1.
Netherlands
–
The Netherlands, also informally known as Holland is the main constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. It is a densely populated country located in Western Europe with three territories in the Caribbean. The European part of the Netherlands borders Germany to the east, Belgium to the south, and the North Sea to the northwest, sharing borders with Belgium, the United Kingdom. The three largest cities in the Netherlands are Amsterdam, Rotterdam and The Hague, Amsterdam is the countrys capital, while The Hague holds the Dutch seat of parliament and government. The port of Rotterdam is the worlds largest port outside East-Asia, the name Holland is used informally to refer to the whole of the country of the Netherlands. Netherlands literally means lower countries, influenced by its low land and flat geography, most of the areas below sea level are artificial. Since the late 16th century, large areas have been reclaimed from the sea and lakes, with a population density of 412 people per km2 –507 if water is excluded – the Netherlands is classified as a very densely populated country. Only Bangladesh, South Korea, and Taiwan have both a population and higher population density. Nevertheless, the Netherlands is the worlds second-largest exporter of food and agricultural products and this is partly due to the fertility of the soil and the mild climate. In 2001, it became the worlds first country to legalise same-sex marriage, the Netherlands is a founding member of the EU, Eurozone, G-10, NATO, OECD and WTO, as well as being a part of the Schengen Area and the trilateral Benelux Union. The first four are situated in The Hague, as is the EUs criminal intelligence agency Europol and this has led to the city being dubbed the worlds legal capital. The country also ranks second highest in the worlds 2016 Press Freedom Index, the Netherlands has a market-based mixed economy, ranking 17th of 177 countries according to the Index of Economic Freedom. It had the thirteenth-highest per capita income in the world in 2013 according to the International Monetary Fund, in 2013, the United Nations World Happiness Report ranked the Netherlands as the seventh-happiest country in the world, reflecting its high quality of life. The Netherlands also ranks joint second highest in the Inequality-adjusted Human Development Index, the region called Low Countries and the country of the Netherlands have the same toponymy. Place names with Neder, Nieder, Nether and Nedre and Bas or Inferior are in use in all over Europe. They are sometimes used in a relation to a higher ground that consecutively is indicated as Upper, Boven, Oben. In the case of the Low Countries / the Netherlands the geographical location of the region has been more or less downstream. The geographical location of the region, however, changed over time tremendously
2.
Amsterdam
–
Amsterdam is the capital and most populous municipality of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. Its status as the capital is mandated by the Constitution of the Netherlands, although it is not the seat of the government, which is The Hague. Amsterdam has a population of 851,373 within the city proper,1,351,587 in the urban area, the city is located in the province of North Holland in the west of the country. The metropolitan area comprises much of the part of the Randstad, one of the larger conurbations in Europe. Amsterdams name derives from Amstelredamme, indicative of the citys origin around a dam in the river Amstel, during that time, the city was the leading centre for finance and diamonds. In the 19th and 20th centuries the city expanded, and many new neighborhoods and suburbs were planned, the 17th-century canals of Amsterdam and the 19–20th century Defence Line of Amsterdam are on the UNESCO World Heritage List. As the commercial capital of the Netherlands and one of the top financial centres in Europe, Amsterdam is considered a world city by the Globalization. The city is also the capital of the Netherlands. Many large Dutch institutions have their headquarters there, and seven of the worlds 500 largest companies, including Philips and ING, are based in the city. In 2012, Amsterdam was ranked the second best city to live in by the Economist Intelligence Unit and 12th globally on quality of living for environment, the city was ranked 3rd in innovation by Australian innovation agency 2thinknow in their Innovation Cities Index 2009. The Amsterdam seaport to this day remains the second in the country, famous Amsterdam residents include the diarist Anne Frank, artists Rembrandt van Rijn and Vincent van Gogh, and philosopher Baruch Spinoza. The Amsterdam Stock Exchange, the oldest stock exchange in the world, is located in the city center. After the floods of 1170 and 1173, locals near the river Amstel built a bridge over the river, the earliest recorded use of that name is in a document dated October 27,1275, which exempted inhabitants of the village from paying bridge tolls to Count Floris V. This allowed the inhabitants of the village of Aemstelredamme to travel freely through the County of Holland, paying no tolls at bridges, locks, the certificate describes the inhabitants as homines manentes apud Amestelledamme. By 1327, the name had developed into Aemsterdam, Amsterdam is much younger than Dutch cities such as Nijmegen, Rotterdam, and Utrecht. In October 2008, historical geographer Chris de Bont suggested that the land around Amsterdam was being reclaimed as early as the late 10th century. This does not necessarily mean there was already a settlement then, since reclamation of land may not have been for farming—it may have been for peat. Amsterdam was granted city rights in either 1300 or 1306, from the 14th century on, Amsterdam flourished, largely from trade with the Hanseatic League
3.
Jan Lammers
–
Johannes Jan Lammers is a racing driver and team principal from the Netherlands. In 1979, Lammers made his debut in Formula One driving for Shadow and he moved to Ensign midway through the season but rejoined ATS for four races in 1981. Ten years later he returned to Formula One for the two races of the 1992 season. He won the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1988 and later participated in the race with his own team Racing for Holland and he was also the seatholder of the Dutch A1 Grand Prix team. Lammers grew up as a kid washing cars at a school in Zandvoort. As a 12-year-old he started to show customers how to safely, encouraged by sliding school owner. When he was 16 years old, he started his first race at the racing track. In the following years he starred in Dutch touring car and Formula Ford races before moving up to European Formula 3 in 1977 and he did not get good results with his Hawke and for his second season he joined Racing Team Holland run by Alan Docking. The other drivers of the team were fellow future Formula 1 driver Huub Rothengatter and later Indy 500 winner Arie Luyendijk and it was a successful move as Lammers won the 1978 European Formula 3 Championship after a close battle with Swede Anders Olofsson. Lammers began his Formula One career with Shadow in 1979 with Elio de Angelis as his teammate and he did not have a great debut as de Angelis was the teams number one driver. His best result was a place in Canada. In 1980 he moved to Günther Schmidts ATS team, in the first three races he failed to qualify but in Long Beach he qualified a very strong fourth. This would be the highlight of his F1 career, later that year he moved to the Ensign Team but there he only managed to qualify three times. In 1981 he returned to ATS but only raced the first four races of the year, for 1982, he moved to Theodore but his season was something of a disaster. He did manage to start in his home race and he scored no championship points during his F1 career. In 1985 and 1986, Lammers made 10 CART World Series starts for four different teams and his best finish was fifth at Laguna Seca Raceway in 1985 for Forsythe Racing. He was entered and practiced for the 1986 Indianapolis 500 in a Mike Curb entry and he finished 26th and 22nd in points in his two seasons, respectively. After that he turned his attention to car racing
4.
A1 Grand Prix
–
A1 Grand Prix was a single make open wheel auto racing series. It was unique in its field in that competitors solely represented their nation as opposed to themselves or a team, as such, it was often promoted as the World Cup of Motorsport. The series was ratified by the Fédération Internationale de lAutomobile and races were held in the traditional Formula One off-season, the nation-based A1GP concept was founded by Sheikh Maktoum Hasher Maktoum Al Maktoum of Dubai, initially in 2003. After a successful first season of A1GP, it was announced on 29 September 2006 that Maktoum was to sell his position as Chairman & Director of A1GP, the transfer of his share in the organisation of A1 Grand Prix to RAB Capital was finalized in December 2006. Tony Teixeira took control of the series in 2006, leading it to liquidation by 2009, the nation-based A1GP concept was founded by Sheikh Maktoum Hasher Maktoum Al Maktoum of Dubai, initially in 2003. Thirty franchises were made available, twenty-three of them were restricted to specified nations, the first season was planned for 12 rounds, however the cancellation of a race scheduled for Curitiba, Brazil in January 2006 reduced this number to 11. Nelson Piquet, Jr. won the race of the series for A1 Team Brazil. Their winning form was not to continue, wins at Estoril and Malaysia saw A1 Team France build up a sizeable gap. By the start of the break, France had run away with the lead with A1 Team Switzerland 28 points behind. At the final race of the season in Shanghai, A1 Team France were crowned the first-ever A1 Grand Prix world champions with 172 points, Switzerland were second with 121 points and A1 Team Great Britain third with 97 points. Katherine Legge was the first woman to drive A1 Grand Prix cars during test session in December 2005 on Dubai Autodrome, changes were made for the 2006–07 season to race durations and distances to improve the spectacle for attendees and TV viewers. The 2006–07 schedule was released on 7 July 2006, with the first race at Circuit Park Zandvoort on 1 October 2006, New teams Team Singapore and Team Greece joined the competition but Team Turkey failed to secure funding for the season. Team Austria, Team Japan, Team Portugal and Team Russia did not return for the second season, however, after securing funding Team Portugal competed in the final four rounds of the second season in South Africa, Mexico, China and Britain. Team Germany won the series with 128 points,35 points lead ahead of Team New Zealand, the 2008–09 season was the first season in which the new Powered by Ferrari A1GP car was used. According to 2007–08 champion Neel Jani, 90% of teams in the paddock warned Teixeira ahead of time that this car change was untimely and an inefficient use of funds. Rule changes included shorter qualifying sessions, a pit-stop during the now longer Sprint Race, removal of limits on Friday test drivers, and reduced Sprint Race points scoring. The opening round of the season, scheduled as part of the well established Nikon SuperGP race meeting, was cancelled five days before practice was due to begin. The event was underwritten by the Queensland state government, who have mentioned the possibility of taking legal recourse against A1 Grand Prix
5.
European Le Mans Series
–
The European Le Mans Series is a European sports car racing endurance series inspired by the 24 Hours of Le Mans race and run by the Automobile Club de lOuest. The European Le Mans Series is similar to the American Le Mans Series based in the United States and Canada that was running with ACO, ELMS team champions and runners-up receive an automatic entry to the following years 24 Hours of Le Mans. Originally titled the Le Mans Endurance Series before becoming simply the Le Mans Series in 2006, the aged IMSA GT Championship was taken over and became the new American Le Mans Series, and met with much success in 1999. Europe had lacked a major sports prototype series since the demise of the World Sportscar Championship in 1992, following the success of the ALMS, Panoz attempting to bring sports prototype racing back to Europe. This led to the 2000 American Le Mans Series season, which included two races in Europe as the Nürburgring and Silverstone Circuit, as well as a round in Australia and these races would serve as a precursor to what would become the separate European Le Mans Series in 2001. To aid in the development of the ELMS, the 2001 season shared some races between both ALMS and ELMS, the 12 Hours of Sebring and Petit Le Mans, normally ALMS races, were considered optional races for ELMS teams. At the same time, the ELMS races at Donington Park and this allowed for the possibility of boosting the draw from international teams to either series. For the ELMS events that included ALMS teams, very few teams actually bothered to make the trip across the Atlantic to participate in races that appeared to have very few serious competitors. Thus the entry lists for each race fell from 25 at the beginning of the season to a mere 14 at seasons end, with some classes only having one or two competitors. With a lack of involvement from teams, and less interest from the due to the lack of teams. Seeing the success of the American Le Mans Series, the ACO decided that a run by themselves would be a better alternative for Europe. The ACO would instead attempt to attract factory backed teams with longer endurance races than ALMS, the series would also be European based instead of international, thus it could be closer to the factories of a large number of sportscar teams to help attract them to the series. Winners of the LMES championship would go on to earn automatic entries in the 24 Hours of Le Mans, similar to the American Le Mans Series. The series was previewed in an open race run under the LMES banner in 2003 at the 1000km of Le Mans. For the 2004 Le Mans Series, the participated in four events, including resurrecting classic races like the 1000km Monza, 1000km Nürburgring,1000 km Silverstone. A large number of turned out, making the racing very exciting. 2005 saw the series expand to a five race format with the addition of the Istanbul Racing Circuit, in 2007, the LMS held its first and single overseas race with Mil Milhas Brasil as the sixth round. For 2013 a twenty-nine car field has been announced including eleven LMP2 cars, in 2016 the GTC class featuring GT3-spec cars was dropped from the series
6.
Jeroen Bleekemolen
–
Jeroen Bleekemolen is a Dutch professional racing driver. In the Chrysler Viper GTS-R he drove in the FIA GT Championship and he competed in the very competitive German Formula Three Championship and drove a number of times at the Masters of Formula 3 at Circuit Zandvoort, the unofficial F3 World Championship. Together with Opel he raced in the DTM, in 2005 Jeroen Bleekemolen competes in the ELF BRL V6. Jeroen Bleekemolen was the first driver for A1 Team Netherlands in the A1 Grand Prix series after replacing Jos Verstappen, Bleekemolen was a backup driver in the first season. Bleekemolen participated, and took a victory, in the 200824 Hours of Le Mans race. He is the son of former Formula One driver Michael Bleekemolen, † Not Eligible for points Official website Driver for Reiter Engineering Driver for the Viper Exchange
7.
Jos Verstappen
–
Johannes Franciscus Jos Verstappen is a Dutch racing driver. Jos Verstappen has won races in A1 Grand Prix and Le Mans Series LMP2 races, prior to his F1 début in 1994, he was also the German Formula Three champion and Masters of Formula Three winner in 1993. Verstappen began karting at the age of 8, and was participating in competitions not long after. In 1984 he became Dutch junior champion and he remained successful, and won two European titles. At the end of 1991 he made the transition to car racing and he drove in Formula Opel Lotus, a class in which identical cars compete against each other. During that European winter season, he raced in New Zealand Formula Atlantic, subsequently, in German Formula Three, he won several international competitions, including the 1993 Marlboro Masters and the German Formula 3 championship. Verstappen first drove a Formula One car when he tested for the Footwork Arrows team alongside Gil de Ferran and Christian Fittipaldi at the Estoril circuit in Portugal. The test took place on September 28,1993, two days after the Portuguese Grand Prix was held at the same circuit. Despite the large increase in power, Verstappen set a time that would have qualified him in the race on his fourth timed lap. He tested again on September 30 and was lapping near his existing record after five laps, after the test, Verstappen was contacted by every Formula One team except Ferrari and Williams, and was eventually signed as the Benetton teams test driver for the 1994 season. During the race he collided with Eddie Irvine, which triggered a multiple accident also involving Éric Bernard, Verstappens car somersaulted, but he emerged unharmed. At the Pacific Grand Prix Verstappen ran 6th but spun off on cold tyres immediately after a pit stop, One of the most dramatic incidents affected Verstappen at the German Grand Prix. During his first scheduled pitstop during the race, fuel leaked onto the car after the fuel hose was disconnected, the car, with Verstappen in it, was engulfed in flames for several seconds. As was usual at the time, Verstappen had slightly opened the visor of his helmet for the pit stop, after this incident the fuel delivery hose was modified to incorporate a fail-safe cut-out system. He took another third place at the Belgian Grand Prix due to Schumachers post-race disqualification from victory, due to this accident, this equipment is now protected from the race track by acrylic glass. For the last two races of the season, Verstappen was replaced by the more experienced Johnny Herbert in a bid to win the Constructors Championship for Benetton, the team was unsuccessful in this aim and the prize went to the rival Williams team. In 1995 he was loaned to Simtek by Benetton team principal Flavio Briatore, despite some strong showings Verstappen only finished once in the five races he drove for the team due to technical difficulties. The team had financial troubles and went bankrupt after the Monaco Grand Prix
8.
Motorsport
–
The terminology can also be used to describe forms of competition of two-wheeled motorised vehicles under the banner of motorcycle racing, and includes off-road racing such as motocross. Four- wheeled motorsport competition is governed by the Fédération Internationale de lAutomobile. In 1894, a French newspaper organised a race from Paris to Rouen and back, in 1900, the Gordon Bennett Cup was established. Closed circuit racing arose as open road racing, on roads, was banned. Brooklands was the first dedicated motor racing track in the United Kingdom, following World War I, European countries organised Grand Prix races over closed courses. In the United States, dirt track racing became popular, after World War II, the Grand Prix circuit became more formally organised. In the United States, stock car racing and drag racing became firmly established, motorsports ultimately became divided by types of motor vehicles into racing events, and their appropriate organisations. Open-wheel racing is a set of classes of vehicles, with their wheels outside of. However, in North America, the IndyCar series is their pinnacle open-wheeled racing series, more recently, new open-wheeled series have been created, originating in Europe, which omit the Formula moniker, such as GP2 and GP3. Former Formula series include Formula 5000 and Formula Two, the formula regulations contain a very strict set of rules which govern vehicle power, weight and size. In the United States, Indy Car is a class of single seat paved track racing and its premier race is the Indianapolis 500. Enclosed wheel racing is a set of classes of vehicles, where the wheels are primarily enclosed inside the bodywork of the vehicle, sports car racing is a set of classes of vehicles, over a closed course track, including sports cars, and specialised racing types. The premiere race is the 24 Hours of Le Mans which takes place annually in France during the month of June, sports car racing rules and specifications differentiate in North America from established international sanctioning bodies. Stock car racing is a set of vehicles, that race over a speedway track, while once stock cars, the vehicles are now purpose built, but resemble the body design and shape of production cars. NASCAR was organised in 1947, to flat track oval racing of production cars. Daytona Beach and Road Course was founded where land speed records were set on the beach, touring car racing is a set of vehicles, modified street cars, that race over closed purpose built race tracks and street courses. Motorsport was an event at the 1900 Summer Olympics
9.
Endurance racing (motorsport)
–
Endurance racing is a form of motorsport racing which is meant to test the durability of equipment and endurance of participants. Teams of multiple drivers attempt to cover a distance in a single event. Endurance races can be run either to cover a set distance in laps as quickly as possible, one of the more common lengths of endurance races has been running for 1,000 kilometres, or roughly six hours. Longer races can run for 1,000 miles,12 hours, teams can consist of anywhere from two to four drivers per event, which is dependent on the drivers endurance abilities, length of the race, or even the rules for each event. Coppa Florio was an Italian car race started in 1900, and renamed in 1905 when Vincenzo Florio offered the initial 50000 Lira, the Brescia race visited the route Brescia-Cremona-Mantova-Brescia. In 1908, the race used the Circuito di Bologna, Bologna-Castelfranco Emilia-SantAgata Bolognese-San Giovanni in Persiceto-Bologna, since 1914 most of the Coppa Florio was co-organized with the Targa Florio near Palermo, Sicilia, running four or five laps,108 km each. The Mille Miglia was an endurance race which took place in Italy 24 times from 1927 to 1957. The worlds first organized 24-hour automobile race event was held on a 1-mile oval track at Driving Park, Columbus, beginning on the afternoon of July 3, four cars from Frayer-Miller, Pope-Toledo, Peerless and White Steamer raced for a $500 silver trophy. The winning Pope-Toledo car covered 828.5 miles, a protest was filed by the Frayer-Miller and Peerless teams, alleging the Pope-Toledo was not owned by the driver, instead sent from the factory with an engine built for racing. The first 24-hour race to place at a dedicated motorsport venue was at Brooklands. This incurred the wrath of local residents and would lead to the Double Twelve race and this format meant the race took place for 12 hours each between 8am to 8pm and between it, the cars were locked up overnight to prevent maintenance work from being performed on them. The 2001 Dakar Rally saw competitors cover a distance of 10,739 kilometres with a time of 70 hours over 20 days with three classes of cars, motorbikes, and trucks. The 1992 Paris–Cape Town Rally covered a distance of 12,427 km, the 1994 edition saw competitors return to Paris, for a distance of 13,379 km. The Expedition Trophy, first held in 2005, runs from Murmansk to Vladivostok, the 1908 New York to Paris Race covered a distance of over 16,000 km, taking 169 days from February 12 to July 30. The various endurance formats were appealing to manufacturers, not only as alternatives to the expense of Grand Prix racing, in automobile endurance racing, three events have come to form a Triple Crown. They are considered three of the most challenging endurance races over the decades, the Rolex 24 at Daytona,12 Hours of Sebring, hans Herrmann was the first in 1970 to win the three races, and Timo Bernhard the most recent. No driver has won the three events in the year, Hurley Haywood and Al Holbert have won the three races at least twice each. Bold on year indicate at which race the driver achieved his Triple Crown, the FIA World Endurance Championship is an international sports car racing series organized by both the Automobile Club de lOuest and the Fédération Internationale de lAutomobile
10.
24 Hours of Le Mans
–
The 24 Hours of Le Mans is the worlds oldest active sports car race in endurance racing, held annually since 1923 near the town of Le Mans, France. It is one of the most prestigious races in the world and is often called the Grand Prix of Endurance. The event represents one leg of the Triple Crown of Motorsport, other events being the Indianapolis 500, since 2012, the 24 Hours of Le Mans has been a part of the FIA World Endurance Championship. In 2017, it will be the round of the season. The race has over the years inspired imitating races all over the globe, popularizing the 24-hour format at places like Daytona, Nürburgring, Spa-Francorchamps, and Bathurst. The American Le Mans Series and Europes Le Mans Series of multi-event sports car championships were spun off from 24 Hours of Le Mans regulations. At a time when Grand Prix motor racing was the dominant form of motorsport throughout Europe, Le Mans was designed to present a different test. Instead of focusing on the ability of a car company to build the fastest machines and this encouraged innovation in producing reliable and fuel-efficient vehicles, because endurance racing requires cars that last and spend as little time in the pits as possible. At the same time, the layout of the track necessitated cars with better aerodynamics, while this was shared with Grand Prix racing, few tracks in Europe had straights of a length comparable to the Mulsanne. Additionally, because the road is public and thus not as meticulously maintained as permanent racing circuits, racing puts more strain on the parts, increasing the importance of reliability. The oil crisis in the early 1970s led organizers to adopt a fuel economy formula known as Group C that limited the amount of each car was allowed. Although it was abandoned, fuel economy remains important as new fuel sources reduced time spent during pit stops. Such technological innovations have had an effect and can be incorporated into consumer cars. This has also led to faster and more exotic supercars as manufacturers seek to develop road cars in order to develop them into even faster GT cars. Additionally, in recent years hybrid systems have been championed in the LMP category as rules have changed to their benefit. The race is held in June, leading at times to very hot conditions for drivers, particularly in closed vehicles with poor ventilation, the race begins in mid-afternoon and finishes the following day at the same hour the race started the previous day. Over the 24 hours, modern competitors often cover distances well over 5,000 km, the record is 2010s 5,410 km, six times the length of the Indianapolis 500, or approximately 18 times longer than a Formula One Grand Prix. Drivers and racing teams strive for speed and avoiding damage, as well as managing the cars consumables, primarily fuel, tires
11.
Sports car racing
–
Sports car racing is a form of circuit auto racing with sports cars that have two seats and enclosed wheels. They may be purpose-built or related to road-going models, a type of hybrid between the purism of open-wheelers and the familiarity of touring car racing, this style is often associated with the annual Le Mans 24 Hours endurance race. First run in 1923, Le Mans is one of the oldest motor races still in existence, other classic but now defunct sports car races include the Italian classics, the Targa Florio and Mille Miglia, and the Mexican Carrera Panamericana. Most top class sports car races emphasize endurance, reliability, and strategy, longer races usually involve complex pit strategy and regular driver changes. These makers top road cars have often very similar both in engineering and styling to those raced. This close association with the nature of the cars serves as a useful distinction between sports car racing and touring cars. The 12 Hours of Sebring,24 Hours of Daytona, and 24 Hours of Le Mans were once considered the trifecta of sports car racing. In the 1920s, the used in endurance racing and Grand Prix were still basically identical, with fenders. Cars such as the Bugatti Type 35 were almost equally at home in Grands Prix and endurance events, but specialisation gradually started to differentiate the sports-racer from the Grand Prix car. As mainly Italian cars and races defined the genre, the category was called Gran Turismo, as long distances had to be travelled, reliability and some basic comfort were necessary in order to endure the task. After the Second World War, sports car racing emerged as a form of racing with its own classic races. Top Grand Prix drivers also competed regularly in sports car racing, from 1962 sports cars temporarily took a back seat to GT cars with the FIA replacing the World Championship for Sports Cars with the International Championship for GT Manufacturers. The US scene tended to feature small MG and Porsche cars in the smaller classes, the combination of mostly British chassis and American V8 engines gave rise to the popular and spectacular Can-Am series in the 1960s and 1970s. Clubmans provided much entertainment at club-racing level from the 1960s into the 1990s, after a relative period of decline in the 1980s a British GT Championship emerged in the mid-90s. Road races such as the Mille Miglia included everything from stock touring cars to World Championship contenders, the Mille Miglia was the largest sporting event in Italy until a fatal accident caused its demise in 1957. The Targa Florio, another road race, remained part of the world championship until the 1970s. Between the late 1960s and late 1970s, Matra and Renault made significant, the competition at Le Mans even made it to the movie screens, with Steve McQueens film Le Mans. This era was seen by many as the highpoint of sports car racing, with the technology, a peculiarly American form of sports car racing was the Can-Am series, in which virtually unlimited sports prototypes competed in relatively short races
12.
1999 24 Hours of Le Mans
–
The 199924 Hours of Le Mans was the 67th Grand Prix of Endurance, and took place on 12 and 13 June 1999. 1999 saw another increase in manufacturers involvement, nissan instead moved from GT1 to an open cockpit LMP, as did Panoz. Newcomer Audi attempted to try their hand at both classes, with two open cockpit R8Rs and two closed cockpit R8Cs, BMW continued with their open cockpit LMPs, updating to the new V12 LMR. This event became famous for the incidents involving the team of Mercedes-Benz CLRs during qualifying, mark Webbers CLR #4 became airborne at Indianapolis during Thursday night qualifying. On Friday, the team was allowed to rebuild #4 on a new chassis, with tweaks to the rear suspension, winglets were fitted to the front to increase downforce. This car was withdrawn, but the two other CLRs continued on, again with emergency tweaks to attempt to stop the instability and this incident, unlike the previous two, was caught by TV cameras and thus broadcast worldwide. Mercedes-Benz immediately withdrew the remaining CLR #6 and dropped out of racing for the immediate future. The race got off to a fast start, proceeding like a sprint for the first few hours, the top qualifying #1 & #2 Toyotas driven by Martin Brundle & Thierry Boutsen fought with the #6 Mercedes driven by Bernd Schneider, and the #5 Mercedes driven by Christophe Bouchut. The #17 BMW was never far behind and used its fuel economy to gain the lead through the pit stops. Toyota #1, #2, Mercedes #6 and BMW #17 all led the race at various points, at 8pm,5 hours into the race the #17 BMW lead the race with #2 Toyota 2nd, #5 Mercedes 3rd and #6 Mercedes 4th. It was during this fight for second and third place when Dumbrecks famous incident occurred and this led to the immediate withdrawal of the remaining #6 Mercedes. Following a lengthy safety car period as a result of Dumbrecks accident, Martin Brundle was next to go in the #1 Toyota at 11, 30pm. He was trying to claw back time from a mechanical issue when he suffered a puncture at high speed on braking for the first chicane on the Mulsanne Straight. The puncture sent the car veering sideways into the barrier, badly damaging the rear suspension. Martin did his best to get the car back to the pits but eventually stopped at Arnage, the car refusing to go further, possibly due to drive shaft failure caused by the flailing rubber. At the front the race was still between The #17 BMW and the #2 Toyota, they were never too far apart, the Toyota having the superior pace but the BMW able to go further on each tank. Following them were the #15 BMW and the #3 Toyota which rather than getting involved with the sprint at the front had been going about their business. At around 2am the #2 Toyota being driven by Thierry Boutsen suffered a high speed crash under the Dunlop bridge, the car was destroyed and Boutsen had to be extracted from the car suffering from an injury to his lower back
13.
Germany
–
Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a federal parliamentary republic in central-western Europe. It includes 16 constituent states, covers an area of 357,021 square kilometres, with about 82 million inhabitants, Germany is the most populous member state of the European Union. After the United States, it is the second most popular destination in the world. Germanys capital and largest metropolis is Berlin, while its largest conurbation is the Ruhr, other major cities include Hamburg, Munich, Cologne, Frankfurt, Stuttgart, Düsseldorf and Leipzig. Various Germanic tribes have inhabited the northern parts of modern Germany since classical antiquity, a region named Germania was documented before 100 AD. During the Migration Period the Germanic tribes expanded southward, beginning in the 10th century, German territories formed a central part of the Holy Roman Empire. During the 16th century, northern German regions became the centre of the Protestant Reformation, in 1871, Germany became a nation state when most of the German states unified into the Prussian-dominated German Empire. After World War I and the German Revolution of 1918–1919, the Empire was replaced by the parliamentary Weimar Republic, the establishment of the national socialist dictatorship in 1933 led to World War II and the Holocaust. After a period of Allied occupation, two German states were founded, the Federal Republic of Germany and the German Democratic Republic, in 1990, the country was reunified. In the 21st century, Germany is a power and has the worlds fourth-largest economy by nominal GDP. As a global leader in industrial and technological sectors, it is both the worlds third-largest exporter and importer of goods. Germany is a country with a very high standard of living sustained by a skilled. It upholds a social security and universal health system, environmental protection. Germany was a member of the European Economic Community in 1957. It is part of the Schengen Area, and became a co-founder of the Eurozone in 1999, Germany is a member of the United Nations, NATO, the G8, the G20, and the OECD. The national military expenditure is the 9th highest in the world, the English word Germany derives from the Latin Germania, which came into use after Julius Caesar adopted it for the peoples east of the Rhine. This in turn descends from Proto-Germanic *þiudiskaz popular, derived from *þeudō, descended from Proto-Indo-European *tewtéh₂- people, the discovery of the Mauer 1 mandible shows that ancient humans were present in Germany at least 600,000 years ago. The oldest complete hunting weapons found anywhere in the world were discovered in a mine in Schöningen where three 380, 000-year-old wooden javelins were unearthed
14.
Konrad Motorsport
–
Konrad Motorsport is an auto racing team initially from Austria, but now based in Germany. Founded by Austrian racer Franz Konrad in 1976, the team has mostly run Porsches, although they have also run Ferraris, Lamborghinis, initially competing in the Interserie championship, the team later moved to the World Sportscar Championship running Porsche 962s. In 1991, Franz Konrad designed his own Group C chassis for the World Sportscar Championship with Lamborghini backing, known as the Konrad KM-011, although the car was not successful. The team moved to smaller championships in 1993, where won the 24 Hours Nürburgring and Mil Milhas Brasileiras. The team eventually moved to the BPR Global GT Series competing with Porsche 911 GT2s, by 1997, the team would be involved in multiple racing series, including the FIA GT Championship, IMSA GT Championship, and the Porsche Supercup. After briefly running Lola prototypes, the team switched to running Saleen S7-Rs in the American Le Mans Series. The team would return to running Porsche 911 GT3-RSRs in 2006. Konrad Motorsport continues to use their Porsches in competition today, Konrad Motorsports will partner with Dempsey Racing for the 2014 United SportsCar Championship season, fielding a Porsche 911 GT America in the GTD class
15.
Tom Coronel
–
Tom Romeo Coronel is a Dutch professional racing driver. Toms twin brother Tim is also a racer, just like their father Tom Coronel Sr, as of September 2016, Tom Coronel has driven over 1,000 races. He is currently racing in the WTCC, where he won his first WTCC race in Okayama. After competing as an independent driver in a SEAT for many years Tom switched to BMW in 2011, in 2014 Coronel stays with ROAL Motorsport, but the team switched to Chevrolet Cruzes to be built by RML specially for the new TC1 technical regulations. Even though he has no factory backing, Tom is no longer considered an independent driver, due to his experience. Tom has also been racing for the Dutch Spyker Squadron in the Le Mans Series as well as the 24 Hours of Le Mans for many years, furthermore, Tom is often invited to join one-off races like the 24 hours at the Nürburgring. Born in Naarden, Coronel started his career in 1990 racing in the Dutch Citroën AX Cup. After a learning year, he started to become successful in 1991. With four victories and 105 points he won the title, he won an international Citroën AX race in Barcelona. He moved up to the Dutch Touring Car Championship in 1992 competing in a BMW 320i and he was crowned champion that same year, beating his older brother and team mate Raymond Coronel. He also started to compete in the Dutch Formula Ford championship, at the end of 1992 he decided to focus his attention on single seater racing. He stayed with team Fresh in 1993 and again was a strong competitor, victorious in three races, he won the Dutch Formula Ford championship that year. Also he came in second in the Benelux championship, behind the Belgian driver Geoffroy Horion and his participation in a few German Formula Ford races resulted in a handful of podium finishes. He finished ninth in that years Formula Ford Festival, in 1994 Coronel debuted in the Euroseries Formula Opel Lotus, racing for the Dutch Van Amersfoort Racing team. With eight pole positions and two victories he was successful, but lost the championship to Marco Campos and he won the nations cup for the Netherlands together with Donny Crevels and was elected Dutch Driver of the year. This gave him the funds he needed to compete in the next years German Formula Three championship, Racing for the WTS team, he was teamed up with Ralf Schumacher. The team used a Dallara chassis which was powered by Opel engines, scoring 74 points in sixteen races, he finished seventh in the championship results. He did not perform well in the international Formula Three classics, failing to finish in Macau and Monaco, Coronel decided to search for success far from home, signing up to compete in the Japanese Formula 3 championship with team TOMS for 1996
16.
2000 24 Hours of Le Mans
–
The 200024 Hours of Le Mans was the 68th Grand Prix of Endurance, and took place on 17 and 18 June 2000. After the 1999 race, most of the manufacturers in the top classes went in different directions, BMW and Toyota went into Formula One, while Mercedes-Benz left sportscar racing after the CLR accidents, returning to the DTM. Nissan also left due to financial difficulties, other than the French privateers Pescarolo, Oreca and DAMS, only Audi and Panoz remained from the previous year, while newcomer Cadillac joined. The 1-2-3 finish of the Audi LMP900s marked the beginning of two dynasties, Audis and Tom Kristensens in the top-finishing Audi, the Oreca teams GTS class winning, seventh place,333 lap finish with the Chrysler Viper was the best ever with that car. It faced serious competition within its class from Corvette Racings new C5. R, which would within the next two years top the Vipers distance record and establish itself as the car to beat among the GT classes. † - #83 Dick Barbour Racing was disqualified for an illegally sized fuel tank in post-race inspection
17.
2003 24 Hours of Le Mans
–
The 200324 Hours of Le Mans was the 71st Grand Prix of Endurance, and took place on 14 and 15 June 2003. After three consecutive wins, the Audi factory team officially did not field a team, although several privateers did use R8 chassis. Bentley, with an Audi engine and support from Audi works team Joest Racing, won its first Le Mans title since 1930 with a Bentley Speed 8, driven by Rinaldo Capello, Tom Kristensen and Guy Smith. In the process, Danish driver Kristensen set a record with his fourth straight victory, the other Team Bentley entry, driven by David Brabham, Mark Blundell and Johnny Herbert, finished second, ahead of the customer Audis. In GTS-class, the Prodrive Ferraris went on to beat the fastest Corvette by a margin of 10 laps, american Alex Job Racing took the GT-class victory, while Noel del Bello survived to take LMP675. Cars not completing 75% of the distance are listed as Not Classified
18.
Dome (constructor)
–
Ltd, literally childs dream, is a Japanese-based racing car constructor, involved mainly in open wheel and sports car racing. In 1965 Minoru Hayashi built his first racing car, a rebodied Honda S600 coupe, belonging to Tojiro Ukiya, it was called the Karasu, due to its shape. Built on a budget and in a short time, the Karasau emphasized weight reduction. The car went on to win its race at the Suzuka Clubman Race. In 1975 at Takaragaike, Kyoto, Hayashi formed Dome with an intention to manufacture cars with small production runs, using racing machines to develop the technology. Three years after the formation in 1978, the company produced its first concept car designed for road use called the Dome Zero. It made its debut at the Geneva Motor Show the same year. For the following year, Dome produced the version of the Zero called the Dome P2. But the car was refused approval by the Japanese Government and was unable to go into production. Minoru Hayashi would also assist his cousin Masakazu Hayashi establish his own formula car manufacturing concern, after producing cars for Japans Formula Junior 1600 category for 10 years, the first F3 car was the Hayashi 803 Formula Three car, designed by the two Hayashi cousins. That was followed by the Hayashi 320 in 1981 designed by Masao Ono, in a Hayashi 320 Osamu Nakako won the All-Japan Formula Three Championship title. A320 was also modified for the Formula Atlantic category and won the Macau Grand Prix driven by American Bob Earl, a further development, the 321, saw action briefly in Japan and England. Ono then switched to Dome to work on the sportscar designs, in 1984, the followup Hayashi 322 was a success and helped Shuji Hyodo to win the Japanese F3 championship. In 1985 the Hayashi 330 won a single Japanese F3 race, a development of the 322, the 331, appeared in a handful of Japanese F3 races in 1986 without success and disappeared quietly. A downturn in the aluminum wheel business is credited in causing Hayashi to abandon racing, the Formula 3000 program continued until 1998 with Shinji Nakano, Katsumi Yamamoto and Juichi Wakisaka but without much success. Apicella was installed as test driver 1996 and the test driving duties was later taken over by Nakano, the planned 1997 World Championship effort came to nothing and the follow-up car, the Dome F106 never materialised due to lack of sponsorship and Mugens refusal to supply engines. The Concorde Agreement also delayed the start for the team, by 1999, all development work would fold after Hondas involvement with British American Racing. They also worked on the aerodynamics on the JTCC Honda Accord, in 2001, DOME Carbon Magic was formed in Mishima, Shizuoka Prefecture, specifically for carbon composite development and manufacture
19.
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. Judd has provided engines for many series, including Formula One and other smaller formula series, sports car racing. They have been associated with such as Yamaha, MG. As a result of Jack Brabhams long standing relationship with Honda, after the demise of Formula Two at the end of the 1984 season, Judd continued to develop new engines for Honda. The first was the Judd AV, a turbocharged V8 engine built for Hondas CART campaign and it was first used on the CART circuit midway through the 1986 season, fielded by Galles Racing and driver Geoff Brabham. It was initially badged as the Brabham-Honda, and scored a 4th-place finish at the 1986 Michigan 500, in 1987, the engine was used for the first time at the Indianapolis 500. Brabham scored second-place finishes in 1987 at Pocono and Road America, the engine became known for its reliability and superior fuel mileage. However, it was at a power disadvantage compared to the top engine of the time. In 1988, Truesports with driver Bobby Rahal took over as the team. During the 1988 season, Rahal took advantage of the reliability in the 500-mile races, finishing 4th at Indy. He then scored the first and only Indycar victory for the Judd engine at the Pocono 500 and his ten top-10 finishes led to an impressive 3rd-place finish in the season points standings. Judd continued to build upgrades to the AV into the early 1990s, when Honda moved into the new Formula 3000 series, Judd again developed the companys engine. Based on the architecture of the AV, the new BV V8 was a naturally aspirated variant, after the companys departure from Formula One, Judd returned to Formula 3000 in 1995 with the development of the 3 litre KV V8 engine. Judd built the engines that every Formula 3000 team used, although Zytek was tasked with maintaining the over 80 engines after they were built. Although Judd stopped production of the KV and the Formula 3000 series ended in 2004, in 1988, in conjunction with March Engineering, Judd made the move into the recently reintroduced normally aspirated variant of Formula One, which would completely replace turbocharged cars in 1989. The first Formula One engine developed by Judd, the CV, was built to the 3.5 litre engine formula for naturally aspirated engines, the engine shared many design features with the Judd BV engine, but was expanded to 3.5 litres. March Engineering were the first team who signed to use the Judd CV, reigning World Constructors Champion Williams was later forced also to turn to Judd, after they lost their supply of Honda engines for 1988. In addition, Ligier also bought CVs for use in the 1988 season, construction of the CV continued as a cheaper alternative for smaller teams, however
20.
2006 24 Hours of Le Mans
–
The 200624 Hours of Le Mans was the 74th Grand Prix of Endurance, and took place over 17–18 June 2006. It saw for the first time in Le Mans history the victory of a diesel-powered car, as part of the development, a new extended pit lane exit was created for motorcycles running the Bugatti Circuit. This second pit exit re-enters the track just beyond the Dunlop Chicane and this was originally used for the Le Mans test days, but due to complaints from the teams the ACO decided to return to the old pit lane exit for the race. The tension between the new Audi R10 TDIs and Pescarolo C60s in LMP1 started even before the race began, in Wednesdays qualifying, Pescarolo swept the top spots. However, the sessions were wet, and therefore it was impossible to get an idea of what the race would hold, for the Thursday qualifying session conditions were dry, and Audi swept the front row, while the Pescarolos started behind them. In LMP2, the Ray Mallock Ltd. Lola ran a two seconds quicker than the new Intersport Lola. In LMGT1, the Aston Martin factory squad swept the front row, in a unique move, the ACO went against its own rules and granted permission for the team to replace the chassis with a brand new car. Even with this aid, the car was forced to start at the back of the grid. The Scuderia Ecosse Ferrari 430 thus started at the front for the GT2 class, class leaders and the fastest lap time on each day are in bold. However, in touring car racing, a diesel BMW 320d had won the 24 Hours Nürburgring in 1998. Tom Kristensen could not extend his streak of 6 wins in a row, as his #7 car was less reliable than the winning #8 sister car, world Rally champion Sébastien Loeb scored a remarkable second place with the Pescarolo Sport team. This race also marked the first time since the 199124 Hours of Le Mans that Porsche did not win at least one class, a Panoz Esperante was successful in upsetting the contingent of Porsches in the GT2 class. Corvette Racings 355 lap pace in their GT1 class win is the record for a homologated GT vehicle, Aston Martin Racings entry was also on a record-breaking pace, finishing five laps behind. Class winners are marked in bold, cars not completing 70% of the winners distance are listed as Not Classified
21.
2006 FIFA World Cup
–
The 2006 FIFA World Cup was the 18th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial international football world championship tournament. It was held from 9 June to 9 July 2006 in Germany, teams representing 198 national football associations from all six populated continents participated in the qualification process which began in September 2003. Thirty-one teams qualified from this process, along with the host nation, Germany and it was the second time that Germany staged the competition, and the tenth time that it was held in Europe. Italy won the tournament, claiming their fourth World Cup title and they defeated France 5–3 in a penalty shootout in the final, after extra time had finished in a 1–1 draw. Germany defeated Portugal 3–1 to finish in third place, Angola, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Serbia and Montenegro, Trinidad and Tobago, and Togo made their first appearances in the finals. The 2006 World Cup stands as one of the most watched events in history, garnering an estimated 26.29 billion non-unique viewers. The final attracted an audience of 715.1 million people. The 2006 World Cup ranks fourth in non-unique viewers, behind the World Cup in 1994,2002, as the winner, Italy represented the World in the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup. The vote to choose the hosts of the 2006 tournament was held in July 2000 in Zürich and it involved four bidding nations after Brazil had withdrawn three days earlier, Germany, South Africa, England and Morocco. Three rounds of voting were required, each round eliminating the nation with the least votes, the first two rounds were held on 6 July 2000, and the final round was held on 7 July 2000, which Germany won over South Africa. Accusations of bribery and corruption have marred the success of Germanys bid from the very beginning, on the very day of the vote, a hoax bribery affair was made public, leading to calls for a re-vote. Oceania delegate Charlie Dempsey, who had initially backed England, had then been instructed to support South Africa following Englands elimination and he abstained, citing intolerable pressure on the eve of the vote. Just a week before the vote, the German government under Chancellor Gerhard Schröder lifted their arms embargo on Saudi Arabia, daimlerChrysler invested several hundred million Euro in Hyundai, while one of the sons of the companys founders was a member of FIFAs executive committee. Both Volkswagen and Bayer announced investments in Thailand and South Korea, whose respective delegates Worawi Makudi, the sum of 6.7 million Euro was later demanded back by Dreyfus. In order to retrieve the money, the Organizing Committee paid an aquivalent sum to the FIFA, allegedly as a German share for the cost of a closing ceremony, the DFB announced they would consider seeking legal action against Der Spiegel. During a press conference on 22 October 2015, Nierbach repeated his stance, according to Niersbach, the payment had been agreed upon during a meeting between Franz Beckenbauer and FIFA president Blatter, with the money being provided by Dreyfus. On the same day, FIFA contradicted Niersbachs statement, saying, By our current state of knowledge, the following day, former DFB president Theo Zwanziger publicly accused Niersbach of lying, saying, It is evident that there was a slush fund for the German World Cup application. According to Zwanziger, the 6.7 million Euros went to Mohamed Bin Hammam, on 22 March 2016 it was announced that the FIFA Ethics Committee was opening proceedings into the bid
22.
Johan Cruijff
–
Hendrik Johannes Johan Cruijff OON was a Dutch professional football player and coach. As a player, he won the Ballon dOr three times, in 1971,1973, and 1974. Cruyff was the most famous exponent of the philosophy known as Total Football explored by Rinus Michels. In the 1970s, Dutch football rose from obscurity to become a powerhouse in the sport. Cruyff led the Netherlands to the final of the 1974 FIFA World Cup, at the 1974 finals he executed a feint that subsequently was named after him, the Cruyff Turn, a move widely replicated in the modern game. At club level, Cruyff started his career at Ajax, where he won eight Eredivisie titles, in 1973, he moved to Barcelona for a world record transfer fee, winning La Liga in his first season and was named European Footballer of the Year. After retiring from playing in 1984, Cruyff became highly successful as manager of Ajax and later Barcelona and his son Jordi also played football professionally. He came third in a vote organised by the French magazine France Football consulting their former Ballon dOr winners to elect their Football Player of the Century. He was chosen on the World Team of the 20th Century in 1998, the FIFA World Cup Dream Team in 2002, Ajax and Barcelona are among the clubs that have developed youth academies based on Cruyffs coaching methods. His coaching philosophy helped lay the foundations for the revival of Ajaxs international successes in the 1990s, Spanish footballs successes at both club and international level during the years 2008 to 2012 have been cited by many as evidence of Cruyffs impact on contemporary football. In 2017, Cruyff was named among the 10 greatest coaches since the foundation of UEFA in 1954, hendrik Johannes Johan Cruijff was born on 25 April 1947 in Amsterdam, on a street five minutes away from Ajaxs stadium, his first football club. Johan was the son of Hermanus Cornelis Cruijff and Petronella Bernarda Draaijer, from a humble. In 1959, Cruyffs father died from a heart attack and his fathers death had a major impact on his mentality. As Cruyff recalled, in celebration of his 50th birthday, “My father died when I was just 12 and he was 45. From that day the feeling crept stronger over me that I would die at the age and. Only medical science, which was not available to help my father, kept me alive. ”Viewing a potential career as a way of paying tribute to his father, the death inspired the strong-willed Cruyff. His mother soon met her husband, Henk Angel, a field hand at Ajax who proved a key influence in Cruyffs life. Cruyff joined the Ajax youth system on his tenth birthday and he showed talent both on the pitchers mound and behind the plate, as a catcher, before having to leave the clubs baseball section at age 15 to focus on football
23.
Netherlands national football team
–
The Netherlands national football team represents the Netherlands in international football. It is controlled by the Royal Netherlands Football Association, the body for football in the Netherlands. The team is referred to as Het Nederlands Elftal and Oranje. Like the country itself, the team is sometimes referred to as Holland. The Dutch hold the record for playing the most World Cup finals without winning the tournament. They finished second in the 1974,1978 and 2010 World Cups, losing to West Germany, Argentina and Spain respectively, the Netherlands played their first international match in Antwerp against Belgium on 30 April 1905. The players were selected by a commission from the Dutch football association. After 90 minutes, the score was 1–1, but because the match was for a trophy, the Netherlands made their first appearance at the World Cup final tournament in 1934. After a second appearance in 1938 they did not appear in another World Cup until 1974, the 1970s saw the invention of Total Football, pioneered by Ajax and led by playmaker Johan Cruyff and national team coach Rinus Michels. The Dutch made significant strides, qualifying for two World Cup finals in the decade. The captain of the Brazilian team that won the 1970 FIFA World Cup, Carlos Alberto, went on to say, since then everything looks more or less the same to me. Their carousel style of play was amazing to watch and marvellous for the game, in 1974, the Netherlands beat both Brazil and Argentina in the second group stage, reaching the final for the first time in their history. However, the team lost to West Germany in the final in Munich, however, a converted penalty by Paul Breitner and the winner from Gerd Müller led to a victory for the Germans. By comparison, Euro 76 was a disappointment, the Netherlands lost in the semi-finals to Czechoslovakia, as much because of infighting within the squad and the coach George Knobel, as well as the skill of the eventual winners. In 1978, the Netherlands again reached the final of a World Cup, only to be beaten by the hosts and this side played without Johan Cruijff, Willem van Hanegem, and Jan van Beveren, who refused to participate in the World Cup. It still contained Johan Neeskens, Johnny Rep, Arie Haan, Ruud Krol, Wim Jansen, Jan Jongbloed, Wim Suurbier, the Netherlands were less impressive in the group stages. They qualified as runners-up, after a draw with Peru and a loss to Scotland, in the second group phase, however, the Netherlands topped a group including Italy and West Germany, setting up a final with Argentina. However, the Dutch finished as runners up for the second World Cup in a row as they ultimately lost 3–1 after two extra time goals from Argentina, Rensenbrink hit the Argentinian post in the last minute of normal time, with the score 1–1
24.
Lola Cars
–
Lola Cars International Ltd. was a racing car engineering company founded in 1958 by Eric Broadley and based in Huntingdon, England. Enduring more than fifty years, it was one of the oldest and largest manufacturers of racing cars in the world, Lola Cars started by building small front-engined sports cars, and branched out into Formula Junior cars before diversifying into a wider range of sporting vehicles. Lola was acquired by Martin Birrane in 1998 after the unsuccessful MasterCard Lola attempt at Formula One, Lola Cars was a brand of the Lola Group, which combined former rowing boat manufacturer Lola Aylings and Lola Composites, that specialized in carbon fibre production. After a period in administration, Lola Cars International ceased trading on 5 October 2012. Many of Lolas assets were purchased by a partnership composed of Multimatic Engineering. Lola was one of the top chassis suppliers in the 1960s, after its small front-engined sports cars came various single-seaters including Formula Junior, Formula 3, Formula 2 and Formula 1 cars. Broadley designed Lola Mk.6 coupe fitted with the Ford V8 engine, Ford took a keen interest in this and paid Broadley to put the company on hold for two years and merge his ideas with Roy Lunns work, giving rise to the Ford GT40. In 2005, Lola announced that a new batch of T70 coupés, to the original specifications and these will be homologated for historic racing and there is talk of a one-make series for the cars. Various Group 5 and Group 6 sports cars including the T212 and T28x/29x/38x/39x series were built, competing with Chevron, March. Alain de Cadenets Le Mans specials tended to be based on Lola technology, derivatives of this car were successful for some time in IMSA and Group C racing. Later Lola Group C and GTP cars tended to be specifically for manufacturer programmes, specifically the later Nissan Group C entries. Lola also built a car for the 3.5 L Group C formula, the T92/10, more recently, Lola has produced a range of sports cars for Le Mans-style racing starting with the B98/10, which was successful in the European market but less so in the USA. The B2K/10, with its additional central headlight reminiscent of a cyclops or a locomotive was more notable for its looks than its performance, a dedicated LMP675 car was built for MG in 2001, powered by a two-litre four-cylinder AER turbocharged engine. This was entered at Le Mans by the team as the MG-Lola EX257. Later developments of this car have been fitted with assorted small V8s, an updated version of the Lola LMP2 came in 2005 with the introduction of the Lola B05/40. It quickly became a contender in LMP2 by taking class honours in 2005 and 2006 at Le Mans with Ray Mallock Limited. It also earned several wins in the American Le Mans Series in 2005 and 2006 with Intersport Racing, including a second-place overall finish in the 200612 Hours of Sebring. In 2007, extensive updates were made to the chassis, to accommodate the all-new Acura powerplant run by Fernandez Racing, in addition, an essentially brand new LMP2 prototype, the B07/40, was built to house the new AER-based Mazda engine
25.
Gibson Technology
–
Gibson Technology is an automotive and motorsport company founded by Bill Gibson at Zytek in 1981 and based in Fradley and Repton, United Kingdom. Zytek Group had two divisions, Zytek Automotive, which is based at Fradley, Staffordshire, and Zytek Engineering. In 2014, Zytek Automotive was sold to German engineering company Continental AG, Zytek Automotive is a specialist powertrain and vehicle engineering enterprise. It designs, develops, and integrates electric motors into a range of cars, the current family of electric MOTORS ranges up to 170 kW. The UK facility can accommodate up to 6,000 E-Drive integrations a year in batches as low as 100, with a total cost of £9m, the research and development project allowed the consortium to develop a prototype that was unveiled at the Royal Automobile Club in June 2011. The T.27 road debut was held in November 2011 at the RAC Future Car Challenge, gordon Murray Design is negotiating with three possible manufacturers for production of the T.27. Zytek Motorsport is the name used for the Zytek Groups motorsport product range. In 1987, Zytek bought the British Alan Smith Racing outfit in order to expand its motorsports involvement, the team initially supported the Jordan Grand Prix team in Formula 3000 before the team eventually chose to concentrate on engine development. Zytek Engineering continues to campaign in the Le Mans Series as well as in the American Le Mans Series and 24 Hours of Le Mans, in 2002, Zytek bought some of the remains of the defunct Reynard Motorsport from International Racing Management. These assets included the rights to the Reynard 02S Le Mans Prototype, Zytek already supplied an engine to the existing chassis, and would therefore built further copies under the name Zytek 04S, offering both the chassis and engine as a complete package. Due to changes in the regulations in 2006, Zytek upgraded one of their existing 04S chassis while building a third all-new car. Further regulation changes in 2007 required the team to build a new car, the Zytek-07s. Zyteks GZ09S proved a success in 2009, taking the LMP2 Le Mans Series Team Championship with Quifel-ASM. In 2009 Zytek Engineering became the first manufacturer to score a podium with a hybrid LMP, the car, run by Corsa Motorsports, finished on the podium on its debut at Lime Rock. The Zytek Q10 Hybrid is a parallel hybrid system, consisting of a motor-generator, battery. Its purpose is to recover energy normally wasted during deceleration and subsequently use this energy to assist the combustion engine during acceleration. The Z11SN has also won the LMP2 category of the 24 Hours of Le Mans in both 2011 and 2014, and the Le Mans Series in 2011, in the hands of Greaves Motorsport, in 2017 the rebranded company became the supplier of a 4
26.
Ferrari
–
Ferrari N. V. is an Italian sports car manufacturer based in Maranello. Founded by Enzo Ferrari in 1939 as Auto Avio Costruzioni, the company built its first car in 1940, however the companys inception as an auto manufacturer is usually recognized in 1947, when the first Ferrari-badged car was completed. Ferrari is the worlds most powerful according to Brand Finance. In May 2012 the 1962 Ferrari 250 GTO became the most expensive car in history, Fiat S. p. A. acquired 50 percent of Ferrari in 1969 and expanded its stake to 90 percent in 1988. In October 2014 Fiat Chrysler Automobiles announced its intentions to separate Ferrari S. p. A. from FCA, through the remaining steps of the separation, FCAs interest in Ferraris business was distributed to shareholders of FCA, with 10 percent continuing to be owned by Piero Ferrari. The spin-off was completed on 3 January 2016, Ferrari road cars are generally seen as a symbol of speed, luxury and wealth. Enzo Ferrari was not initially interested in the idea of producing road cars when he formed Scuderia Ferrari in 1929, Scuderia Ferrari literally means Ferrari Stable and is usually used to mean Team Ferrari. Ferrari bought, prepared and fielded Alfa Romeo racing cars for gentlemen drivers, in September 1939 Enzo Ferrari left Alfa Romeo under the provision that he would not use the Ferrari name in association with races or racing cars for at least four years. A few days later he founded Auto Avio Costruzioni, headquartered in the facilities of the old Scuderia Ferrari, the new company ostensibly produced machine tools and aircraft accessories. In 1940 Ferrari did in fact produce a race car – the Tipo 815 and it was the first Ferrari car and debuted at the 1940 Mille Miglia, but due to World War II it saw little competition. In 1943 the Ferrari factory moved to Maranello, where it has remained ever since, the factory was bombed by the Allies and subsequently rebuilt including a works for road car production. The first Ferrari-badged car was the 1947125 S, powered by a 1.5 L V12 engine, Enzo Ferrari reluctantly built, the Scuderia Ferrari name was resurrected to denote the factory racing cars and distinguish them from those fielded by customer teams. In 1960 the company was restructured as a corporation under the name SEFAC S. p. A. Early in 1969, Fiat took a 50 percent stake in Ferrari, new model investment further up in the Ferrari range also received a boost. In 1988, Enzo Ferrari oversaw the launch of the Ferrari F40, the last new Ferrari to be launched before his death later that year, in 1989 the company was renamed as Ferrari S. p. A. From 2002 to 2004, Ferrari produced the Enzo, their fastest model at the time and it was to be called the F60, continuing on from the F40 and F50, but Ferrari was so pleased with it, they called it the Enzo instead. It was initially offered to loyal and reoccurring customers, each of the 399 made had a tag of $650,000 apiece. On 15 September 2012,964 Ferrari cars (worth over $162 million attended the Ferrari Driving Days event at Silverstone Circuit, on 29 October 2014, the FCA group, resulting from the merger between manufacturers Fiat and Chrysler, announced the split of its luxury brand, Ferrari
27.
Dunlop Tyres
–
Dunlop is a brand of tyres owned by various companies around the world. It is owned and operated by Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company in North America, Europe, Australia, in India the brand is owned by Dunlop India Ltd. whose parent company is the Ruia Group. In Asia, Africa and Latin America by Sumitomo Rubber Industries, in 1985, Dunlop Rubber Company was acquired by BTR plc, and Sumitomo acquired the rights to manufacture and market Dunlop branded road tyres. Sumitomo did not acquire any Dunlop company, in 1997 Sumitomo gained agreement to use the Dunlop name in its corporate name, and changed the name of its UK subsidiary to Dunlop Tyres Ltd. The company has manufacturing operations throughout the world. With the closure of the Washington plant in 2006, Goodyear Dunlop ceased mainstream car, until May 2014 Goodyear Dunlop occupied a compact part of the site with their British main office. In the UK, the company operates as an organisation, importing tyres from manufacturing plants around the world, including China, Slovenia. The Goodyear Dunlop joint venture is managed from sites in Luxembourg and Brussels, fort Dunlop was a motorsport manufacturing operation located in a corner of the original Dunlop factory in Erdington, Birmingham, established in 1891 until May 2014. This factory produced specialised vintage, motorcycle and touring car tyres, on 30 May 2014, the Birmingham factory ceased tyre production, ending Dunlop tyre production in the UK. The main Birmingham building has been redeveloped extensively as a residential, office and hotel complex, with a modern shopping facility, car dealerships. It can be observed between junction 5 and 6 of the M6, on the side of the motorway. Dunlop Tyres is the tyre supplier to the British Touring Car Championship, V8 Supercars Championship. It was also the sole supplier for the Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters from 2000-2010. Dunlop also supplies tyres to the Japanese Super GTs Nakajima Racing, classes in the FIA World Endurance Championship, the Dunlop GP Racer D209 tyre has been chosen repeatedly as a control tyre for the R&G Racing GSX-R Trophy motorcycle race. It has also chosen for the Henderson Harley-Davidson XR1200 Trophy. The History of the Pneumatic Tyre
28.
Ford Motor Company
–
The Ford Motor Company is an American multinational automaker headquartered in Dearborn, Michigan, a suburb of Detroit. It was founded by Henry Ford and incorporated on June 16,1903, the company sells automobiles and commercial vehicles under the Ford brand and most luxury cars under the Lincoln brand. Ford also owns Brazilian SUV manufacturer, Troller, and Australian performance car manufacturer FPV, in the past, it has also produced tractors and automotive components. Ford owns an 8% stake in Aston Martin of the United Kingdom, and it also has a number of joint-ventures, one in China, one in Taiwan, one in Thailand, one in Turkey, and one in Russia. It is listed on the New York Stock Exchange and is controlled by the Ford family, Fords former UK subsidiaries Jaguar and Land Rover, acquired in 1989 and 2000 respectively, were sold to Tata Motors in March 2008. Ford owned the Swedish automaker Volvo from 1999 to 2010, in 2011, Ford discontinued the Mercury brand, under which it had marketed entry-level luxury cars in the United States, Canada, Mexico, and the Middle East since 1938. During the financial crisis at the beginning of the 21st century, it was close to bankruptcy, Ford is the second-largest U. S. -based automaker and the fifth-largest in the world based on 2015 vehicle production. At the end of 2010, Ford was the fifth largest automaker in Europe, Ford is the eighth-ranked overall American-based company in the 2010 Fortune 500 list, based on global revenues in 2009 of $118.3 billion. In 2008, Ford produced 5.532 million automobiles and employed about 213,000 employees at around 90 plants, the company went public in 1956 but the Ford family, through special Class B shares, still retain 40 percent voting rights. The Ford Motor Company was launched in a factory in 1903 with $28,000 in cash from twelve investors, most notably John. During its early years, the company produced just a few cars a day at its factory on Mack Avenue and later its factory on Piquette Avenue in Detroit, Michigan. Groups of two or three men worked on car, assembling it from parts made mostly by supplier companies contracting for Ford. Henry Ford was 39 years old when he founded the Ford Motor Company and it has been in continuous family control for over 100 years and is one of the largest family-controlled companies in the world. The first gasoline powered automobile had been created in 1885 by the German inventor Carl Benz, between 1903 and 1908, Ford produced the Models A, B, C, F, K, N, R, and S. Hundreds or a few thousand of most of these were sold per year, in 1908, Ford introduced the mass-produced Model T, which totalled millions sold over nearly 20 years. In 1927, Ford replaced the T with the Model A, Ford launched the first low-priced car with a V8 engine in 1932. In an attempt to compete with General Motors mid-priced Pontiac, Oldsmobile, Henry Ford purchased the Lincoln Motor Company in 1922, in order to compete with such brands as Cadillac and Packard for the luxury segment of the automobile market. The creation of a laboratory in Dearborn, Michigan in 1951, doing unfettered basic research
29.
Roush Fenway Racing
–
Roush Fenway Racing, originally Roush Racing, is an American professional stock car racing team that currently competes in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series, and the Xfinity Series. Once one of NASCARs largest premier racing teams, Roush runs teams in the Sprint Cup Series, Xfinity Series, and formerly in the Camping World Truck Series and ARCA Racing Series. In the NASCAR Cup Series, the fields the No.6 Ford Fusion full-time for Trevor Bayne. Since its inception, Roush has competed exclusively in Ford brand automobiles, currently, the Ford Fusion competes in the NASCAR Cup, the Ford Mustang template is used in the Xfinity Series, and the Ford F-150 was used for the Camping World Truck Series. The team also operates Roush-Yates Engines, which provides engines for most Ford teams in NASCAR, Roush Racing was founded by Jack Roush, former employee of the Ford Motor Company and founder of Roush Performance Engineering. The racing business was originally a branch of co-owner Jack Roushs successful automotive engineering and road-racing equipment business based in Livonia. Early Roush drivers included Tommy Kendall, Scott Pruett, and Willy T. Ribbs, the NASCAR operation, founded in 1988 and based in Concord, North Carolina, has since become the cornerstone and centerpiece of the company. The team also has amassed many wins and championships in Xfinity Series, Jack Roush continues to head day-to-day operations of the team. Roush restarted its road racing program in 2006, called Roush Road Racing, since 2015, the team has been fielded in a partnership with Capaldi Racing, moving from the Roush Fenway shops in North Carolina to Michigan near Roush Performance headquarters. Founded in 1988, the NASCAR program is built around having multiple cars and providing engine, engineering, the multi-team aspect of the company allows for information and resources to be shared across the enterprise, improving the performance of all of the teams. Roush-Yates also provides engines, cars, and parts to other Cup teams including Wood Brothers Racing, Team Penske, Richard Petty Motorsports, and Front Row Motorsports. After years of operating in facilities, beginning in 2001 the teams were moved into a single shop in Concord, North Carolina to improve performance. Roush Racing set a NASCAR record by putting all five of its teams in the Chase for the Nextel Cup in 2005. Following the 2009 season, Roush Fenway was ordered by NASCAR to shrink its operation to four Sprint Cup Series teams, the team would later shrink to three teams after the 2011 season, and would shrink again to two teams after the 2016 season. Todd Kluever was originally the sole driver, but was replaced with David Ragan at the end of the season, the team debuted with Kluever behind the wheel at Chicagoland Speedway on July 9 with sponsorship from 3M. David Ragan, with sponsorship from Sharp Aquos, ran the No.06 at Dover International Speedway and Martinsville Speedway in the fall, the 6 car began as Roush Racings original foray into NASCAR, debuting at the 1988 Daytona 500 as the No.6 Strohs Light-sponsored Ford. With then-short-track-driver Mark Martin at the wheel and future NASCAR vice president Robin Pemberton as crew chief, however, performance quickly improved, with Martin winning a pole position later in the season and achieving ten top ten finishes. With a year of experience under their belt, Roush and Martin went on a tear in 1989, winning six poles, earning eighteen top-10 finishes, the team finished third place in championship points
30.
Lola B2K/10
–
It was a replacement for the previous Lola B98/10 and shared some elements with its smaller variant, the Lola B2K/40. More an evolution of the B98/10 than an all new car, the unusual fenders and headlights remained, while the nose had been raised in order to accommodate a higher footbox. However, unlike other prototypes which usually had the nose come to a point to allow for an air intake, inside of this, a third headlight was mounted for better visibility in endurance races. Part of the reasoning behind not creating an intake in the nose was due to the decision to all the cooling air for the car from underneath. Unfortunately, this design would suffer from problems due to ambient track temperature, the large air intake mounted underneath the rollbar of the B98/10 could also be removed, although not all cars did this. If removed, the intakes were relocated to small nacelles to the side of the cockpit, the sides would also be radically changed, with large openings between the sidepod and cockpit allowing air over the nose to escape out the side of the car. The radiator intakes on the side, which were fed from the air channeled away from the nose, were also larger than those on the B98/10. For an engine, Lola would remain with the engine as the B98/10s. However, as before, a variety of other engines were chosen by teams for use, including the Judd GV4 V10. In total, only six B2K/10s would be built, while Creighton Motorsports chassis was not quite ready, the other two teams made their debut at the 12 Hours of Sebring. Unfortunately neither car managed to finish, with Champion suffering a failure in the closing hours. While Rafanelli and Champion would remain in the American Le Mans Series, they would later be joined by Intersport Racing, Rafanelli would take the best result of the season, a third at Charlote Motor Speedway. Meanwhile, Konrad Motorsport would purchase another chassis, keeping with a Ford powerplant, the car would score points in a single race at the Nürburgring, finishing third. Finally, for the 200024 Hours of Le Mans, Rafanelli and Konrad would enter their chassis, Champion Racing would move permanently to the GARRC, while Rafanelli bought a Ferrari 550 Maranello. Konrad Racing would move to concentrating on grand tourer racing, making only a few appearances with their car. Philip Creighton Motorsport would run the 24 Hours of Daytona only before dropping out and this season, the B2K/10 would score its first victory in GARRC at Phoenix International Raceway for Intersport Racing, followed by a second win at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course. By 2002, the B2K/10s design flaws were leaving it farther behind the competition, Intersport would continue in both the ALMS and GARRC now running two chassis, while Pegasus Racing would purchase Champion Racings Porsche-powered B2K/10 for GARRC. These would be the teams racing the B2K/10 for that season
Jeroen Bleekemolen
Konrad Motorsport
Andy Wallace
Felipe Ortiz
Beppe Gabbiani
Tristan Gommendy
Chris Dyson
Katsutomo Kaneishi
Ralph Firman
Alex Yoong
Stefan Johansson