in the FIA Sportscar Championship again, the team started the season with a win, but suffered three straight failures to finish in the following races. Although they would win once more, the team had to settle for once again being a runner-up to Racing for Holland in the teams championship. Le Mans saw some improvement, with both car finishing and taking eighth and ninth place, however Pescarolo began to suffer financial woes. Even though the team managed to take second place at the unique 1000km of Le Mans
2003 1000km of Le Mans
The 2003 1000 km of Le Mans was one-off sports car event run under the organization of the Automobile Club de l'Ouest in preparation for the Le Mans Endurance Series that began in 2004...
at the end of the year, Peugeot
Peugeot
Peugeot is a major French car brand, part of PSA Peugeot Citroën, the second largest carmaker based in Europe.The family business that precedes the current Peugeot company was founded in 1810, and manufactured coffee mills and bicycles. On 20 November 1858, Emile Peugeot applied for the lion...
announced their discontinuation of supplying engines to the team, also leading to the loss of sponsorship money.
Sony
, commonly referred to as Sony, is a Japanese multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan and the world's fifth largest media conglomerate measured by revenues....
and promotion of their Playstation 2 as well as Gran Turismo 4
Gran Turismo 4
is a racing simulator for the Sony PlayStation 2 which was developed by Polyphony Digital. It was released on December 28, 2004 in Japan and Hong Kong , February 22, 2005 in North America , and March 9, 2005 in Europe , and has since been re-issued under Sony's 'Greatest Hits' line...
, Pescarolo were able to find the money to purchase new Judd
Judd (engine)
Judd is a name brand of engines produced by Engine Developments Ltd., a company founded in 1971 by John Judd and Jack Brabham in Rugby, Warwickshire, England...
GV5 V10
V10 engine
A V10 engine is a V engine with 10 cylinders in two banks of five with a distinct exhaust note.- Mechanics :The V10 is essentially the result of mating two even-firing straight-5 engines together. The straight-5 engine shows first and second order rocking motion...
s, as well beginning their first work in engineering. Feeling the Courage C60s were not perfect, Pescarolo Sport began development of new bodywork and mechanical elements in order to increase the cars performance. For the 2004 the cars were renamed as Pescarolo C60s, due to the vast differences between them at standard Courage produced cars.
Although still strapped for cash, the team began a one car effort in the new Le Mans Endurance 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...
due to the FIA Sportscar Championship
FIA Sportscar Championship
The FIA Sportscar Championship was a sports car racing series created by John Mangoletsi and was eventually taken control of by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile . It was a series similar to the FIA GT Championship, concentrating on two classes of open-cockpit sports prototypes in...
folding at the end of 2003. Managing to earn points in the first two races of the season, the team finished the year tied for sixth in the championship. At Le Mans however, the team managed to regain some of their past success, with their sole finishing car taking fourth place behind a trio of Audis but also finishing ahead of a fourth Audi.
2005 saw Pescarolo improve rapidly, with the team winning two rounds of the Le Mans Endurance Series season. These wins helped Pescarolo Sport earn their first championship, earning it by a mere two points. This success continued at Le Mans, with Pescarolo earning their best finish ever, a second place behind an Audi, separated by a just two laps, and also making the fastest lap of the race. Pescarolo had been backed heavily to cause an upset and trump the dominant Audis, especially after taking pole position.
Pescarolo Sport finally become a dominant, front-running team in 2006. 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...
, Pescarolo out performed the competition and were able to sweep the entire season, winning all five races and easily defending their championship title. At Le Mans, the team also repeated their previous success by taking another second place, this time behind the new Audi R10
Audi R10
The Audi R10 TDI, usually abbreviated to R10, is a racing car from the German car manufacturer Audi. The car is a classic at Le Mans, winning every year since its introduction until it was replaced by the R15. It is designed and constructed for sports car racing in the Le Mans Prototype LMP1 class...
diesel, although the team did manage to finish ahead of the other R10.
Pescarolo 01
Following the end of the 2006 season, Pescarolo Sport announced their plans to develop their own, all-new chassis for 2007 in order to comply with new Le Mans PrototypeLe Mans Prototype
A Le Mans Prototype is a type of sports prototype race car most notably used in the 24 Hours of Le Mans, American Le Mans Series and Le Mans Series...
regulations. The new cars, known as Pescarolo 01s, would use a brand-new chassis and bodywork evolved from the previous Pescarolo C60s. However, for the first time, Pescarolo would become a supplier, offering the 01s for sale to customer teams not only in the top LMP1 class, but also in the smaller LMP2 class.
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...
season. Pescarolo ran alongside their customers, for the first time running a two car effort for a full season. Pescarolo used a new paint scheme, reminiscent of the Matra
Matra
Mécanique Aviation Traction or Matra was a French company covering a wide range of activities mainly related to automobile, bicycles, aeronautics and weaponry. In 1994, it became a subsidiary of the Lagardère Group and now operates under that name.Matra was owned by the Floirat family...
-Simca
Simca
Simca was a French automaker, founded in November 1934 by Fiat. It was directed from July 1935 to May 1963 by the Italian Henri Théodore Pigozzi...
s that Henri Pescarolo
Henri Pescarolo
Henri Pescarolo is a former racing driver from France. He participated in 64 Formula One World Championship Grands Prix, debuting on 22 September 1968. He achieved one podium, and scored a total of 12 championship points...
ran at Le Mans in the 1970s, by being predominantly blue with red or yellow noses.
At 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...
, Pescarolo's chassis would perform near the top for most of the race. One of Pescarolo Sport's own cars managed to finish on the overall podium behind the diesel Audi
Audi
Audi AG is a German automobile manufacturer, from supermini to crossover SUVs in various body styles and price ranges that are marketed under the Audi brand , positioned as the premium brand within the Volkswagen Group....
and Peugeot
Peugeot
Peugeot is a major French car brand, part of PSA Peugeot Citroën, the second largest carmaker based in Europe.The family business that precedes the current Peugeot company was founded in 1810, and manufactured coffee mills and bicycles. On 20 November 1858, Emile Peugeot applied for the lion...
, while the customer Rollcentre Pescarolo finished fourth, marking the best finishes by petrol powered cars in the race.
Pescarolo Sport ended the 2007 in second place in the LMP1 standings, behind one Peugeot 908 HDi FAP but ahead of the other, while Rollcentre Racing took fourth. The Kruse LMP2 on the other hand would be unable to complete the season as the car was destroyed in a fire.
Current projects
For the 2009 24 Hours of Le Mans2009 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...
, Pescarolo Sport announces that one of the cars Pescarolo will run in the race is the diesel-powered Peugeot 908 HDi FAP loaned from Peugeot
Peugeot
Peugeot is a major French car brand, part of PSA Peugeot Citroën, the second largest carmaker based in Europe.The family business that precedes the current Peugeot company was founded in 1810, and manufactured coffee mills and bicycles. On 20 November 1858, Emile Peugeot applied for the lion...
itself; they will run in the 24-hour race along with its Pescarolo-Judd original vehicle. http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/73464
External links
Official Pescarolo Sport website- Mulsannes Corner - Technical analysis of the Pescarolo C60