Connew Racing Team, commonly known as Connew (), was a short lived British

Formula One Formula One (also known as Formula 1 or F1) is the highest class of international racing for open-wheel single-seater formula racing cars sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). The World Drivers' Championship, ...

constructor Constructor may refer to: Science and technology * Constructor (object-oriented programming), object-organizing method * Constructors (Formula One), person or group who builds the chassis of a car in auto racing, especially Formula One * Construc ...

. Founded in 1971 by Peter Connew, the team constructed a single car, the PC1. The first monococque had to be aborted due to a change in regulations and the second tub was known as PC2. However, record books show the car driven by Migault and others as PC1. The intent was to compete in the Formula One World Championship in 1972, but a lack of financial and technical resources meant that the car only managed to start in one championship race, the

1972 Austrian Grand Prix The 1972 Austrian Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Österreichring on 13 August 1972. It was race 9 of 12 in both the 1972 World Championship of Drivers and the 1972 International Cup for Formula One Manufacturers. The 54-lap race ...

, with French driver François Migault at the wheel. Following the Austrian race, the car competed in a handful of non-championship races before being converted to meet Formula 5000 specifications for the 1973 season. The

chassis A chassis (, ; plural ''chassis'' from French châssis ) is the load-bearing framework of an artificial object, which structurally supports the object in its construction and function. An example of a chassis is a vehicle frame, the underpart ...

was damaged beyond repair during the season finale at

Brands Hatch Brands Hatch is a motor racing circuit in West Kingsdown, Kent, England, United Kingdom. Originally used as a grasstrack motorcycle circuit on farmland, it hosted 12 runnings of the British Grand Prix between 1964 and 1986 and currently host ...

and the team closed.

History

In 1969, at the age of 23, Peter Connew was asked by a friend if he wanted to attend the

Italian Grand Prix The Italian Grand Prix ( it, Gran Premio d'Italia) is the fifth oldest national Grand Prix motor racing, Grand Prix (after the French Grand Prix, the United States Grand Prix, the Spanish Grand Prix and the Russian Grand Prix), having been he ...

Monza Monza (, ; lmo, label=Lombard language, Lombard, Monça, locally ; lat, Modoetia) is a city and ''comune'' on the River Lambro, a tributary of the Po River, Po in the Lombardy region of Italy, about north-northeast of Milan. It is the capit ...

. Connew's employer refused to give him time off to attend the race, so he resigned and travelled to the race anyway. Upon returning Connew needed employment and was hired by Surtees, a

team run by former champion John Surtees, as a

draughtsman A draughtsman (British spelling) or draftsman (American spelling) may refer to: * An architectural drafter, who produced architectural drawings until the late 20th century * An artist who produces drawings that rival or surpass their other types ...

1972: Formula One

After a falling out with team principal John Surtees, Connew left the team to pursue designing his own car. A garage was rented in Chadwell Heath and the initial construction of the

jig The jig ( ga, port, gd, port-cruinn) is a form of lively folk dance in compound metre, as well as the accompanying dance tune. It is most associated with Irish music and dance. It first gained popularity in 16th-century Ireland and parts o ...

began in December 1970. Connew was assisted by Roger Doran, who worked as a shopfitter, and Connew's cousin Barry Boor. Connew's design philosophy was that whilst the car should be efficient, it should also be easy to work on and maintain. The Connew design was tested and refined by utilising a wind tunnel of a local technical college. During the build, drivers

Tony Trimmer Tony Trimmer (born 24 January 1943) is a British former racing driver from England, who won the Shell British Formula Three Championship and E.R. Hall Trophy in 1970. He was born in Maidenhead, Berkshire. Tony Trimmer also won the prestigious M ...

, Howden Ganley and

Gerry Birrell Gerald Hussey Buchanan Birrell (30 July 1944 – 23 June 1973) was a British racing driver from Scotland, who was killed in an accident during practice for a Formula Two race at Rouen-Les-Essarts. Born in Milngavie near Glasgow, Birrell left s ...

all came to view the car, with Trimmer stating it to be one of the most comfortable cars he had ever sat in. The team planned to make their racing debut at the

Monaco Grand Prix The Monaco Grand Prix (french: Grand Prix de Monaco) is a Formula One motor racing event held annually on the Circuit de Monaco, in late May or early June. Run since 1929, it is widely considered to be one of the most important and prestigiou ...

, but a sudden rule change required the construction of another chassis in a different type of

aluminium Aluminium (aluminum in American and Canadian English) is a chemical element with the symbol Al and atomic number 13. Aluminium has a density lower than those of other common metals, at approximately one third that of steel. I ...

. In the meantime, Connew made a deal with

McLaren McLaren Racing Limited is a British motor racing team based at the McLaren Technology Centre in Woking, Surrey, England. McLaren is best known as a Formula One constructor, the second oldest active team, and the second most successful Formul ...

to purchase a second hand Cosworth DFV engine. Frenchman François Migault signed a deal to drive for the team and also provided a Ford

truck A truck or lorry is a motor vehicle designed to transport cargo, carry specialized payloads, or perform other utilitarian work. Trucks vary greatly in size, power, and configuration, but the vast majority feature body-on-frame construction ...

, which carried the car to France. The truck broke down before it could get to the

Clermont-Ferrand Clermont-Ferrand (, ; ; oc, label=Auvergnat (dialect), Auvergnat, Clarmont-Ferrand or Clharmou ; la, Augustonemetum) is a city and Communes of France, commune of France, in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes regions of France, region, with a population ...

circuit, the location of the French Grand Prix and instead the team tested at the

Bugatti Circuit The Circuit des 24 Heures du Mans, also known as Circuit de la Sarthe (after the 1906 French Grand Prix triangle circuit) located in Le Mans, Sarthe, France, is a semi-permanent motorsport Race track, race course, chiefly known as the venue for ...

Le Mans Le Mans (, ) is a city in northwestern France on the Sarthe River where it meets the Huisne. Traditionally the capital of the province of Maine, it is now the capital of the Sarthe department and the seat of the Roman Catholic diocese of Le Man ...

. The car finally took part in practice for the

1972 British Grand Prix The 1972 British Grand Prix (formally the John Player Grand Prix) was a Formula One motor race held at Brands Hatch on 15 July 1972. It was race 7 of 12 in both the 1972 World Championship of Drivers and the 1972 International Cup for Formula ...

but was withdrawn before the race. The car had an unusual rear suspension which proved not to be up to the job. It was taken back to the workshop and repaired overnight, but upon loading the next day, a rear upright was found to be cracked and it was withdrawn. The small team also managed to show up at the

1972 German Grand Prix The 1972 German Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Nürburgring on 30 July 1972. It was race 8 of 12 in both the 1972 World Championship of Drivers and the 1972 International Cup for Formula One Manufacturers. The 14-lap race was ...

, but without having made a proper prior entry, participation was denied by the race officials. The car was modified and entered in the

. Migault qualified at the end of the field despite some engine troubles. After 22 laps, Migault had passed four competitors, but a rear

wishbone Wishbone commonly refers to: * Furcula, a fork-shaped bone in birds and some dinosaurs Wishbone may also refer to: * Wish-Bone, an American salad dressing and condiment company * Wishbone formation, a type of offense in American football * Wish ...

mounting point failed and Migault had a nasty moment. The car swerved towards the barriers on the start/finish straight, but the driver brought the car safely to a halt without damage. The Connew reappeared at the end of season World Championship Victory Race at

with

David Purley David Charles Purley, GM (26 January 1945 – 2 July 1985) was a British racing driver born in Bognor Regis, West Sussex, who participated in 11 Formula One World Championship Grands Prix, debuting at Monaco in 1973. Purley is best known ...

driving but did not start because of electrical problems. Purley had asked for an electrical "kill" switch to be fitted to the steering wheel, but on the warm-up lap this malfunctioned, the engine stopped and the car was retired.

1973: Formula 5000

The car was modified to meet Formula 5000 regulations and appeared in the

European Formula 5000 Championship The European Formula 5000 Championship was a motor racing series for Formula 5000 cars held annually from 1969 to 1975.Wolfgang Klopfer, Formula 5000 in Europe: Race By Race It was organized in the United Kingdom by the British Racing and Sports Ca ...

in 1973, fitted with a

Chevrolet Chevrolet ( ), colloquially referred to as Chevy and formally the Chevrolet Motor Division of General Motors Company, is an American automobile division of the American manufacturer General Motors (GM). Louis Chevrolet (1878–1941) and ous ...

V8 engine A V8 engine is an eight-cylinder piston engine in which two banks of four cylinders share a common crankshaft and are arranged in a V configuration. The first V8 engine was produced by the French Antoinette company in 1904, developed and us ...

. The car made its first outing in the series at

Mallory Park Mallory Park is a motor racing circuit situated in the village of Kirkby Mallory, just off the A47, between Leicester and Hinckley, in central England. Originally used for grass-track until 1955, a new, basically oval hard-surfaced course ...

for round 10 of 18. Swiss driver

Pierre Soukry Pierre is a masculine given name. It is a French form of the name Peter. Pierre originally meant "rock" or "stone" in French (derived from the Greek word πέτρος (''petros'') meaning "stone, rock", via Latin "petra"). It is a translation ...

qualified the car in twenty-first place, but was unable to start due to a split oil pipe. Three races later, the Connew failed to qualify at

, with Soukry at the wheel. The car's final appearance was at the season finale, again at Brands Hatch.

drove but a collision with a barrier put the chassis beyond repair.

Racing record

Formula One

Formula One World Championship

(

key Key or The Key may refer to: Common meanings * Key (cryptography), a piece of information that controls the operation of a cryptography algorithm * Key (lock), device used to control access to places or facilities restricted by a lock * Key (map ...

)

Non-championship results

Formula 5000

European Formula 5000 Championship

(

)

References

*Formula One results are taken from the Official Formula 1 Website
1972 Season review.
www.formula1.com. Retrieved 9 January 2010. *Formula 5000 results are taken from the OldRacingCars.com website
Formula 5000 races.
www.oldracingcars.com. Retrieved 9 January 2010. *Rothmans 50,000 result is taken from the OldRacingCars.com website
Rothmans 50,000.
www.oldracingcars.com. Retrieved 9 January 2010. *John Player Challenge Trophy result is taken from the OldRacingCars.com website
John Player Challenge Trophy
www.oldracingcars.com. Retrieved 9 January 2010.

External links

History of the Connew project written by team member Barry Boor.

Article about the team.
The Connew Story
on

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.
Story of the Connew GP car
at ''Motor sport'' ''magazine archive'' {{Formula One constructors Formula One constructors Formula One entrants British auto racing teams British racecar constructors 1972 establishments in the United Kingdom 1973 disestablishments in the United Kingdom Auto racing teams established in 1972 Auto racing teams disestablished in 1973