Jan Ellegaard Magnussen (born 4 July 1973) is a Danish professional
racing driver and was a factory driver for
General Motors until the end of the 2020 season. He has competed in
Championship Auto Racing Teams
Championship Auto Racing Teams (CART) was a sanctioning body for American open-wheel car racing that operated from 1979 to 2003. It sanctioned the PPG Indy Car World Series from 1979 until dissolving after the 2003 season.
CART was founded in ...
(CART),
NASCAR
The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, LLC (NASCAR) is an American auto racing sanctioning and operating company that is best known for stock car racing. The privately owned company was founded by Bill France Sr. in 1948, and ...
, the
FIA Formula One World Championship
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, ...
and the
24 Hours of Le Mans
The 24 Hours of Le Mans (french: link=no, 24 Heures du Mans) is an endurance-focused sports car race held annually near the town of Le Mans, France. It is the world's oldest active endurance racing event. Unlike fixed-distance races whose ...
.
Career history
Lower series racing
Born in
Roskilde
Roskilde ( , ) is a city west of Copenhagen on the Danish island of Zealand. With a population of 51,916 (), the city is a business and educational centre for the region and the 10th largest city in Denmark. It is governed by the administrative ...
, Magnussen won the 1992 Formula Ford Festival at Brands Hatch, then dominated the
1994 British Formula 3 championship with
Paul Stewart Racing
Paul may refer to:
*Paul (given name), a given name (includes a list of people with that name)
*Paul (surname), a list of people
People
Christianity
* Paul the Apostle (AD c.5–c.64/65), also known as Saul of Tarsus or Saint Paul, early Chri ...
, winning 14 of the 18 events and breaking
Ayrton Senna
Ayrton Senna da Silva (; 21 March 1960 – 1 May 1994) was a Brazilian racing driver who won the Formula One World Drivers' Championship in , , and . Senna is one of three Formula One drivers from Brazil to win the World Championship and ...
's F3 record.
Magnussen scored his first British F3 win that April at
Donington Park, also taking pole for the race. He also won 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 ...
, twice at
Silverstone, and at
Thruxton. He won six of the first eight races. He then won again at Donington Park, and both season-ending rounds at Silverstone.
Major series racing
He made his
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, ...
debut at the
1995 Pacific Grand Prix
The 1995 Pacific Grand Prix (formally the II Pacific Grand Prix) was a Formula One motor race held on 22 October 1995 at the Okayama International Circuit, TI Circuit, Aida, Okayama, Aida, Japan. It was the fifteenth round of the 1995 Formul ...
in Aida, sitting in for
Mika Häkkinen
Mika Pauli Häkkinen (; born 28 September 1968), nicknamed "The Flying Finn", is a Finnish former racing driver. He won the Formula One World Drivers' Championship in 1998 and 1999, both times driving for McLaren. Häkkinen is one of three Fo ...
, who was unwell. In 1996 Magnussen drove in the
CART series and
International Touring Car Championship
International is an adjective (also used as a noun) meaning "between nations".
International may also refer to:
Music Albums
* ''International'' (Kevin Michael album), 2011
* ''International'' (New Order album), 2002
* ''International'' (The T ...
.
For 1997–1998 he had a seat in Formula One with the newly founded
Stewart Grand Prix team, owned in part by his old F3 boss
Paul Stewart. Team founder
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 ...
once described him as "the most talented young driver to emerge since
Ayrton Senna
Ayrton Senna da Silva (; 21 March 1960 – 1 May 1994) was a Brazilian racing driver who won the Formula One World Drivers' Championship in , , and . Senna is one of three Formula One drivers from Brazil to win the World Championship and ...
", but his performance was underwhelming. He scored his only championship point in his last race in F1, the
1998 Canadian Grand Prix
The 1998 Canadian Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve on 7 June 1998. The 69-lap race was the seventh round of the 1998 FIA Formula One World Championship. It was won by Michael Schumacher, however the race ...
; for the rest of the season he was replaced by
Jos Verstappen
Johannes Franciscus Verstappen (; born 4 March 1972) is a former (Formula One) racing driver. Verstappen was the German Formula Three champion and Masters of Formula Three winner in 1993.
In Formula 1, Verstappen raced for seven different te ...
. Magnussen started 24 GPs, one less than he entered, because his car was damaged in an accident during the start of the
1997 Brazilian Grand Prix
The 1997 Brazilian Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Autódromo José Carlos Pace near Interlagos, Brazil on 30 March 1997. It was the second race of the 1997 Formula One season. The 72-lap race was won by Williams driver Jacques V ...
causing him to retire before the restart.
In 1999 he participated in 7 CART races. In 1999 and 2000 he raced in the
American Le Mans Series
The American Le Mans Series (ALMS) was a sports car racing series based in the United States and Canada. It consisted of a series of endurance and sprint races, and was created in the spirit of the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
The American Le Mans' hea ...
with Panoz. 2001 he drove a Peugeot in Danish Touring Car series (DTC) and raced in 8 ALMS races. 2002 he also raced for Peugeot in DTC and in 10 ALMS races. Jan Magnussen won the 2008 GT1 and 2013 GT drivers' championships, both with Corvette Racing.
Magnussen has participated in various classes in the
24 hours of Le Mans
The 24 Hours of Le Mans (french: link=no, 24 Heures du Mans) is an endurance-focused sports car race held annually near the town of Le Mans, France. It is the world's oldest active endurance racing event. Unlike fixed-distance races whose ...
every year since 1999. His best results so far are the victories in the GTS class in
2004 and GT1 class in
2005,
2006, and
2009, each time in a
Chevrolet Corvette
The Chevrolet Corvette is a two-door, two-passenger luxury sports car manufactured and marketed by Chevrolet since 1953. With eight design generations, noted sequentially from C1 to C8, the Corvette is noted for its performance and distinctiv ...
with
Oliver Gavin
Oliver Benjamin Gavin (born 29 September 1972), is a British racing driver who joined Corvette Racing in 2002. He has won five American Le Mans Series class championships, five 24 Hours of Le Mans class wins, five 12 Hours of Sebring class win ...
and
Olivier Beretta
Olivier Beretta (born 23 November 1969) is a professional racing driver from Monaco who raced in Formula One in 1994 for the Larrousse team, partnering Érik Comas. He participated in 10 Grands Prix, debuting on 27 March 1994. He scored no champi ...
as teammates in 2005 and 2006, and
Johnny O'Connell
Johnny O'Connell (born July 24, 1962) is the most successful GM factory racing driver from the United States. He currently drives for Cadillac in the Pirelli World Challenge, winning the 2012, 2013, 2014 and 2015 GT driver's championship.
Caree ...
and
Antonio García in 2009.
Also, Magnussen has participated in the
12 Hours of Sebring every year since 1999, winning the GT1 class in
2006,
2008
File:2008 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Lehman Brothers went bankrupt following the Subprime mortgage crisis; Cyclone Nargis killed more than 138,000 in Myanmar; A scene from the opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing; ...
, and
2009.
In 2005, Magnussen drove a
Toyota Corolla in the Danish Touring Car Championship.
Present day
Magnussen was still an active driver, competing in the
Danish Touring Car Championship
The Danish Touringcar Championship (abbreviated as the DTC) was a touring car racing series in Denmark. The inaugural year for the DTC was 1999, after the huge success in Scandinavia of the British Touring Car Championship. For the first two years ...
(DTC) until 2010 and in a
Chevrolet Corvette C7.R
The Chevrolet Corvette C7.R is a grand tourer#grand tourers in racing, grand tourer racing car built by Pratt & Miller and Chevrolet for competition in endurance racing (motorsport), endurance racing between 2014 and 2019. It is a replacement for ...
in the
WeatherTech SportsCar Championship
The IMSA SportsCar Championship, currently known as the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship under sponsorship, is a sports car racing series based in the United States and Canada and organized by the International Motor Sports Association (IMS ...
with
Antonio Garcia as teammate until 2019 – and in the 24 hours of Le Mans. In the Danish Touring Car series he drove a Chevrolet Lacetti for Perfection Racing. He won the DTC in 2003 and 2008.
On 11 June 2010, it was announced that Magnussen would make his
NASCAR
The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, LLC (NASCAR) is an American auto racing sanctioning and operating company that is best known for stock car racing. The privately owned company was founded by Bill France Sr. in 1948, and ...
Sprint Cup Series
The NASCAR Cup Series is the top racing series of the NASCAR, National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR). The series began in 1949 as the Strictly Stock Division, and from 1950 to 1970 it was known as the Grand National Division. ...
debut driving the No. 09 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet for
Phoenix Racing at
Infineon Raceway
Sonoma Raceway (originally known as Sears Point Raceway from 1967 to 1980 and 1982 to 2002, Golden State International Raceway in 1981 and Infineon Raceway from 2002 to 2012) is a road course and dragstrip located at Sears Point in the southern ...
. After starting 32nd on the grid, he finished in 12th position.
On 14 June 2010 it was announced that Magnussen and Perfection Racing would not be participating in the DTC, leaving Magnussen and the team to focus on the Scandinavian Touring Car Cup's remaining two rounds.
![GT57 Ronnie Bermer Robin Liddell Jan Magnussen 2011 Road America](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f5/GT57_Ronnie_Bermer_Robin_Liddell_Jan_Magnussen_2011_Road_America.jpg)
Magnussen drove the No. 57 Stevenson Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro with Robin Liddell and Andrew Davis in the 2010 GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series season opener, the Rolex 24 at Daytona. Following the Rolex 24, he moved to the team's No. 97 car and competed in the majority of the races with Gunter Schaldach. Magnussen finished 24th in GT points and his best finish was second (Miller) with four top-10s.
On 7 November 2019, Magnussen was confirmed to drive in the inaugural
TCR Denmark Touring Car Series
The TCR Denmark Touring Car Series is a touring car racing series based in Denmark.
The TCR Denmark Touring Car Series debuted in 2020, running five events.
Background
The TCR Touring Car formula is recognised as a popular and affordable type o ...
for LM Racing in a
VW Golf GTI TCR.
Family
Magnussen's oldest son
Kevin
Kevin () is the anglicized form of the Irish masculine given name (; mga, Caoimhghín ; sga, Cóemgein ; Latinized as ). It is composed of "dear; noble"; Old Irish and ("birth"; Old Irish ).
The variant '' Kevan'' is anglicized from , a ...
is also a racing driver, having raced in Formula 1 for
McLaren,
Renault
Groupe Renault ( , , , also known as the Renault Group in English; legally Renault S.A.) is a French multinational automobile manufacturer established in 1899. The company produces a range of cars and vans, and in the past has manufacture ...
and
Haas F1
Haas Formula LLC, competing as Haas F1 Team, is an American-licensed Formula One racing team established by NASCAR Cup Series team co-owner Gene Haas in April 2014. The team originally intended to make its debut at the start of the season b ...
. Kevin mentioned that his father was his first hero when he was a child.
Motorsports career results
British Formula Three
(
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 ...
) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in ''italics'' indicate fastest lap)
Formula One
(
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 ...
)
Driver did not finish the Grand Prix, but was classified as he had completed over 90% of the race distance.
Deutsche Tourenwagen Meisterschaft
(
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 ...
) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in ''italics'' indicate fastest lap)
International Touring Car 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 ...
) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in ''italics'' indicate fastest lap)
† – Did not finish the race, but was classified as he completed over 90% of the race distance.
American open-wheel racing results
(
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 ...
) (Races in bold indicate pole position, races in ''italics'' indicate fastest race lap)
CART
24 Hours of Le Mans
24 Hours of Daytona
(
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 ...
)
Supercars Championship
† Withdrew due to licence problems
Bathurst 1000 results
European Touring Car 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 ...
) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in ''italics'' indicate fastest lap)
Complete IMSA SportsCar Championship results
(
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 ...
) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in ''italics'' indicate fastest lap)
† Magnussen did not complete sufficient laps in order to score full points.
Complete TCR Denmark Touring Car Series results
(
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 ...
) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in ''italics'' indicate fastest lap)
Complete FIA World Endurance Championship results
(
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 ...
) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in ''italics'' indicate fastest lap)
NASCAR
(
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 ...
) (
Bold – Pole position awarded by qualifying time. ''Italics'' – Pole position earned by points standings or practice time. * – Most laps led.)
Sprint Cup Series
References
External links
*
*
Jan Magnussenat Driver Database
{{DEFAULTSORT:Magnussen, Jan
1973 births
Living people
People from Roskilde
Danish racing drivers
Karting World Championship drivers
Formula Ford drivers
British Formula Three Championship drivers
24 Hours of Le Mans drivers
24 Hours of Daytona drivers
Danish Formula One drivers
Champ Car drivers
American Le Mans Series drivers
European Le Mans Series drivers
Rolex Sports Car Series drivers
World Touring Car Championship drivers
Danish Touring Car Championship drivers
Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters drivers
Supercars Championship drivers
NASCAR drivers
McLaren Formula One drivers
Stewart Formula One drivers
Danish expatriates in the United States
FIA World Endurance Championship drivers
International GT Open drivers
WeatherTech SportsCar Championship drivers
European Touring Car Championship drivers
Team Penske drivers
Sportspeople from Region Zealand
Corvette Racing drivers
Paul Stewart Racing drivers
Mercedes-AMG Motorsport drivers
Peugeot Sport drivers
Audi Sport drivers
BMW M drivers
Racing Bart Mampaey drivers
Hogan Racing drivers
Wayne Taylor Racing drivers
W Racing Team drivers
AF Corse drivers