Ensign N180
 |
|
| Full name | Ensign Racing Team |
|---|---|
| Base | Burntwood, United Kingdom |
| Founder(s) | Mo Nunn |
| Noted drivers |
 Clay Regazzoni Chris Amon Marc Surer Jacky Ickx Nelson Piquet Jan Lammers Rikky von Opel Gijs van Lennep Roelof Wunderink
|
| Formula One World Championship career | |
| First entry | 1973 French Grand Prix |
| Races entered | 99 |
| Constructors' Championships |
0 (best finish: 10th, 1977) |
| Drivers' Championships |
0 |
| Race victories | 0 (best finish: 4th, 1981 Brazilian Grand Prix) |
| Pole positions | 0 (best grid position: 3rd, 1976 Swedish Grand Prix) |
| Fastest laps | 1 |
| Final entry | 1982 Caesars Palace Grand Prix |
Ensign was a Formula One constructor from Britain. They participated in 133 grands prix, entering a total of 155 cars. Ensign scored 19 championship points and no podium finishes. The best result was a 4th place at the 1981 Brazilian Grand Prix by Marc Surer, who also took fastest lap of the race.
Ensign was founded by Morris Nunn who also carried out design duties during the first two seasons of the team's existence. Nunn would later go on to be a prominent chief engineer in the American-based Champ Car series, winning championships with drivers Alex Zanardi and Juan Pablo Montoya in the late 1990s.
Ensign entered Formula One in 1973, with backing from pay driver, Rikky von Opel. Von Opel had driven for the team in Formula Three in 1972 and won the Lombard North Central, British Formula Three Championship that year. Based upon that success, von Opel commissioned a Formula One chassis. Their first season was not successful, von Opel only finished two races and the team's best result that season was 13th at the 1973 British Grand Prix. However, the partnership continued into 1974, but von Opel left after the first race of the season, having been offered a works Brabham drive. He was replaced at Ensign by Vern Schuppan whose only finish was 15th at the Belgian Grand Prix and was later himself replaced by Mike Wilds. Wilds only qualified in America; he finished the race after a pit stop for fuel but was not classified, nine laps behind.
For 1975 Ensign was sponsored by HB Bewaking (a Dutch company) leading them to sign Dutch drivers. Roelof Wunderink and Gijs van Lennep. Wunderink did not have much success qualifying for three races and finishing one. Gijs van Lennep qualified for all his races and took sixth place in Germany, securing the first points for Ensign in Formula One. Chris Amon also raced for the team in Austria and Italy finishing 12th both times. In 1976 Amon stayed with Ensign having great qualifying results. He qualified third in Sweden and sixth in Britain but only took points in Spain where he finished in fifth place. Patrick Nève replaced Amon in France and Hans Binder replaced Amon in Austria. Jacky Ickx would race the rest of the season for Ensign.
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