Founded | 1968 |
---|---|
Founder(s) | Erich Zakowski |
Team principal(s) | Peter Zakowski |
Current series | ADAC GT Masters |
Former series |
Superleague Formula V8Star Series German Formula Three Championship |
Current drivers |
Sebastian Asch Luca Ludwig |
Teams' Championships |
2002 V8Star Series season 2003 V8Star Series season 2008 Superleague Formula season |
Drivers' Championships |
2003 V8Star Series season (Lamy) 2008 Superleague Formula season (Rigon) |
Website | http://www.zakspeed.de/ |
Full name | Zakspeed Racing |
---|---|
Base | Niederzissen, Germany |
Team principal(s) | Jean-Luc Lagardère |
Founder(s) | Erich Zakowski |
Noted staff | Paul Brown Chris Murphy Heinz Zollner Gustav Brunner |
Noted drivers |
Jonathan Palmer Christian Danner Martin Brundle Piercarlo Ghinzani Bernd Schneider |
Formula One World Championship career | |
First entry | 1985 Portuguese Grand Prix |
Races entered | 74 |
Constructors' Championships |
0 (best finish: 10th, 1987) |
Drivers' Championships |
0 |
Race victories | 0 (best finish: 5th, 1987 San Marino Grand Prix) |
Podiums | 0 |
Points | 2 |
Pole positions | 0 (best grid position: 13th, 1987 Mexican Grand Prix) |
Fastest laps | 0 |
Final entry | 1989 Australian Grand Prix |
Zakspeed (German pronunciation: [ˈtsakspiːt]) is a motor racing team from Germany, founded in 1968 by Erich Zakowski and now run by his son Peter Zakowski. Their home town of Niederzissen is located not far away from the Nürburgring racetrack.
In the late 1970s, Zakspeed was the official Ford team in the German Deutsche Rennsport Meisterschaft (DRM) series, a predecessor of the current DTM. The company constructed and entered an FIA Group 2 Escort and the Group 5 Capri, based on the MKIII production model. During this period, the Zakspeed team achieved a number of victories including the overall championship in 1981 with driver Klaus Ludwig (car shown left).
In the early 1980s, Zakspeed also prepared a Mustang for Ford USA's Special Vehicle Operations to race in the domestic IMSA Camel GT series. The Mustang chassis was based on the Group 5 Capri.
In 1982, Zakspeed ran the works Ford C100 Group C effort in conjunction with the factory. The Zakspeed-prepared machine was run by the works Ford Germany team with Klaus Ludwig, Manfred Winkelhock and Marc Surer at the wheel, but the car was a midfielder at best, although Jonathan Palmer and Desiré Wilson scored a 4th place overall the 1000 km of Brands Hatch in 1982. Ford Germany retracted their support and one car was sold to privateers, while the other chassis was evolved by Zakspeed into the C1/4 and the C1/8, making few appearances in international racing, but becoming a front-runner in the German Interserie, where it won the championship in 1984 with Klaus Niedzwiedz.