Dallara GC21
| Constructor | Dallara | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Technical specifications | |||||
| Engine | Toyota 3S-GTE 1,998 cc (121.9 cu in) I4 turbocharged mid-mounted | ||||
| Transmission | 6-speed | ||||
| Competition history | |||||
| Debut | 2002 Fuji Grand Champion Series, Race 1 | ||||
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| Teams' Championships | 1: (2006 JLMC) | ||||
| Drivers' Championships | 1: (2006 JLMC) | ||||
The Dallara GC21 was a Le Mans Prototype built by Dallara for the Fuji Grand Champion Series, and based on one of the company's Formula Three cars. It was raced between 2002 and 2007, competing in the LMP2 class of the Japan Le Mans Challenge in the last two years of its usage. A GC21, entered by MYZ, won the LMP2 category of the Japan Le Mans Challenge in 2006.
In 2002, the Fuji Grand Champion Series was revived, under the GC21 name.Dallara were tasked with building a car for the series, and converted one of their Formula Three cars into the Le Mans Prototype-style Dallara GC21. The GC21 featured the distinctive air intake of a F3 car, but was fitted with a 2-litre, turbocharged Toyota 3S-GTE straight-four engine, in place of the naturally-aspirated units used in F3.
The car's first race came in July 2002, the first of four races that year, all of which were held at the Fuji Speedway circuit. Jerome Dalla Lana, driving for Inging, became the first driver to win in the car, with all five entries finishing the twelve lap event. By the final race of the season, held in November, the grid had expanded to eight cars, with Ronnie Quintarelli, also driving for Inging, winning the event. Only once did a GC21 retire in 2002; Naozumi Itou retired from race three after three laps.
2003 saw the series expand to a five-race event, all of which were held at the Fuji Speedway track. Shinsuke Yamazaki, driving for Aim Sports, won the first event, held in March, with six cars being entered. Each of the following events had seven entries. The final race of the season saw the first mechanically-attributed retirement; the privateer Kazuhiko Yatsu suffered a gearbox failure after five laps, in a race where Yamazaki won again. Yamazaki won three races that year, and took two further second places on the way to securing the title.
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