Gary Anderson (born March 1951) is a semi-retired racing car designer and motorsport pundit/commentator.
Biography
Early career
Born in Northern Ireland, Anderson moved to England in 1972 with the dream of becoming a racing driver but instead found work as a mechanic at Motor Racing Stables 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 ...
. Some time later, he found a job at
Brabham
Brabham () is the common name for Motor Racing Developments Ltd., a British racing car manufacturer and Formula One racing team. Founded in 1960 by Australian driver Jack Brabham and British-Australian designer Ron Tauranac, the team won four ...
, helping to build their
Formula 3
Formula Three, also called Formula 3, abbreviated as F3, is a third-tier class of open-wheel formula racing. The various championships held in Europe, Australia, South America and Asia form an important step for many prospective Formula One driv ...
cars. He then began to work with the Brabham Formula 1 team and quickly progressed to become their chief mechanic. It was during his time at
Brabham
Brabham () is the common name for Motor Racing Developments Ltd., a British racing car manufacturer and Formula One racing team. Founded in 1960 by Australian driver Jack Brabham and British-Australian designer Ron Tauranac, the team won four ...
that he met his future wife, who sent a letter to Bernie Ecclestone on Gary's behalf seeking a job as a mechanic on the Brabham F3 team for him.
In 1975, Gary and a mechanic called Bob Simpson, who worked for
Tyrrell Racing
The Tyrrell Racing Organisation was an auto racing team and Formula One constructor founded by Ken Tyrrell (1924–2001) which started racing in 1958 and started building its own cars in 1970. The team experienced its greatest success in the e ...
, built a Formula 3 car called the
Anson Anson may refer to:
People
* Anson (name), a give name and surname
** Anson family, a British aristocratic family with the surname
Place names
;United States
* Anson, Indiana
* Anson, Kansas
* Anson, Maine
** Anson (CDP), Maine
* Anson, Missour ...
SA1. It was based on the
Brabham BT38 and was raced by Anderson in
Formula Libre
Formula Libre, also known as Formule Libre, is a form of automobile racing allowing a wide variety of types, ages and makes of purpose-built racing cars to compete "head to head". This can make for some interesting matchups, and provides the oppor ...
. Anderson left Brabham at the end of 1976 to focus on designing the Anson SA2 Formula 3 car for 1977. Last minute withdrawal of sponsorship left the project in great difficulties and part-way through 1977, the car was withdrawn.
Anderson rejoined F1 as chief mechanic at
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 ...
. He remained there for two years after which he joined the
Ensign
An ensign is the national flag flown on a vessel to indicate nationality. The ensign is the largest flag, generally flown at the stern (rear) of the ship while in port. The naval ensign (also known as war ensign), used on warships, may be diffe ...
team. Soon after, Anderson and Simpson relaunched the Anson project, building very competitive Formula 3 and
SuperVee cars. In 1985, Anderson went to America to become the chief engineer of the
Galles Indycar team. It was here that he first teamed-up with driver
Roberto Moreno
Roberto Pupo Moreno (born 11 February 1959), usually known as Roberto Moreno and also as Pupo Moreno, is a Brazilian former auto racing, racing driver. He participated in 75 Formula One Grands Prix, achieved 1 podium, and scored a total of 15 c ...
. The pair would go on to have great success in
Formula 3000
Formula 3000 (F3000) was a type of open wheel, single seater formula racing, occupying the tier immediately below Formula One and above Formula Three. It was so named because the cars were powered by 3.0 L engines.
Formula 3000 championships
...
; Anderson became technical director of
Bromley Motorsport
Bromley is a large town in Greater London, England, within the London Borough of Bromley. It is south-east of Charing Cross, and had an estimated population of 87,889 as of 2011.
Originally part of Kent, Bromley became a market town, cha ...
with Roberto Moreno as a driver and Moreno won the
1988 International Formula 3000 title for the team, using the
Reynard
Reynard the Fox is a literary cycle of medieval allegorical Dutch, English, French and German fables. The first extant versions of the cycle date from the second half of the 12th century. The genre was popular throughout the Late Middle Ages, as ...
88D F3000 chassis.
Adrian Reynard
Adrian John Reynard (born 23 March 1951 in Welwyn, England) is the founder of Reynard Motorsport, which was a successful racing car manufacturer before it went bankrupt in 2002.
As a student, Reynard was keenly interested in motorsport, particul ...
hired Anderson to design the 1989 and 1990 Reynard F3000 chassis.
At the same time he also designed the Spa series of open wheelers for the Formula 3000 based
Formula Holden
Formula Holden was an Australian open wheel racing category introduced in 1989.
History
Known during its development as Formula Australia, it was initially for chassis constructed from aluminium only, running a 3.8-litre Buick V6 engine as ...
. Driving for
Gibson Motor Sport
Gibson Motorsport was an Australian motor racing team that competed in the Australian Touring Car Championship from 1981 until 2003, though the team had its roots in Gibson's "Road & Track" team which ran a series of Ford Falcon GTHOs in Series ...
,
Mark Skaife
Mark Skaife (born 3 April 1967) is a retired Australian motor racing driver. Skaife is a five-time champion of the V8 Supercar Championship Series, including its predecessor, the Australian Touring Car Championship, as well as a six-time Bath ...
finished third in a Spa FB001 in the
1990 Australian Drivers' Championship, before winning the championship in a Spa FB003 in
1991
File:1991 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Boris Yeltsin, elected as Russia's first president, waves the new flag of Russia after the 1991 Soviet coup d'état attempt, orchestrated by Soviet hardliners; Mount Pinatubo erupts in the Phil ...
and
1992
File:1992 Events Collage V1.png, From left, clockwise: 1992 Los Angeles riots, Riots break out across Los Angeles, California after the Police brutality, police beating of Rodney King; El Al Flight 1862 crashes into a residential apartment buildi ...
.
Jordan (1991–1998)
In 1990,
Eddie Jordan
Edmund Patrick Jordan, OBE (born 30 March 1948), also known as EJ, is an Irish businessman, television personality and former motorsport team owner. Born in Dublin, Jordan worked first at the Bank of Ireland. He won the Irish Kart Championshi ...
asked Anderson to design the very first
Jordan Grand Prix
Jordan Grand Prix was a Formula One constructor that competed from 1991 to 2005. The team was named after Irish businessman and founder Eddie Jordan. The team was based at Silverstone, UK but raced with an Irish licence.
In early 2005, the t ...
car for the
1991 Formula One season
The 1991 FIA Formula One World Championship was the 45th season of FIA Formula One motor racing and the 42nd season of the Formula One World Championship. It featured the 1991 Formula One World Championship for Drivers and the 1991 Formula One ...
. The
Jordan Ford 191 was designed by Anderson and entered for the 1991 season. It achieved points finishes on seven occasions throughout the year, finishing the season 5th in the Constructors' Championship table. Anderson was made technical director of the team for 1992 onwards. The team scored its first podium position in the
1994 Pacific Grand Prix
The 1994 Pacific Grand Prix (formally the I Pacific Grand Prix) was a Formula One motor race held on 17 April 1994 at the TI Circuit, Aida, Japan. It was the second race of the 1994 Formula One World Championship.
The 83-lap race was won by Ge ...
, with
Rubens Barrichello
Rubens "Rubinho" Gonçalves Barrichello (, ; born 23 May 1972) is a Brazilian professional racing driver who competed in Formula One between and . He currently competes full-time in the Brazilian Stock Car Pro Series, driving the No. 111 Toy ...
driving the Anderson-designed
Jordan Hart 194 (co-designed by Andrew Green). Anderson would remain with Jordan, despite offers from McLaren and
Ferrari
Ferrari S.p.A. (; ) is an Italian luxury sports car manufacturer based in Maranello, Italy. Founded by Enzo Ferrari (1898–1988) in 1939 from the Alfa Romeo racing division as ''Auto Avio Costruzioni'', the company built its first car in ...
, until midway through the 1998 season when he was replaced by
Mike Gascoyne
Michael Robert Gascoyne (born 2 April 1963) is a British Formula One designer and engineer.
Gascoyne has worked for numerous Grand Prix teams including McLaren, Sauber, Tyrrell, Jordan (later known as Midland F1, Spyker, Force India, Racing P ...
.
Post-Jordan (1999–2001)
Following his departure from the Jordan team, Anderson joined the
Stewart Grand Prix
Stewart Grand Prix was a Formula One constructor and racing team founded by triple Formula One champion Jackie Stewart and his son Paul Stewart in 1996. The team competed in F1, as the Ford works-supported team, for only three seasons, from 199 ...
team, designing the
Stewart Ford SF3 for the
1999 Formula One season
The 1999 FIA Formula One World Championship was the 53rd season of Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA) Formula One motor racing. It commenced on 7 March and ended on 31 October after sixteen races.
The Drivers' Championship w ...
. This season would be the most successful season for Stewart Grand Prix, achieving four podium finishes, including a win at the
1999 European Grand Prix
The 1999 European Grand Prix (formally the 1999 Warsteiner Grand Prix of Europe) was a Formula One motor race held on 26 September 1999 at the Nürburgring in Nürburg, Germany. It was the fourteenth race of the 1999 FIA Formula One World Champi ...
. The team secured 4th in the Constructors' Championship for that season. Anderson said of team owner
Jackie Stewart
Sir John Young Stewart (born 11 June 1939), known as Jackie Stewart, is a British former Formula One racing driver from Scotland. Nicknamed the "Flying Scot", he competed in Formula One between 1965 and 1973, winning three World Drivers' Cha ...
that he was "the best person I've ever worked for in my life".
After Ford bought the Stewart team and renamed it
Jaguar Racing
Jaguar Racing is the name given to Jaguar Land Rover's racing interests. It currently competes in Formula E under the name Jaguar TCS Racing as a result of the partnership with Tata Consultancy Services. It was previously a Formula One construc ...
for the season, Anderson remained to design their 2000 Formula One car. The
Jaguar Cosworth R1 scored two points finishes in the 2000 Formula One season, ending the season 9th in the Constructors' Championship. Anderson was then replaced at Jaguar and spent 2001 in America working for Reynard in
CART
A cart or dray (Australia and New Zealand) is a vehicle designed for transport, using two wheels and normally pulled by one or a pair of draught animals. A handcart is pulled or pushed by one or more people.
It is different from the flatbed tr ...
.
Return to Jordan (2002–2003)
Anderson reunited with the Jordan Grand Prix team in 2002. He co-designed the 2002
Jordan Honda EJ12 (with Eghbal Hamidy), which managed five points finishes, finishing the season 6th in the Constructors' Championship. Jordan lost backing of the
Honda
is a Japanese public multinational conglomerate manufacturer of automobiles, motorcycles, and power equipment, headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan.
Honda has been the world's largest motorcycle manufacturer since 1959, reaching a product ...
engines for 2003, and the Anderson-designed
EJ13, now powered by
Cosworth
Cosworth is a British automotive engineering company founded in London in 1958, specialising in high-performance internal combustion engines, powertrain, and electronics for automobile racing (motorsport) and mainstream automotive industrie ...
engines, finished the 2003 season 9th in the Constructors' Championship, but won a race (the
2003 Brazilian Grand Prix).
Later work
Since leaving Jordan in 2003, Anderson has worked for several television broadcasters: firstly for RTÉ from 2003-2005 followed by Setanta Ireland's coverage from 2006-2009 and ESPN Star Sports as a technical analyst and commentator. On 12 January 2012, the BBC announced that Anderson had been recruited as technical analyst and pitlane reporter for their coverage of the FIA Formula 1 Championship. In 2013 Anderson remained with the BBC1 BBC2 TV and BBC 5 Live teams as their Technical Analyst. BBC2 now broadcasting all live F1 practice on Friday and Saturday.
In 2014 having left the BBC (who wished to move away from technical reporting) Anderson continued to explain the new breed of F1 cars in ''
Autosport
''Autosport'' is a global motorsport publishing brand headquartered based in Richmond, London. It was established in 1950 at the same time as the origins of the Formula One World Championship.
Autosport began life as a weekly magazine in 1950 ...
'' magazine and web page giving the F1 fans an insight into what will be this season, the biggest changes in Formula One Cars for many years using hybrid power which is a combination of fossil fuel power from a 1600cc turbo charged V6 engine and self generated electrical power.
In 2014, Anderson joined the TV production team at
Formula One Management
The Formula One Group is a group of companies responsible for the promotion of the FIA Formula One World Championship, and the exercising of the sport's commercial rights.
The Group was previously owned by Delta Topco, a Jersey-based company ow ...
(FOM) who produce all track televised F1 pictures, mainly to assist them in explaining the complexities of the new breed of F1 car.
FOM will later be launching an F1 App which will use Anderson's technical insight. He commentated on the
GP3 series
The GP3 Series, or GP3 for short, was a single-seater motor racing series launched in 2010 as a feeder series for the GP2 Series, introduced by GP2 organiser Bruno Michel. GP3 followed the entire European leg of the Formula One series and the ...
with Will Buxton for
Sky Sports
Sky Sports is a group of British subscription sports channels operated by the satellite pay television company Sky Group (a division of Comcast), and is the dominant subscription television sports brand in the United Kingdom and Ireland. It ...
in
2014
File:2014 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Stocking up supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) for the Western African Ebola virus epidemic; Citizens examining the ruins after the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping; Bundles of wat ...
.
Anderson was awarded an
honorary doctorate
An honorary degree is an academic degree for which a university (or other degree-awarding institution) has waived all of the usual requirements. It is also known by the Latin phrases ''honoris causa'' ("for the sake of the honour") or ''ad hon ...
of science by the
University of Ulster
sco, Ulstèr Universitie
, image = Ulster University coat of arms.png
, caption =
, motto_lang =
, mottoeng =
, latin_name = Universitas Ulidiae
, established = 1865 – Magee College 1953 - Magee Un ...
in 2014. In 2015 he started working with the newly formed company Typhoon, a firm focusing on producing motor-assisted bicycles.
Anderson currently hosts his ow
podcastfo
The Racealongside F1 Journalist Edd Straw discussing the technical side of current Formula 1 news and events as well as his personal F1 experience. He also regularly appears on The Race'
Bring Back V10spodcast.
References
External links
{{DEFAULTSORT:Anderson, Gary
Formula One designers
Living people
1951 births
BBC sports presenters and reporters
Motorsport people from Northern Ireland