Base | Slough, Berkshire, United Kingdom |
---|---|
Founder(s) |
Gordon Coppuck John Wickham |
Noted drivers |
Stefan Johansson Thierry Boutsen Mauro Baldi Huub Rothengatter |
Formula One World Championship career | |
First entry | 1983 British Grand Prix |
Races entered | 25 (23 starts) |
Engines |
Honda RA163E V6 (t/c) (1983) Hart 415T L4 (t/c) (1984–1985) Ford Cosworth DFV V8 (1984) |
Constructors' Championships |
0 |
Drivers' Championships |
0 |
Race victories | 0 (best finish: 7th, 1983 Dutch Grand Prix) |
Podiums | 0 |
Points | 0 |
Pole positions | 0 (best grid position: 13th, 1983 German Grand Prix) |
Fastest laps | 0 |
Final entry | 1985 San Marino Grand Prix |
Spirit Racing was a racing car constructor and racing team from the United Kingdom. Founded in 1981, it participated in the 1982 European Formula Two Championship, then in Formula One between 1983 and 1985, before competing in the 1988 F3000 season before finally folding at the end of the year. In 26 F1 races (including the non-championship 1983 Race of Champions), its best finish was seventh at the 1983 Dutch Grand Prix.
Spirit Racing was founded in August 1981 by ex-March employees Gordon Coppuck and John Wickham with backing from Bridgestone and Honda, who were keen to re-enter Formula One as an engine supplier. The initial plan was to participate in the 1982 European Formula Two Championship, and so ex-McLaren designer John Baldwin was hired to produce the Spirit 201 chassis with Coppuck, to be powered by a naturally-aspirated 2-litre Honda V6 engine. With sponsorship from Marlboro and capable drivers in Stefan Johansson and Thierry Boutsen, the car was an immediate success, taking pole position in eight of the 13 rounds of the championship, while Boutsen won three times and challenged for the title before losing out in the final round to the March of Corrado Fabi.