The Pescarolo 01 is the first
sports prototype
A sports prototype, sometimes referred to as simply a prototype, is a type of race car that is used in the highest-level categories of sports car racing. These purpose-built racing cars, unlike street-legal and production-based racing cars, are n ...
racing car built entirely by
French team
Pescarolo Sport
Pescarolo Sport was a motorsport team based in Le Mans, France and founded in February 2000 by French racing driver Henri Pescarolo and his friend and partner, French publisher François Granet. They raced in the Le Mans Series and the 24 Hours o ...
. It is designed to meet the LMP1 and LMP2 regulations for
Le Mans Prototype
A Le Mans Prototype (LMP) is the type of sports prototype race car used in the 24 Hours of Le Mans, FIA World Endurance Championship, IMSA SportsCar Championship, European Le Mans Series and Asian Le Mans Series. Le Mans Prototypes were create ...
s in the
Le Mans Series
The European Le Mans Series (abbreviated as ELMS) is a European sports car racing endurance series inspired by the 24 Hours of Le Mans race and organized by the Automobile Club de l'Ouest (ACO). The European Le Mans Series is similar to the fo ...
as well as at 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 racing, sports car race held annually near the town of Le Mans, France. It is the world's oldest active Endurance racing (motorsport), endurance r ...
, and replace Pescarolo's previous
C60 chassis which had been heavily modified from cars purchased through
Courage Compétition
Courage Compétition was a racing team and chassis constructor company now owned by Oreca, based in Le Mans, France near the Circuit de la Sarthe. It was founded by Yves Courage, a French race driver who ran hillclimbs before founding the compa ...
. The first 01s debuted at the
2007 1000 km of Monza.
Development
At the end of 2006, new regulations came into effect for the various series supported by the
Automobile Club de l'Ouest
The Automobile Club de l'Ouest (English: Automobile Club of the West), sometimes abbreviated to ACO, is the largest automotive group in France. It was founded in 1906 by car building and racing enthusiasts, and is most famous for being the organ ...
(ACO). These regulations required extensive changes to the layout of a chassis, leaving many teams to purchase or build new cars as their current cars would be ineligible in 2007.
Pescarolo Sport
Pescarolo Sport was a motorsport team based in Le Mans, France and founded in February 2000 by French racing driver Henri Pescarolo and his friend and partner, French publisher François Granet. They raced in the Le Mans Series and the 24 Hours o ...
at the time was campaigning two
Pescarolo C60s, cars which Pescarolo Sport had extensively modified from their origins as Courage C60s a few years prior. The C60s however did not meet the 2007 regulations, and team owner
Henri Pescarolo
Henri Jacques William Pescarolo (born 25 September 1942) is a former racing driver from France. He competed in the 24 Hours of Le Mans a record 33 times, winning on four occasions, and won a number of other major sports car events including the ...
chose to become a full constructor for the first time. Many features from the C60 were carried over in the design of the 01.
Unlike the C60, the 01 was intended to be not only used by the Pescarolo Sport team, but also to be sold to customers. In order to broaden their customer base, the 01 was designed to meet the regulations of both the LMP1 and LMP2 classes with minor variation required.
Racing history
2007
As the first 01s were being completed, several teams announced their intent to purchase the chassis. British team
Rollcentre Racing chose to re-enter the LMP1 category and campaign an 01-
Judd alongside the two Pescarolo Sport cars. The German Kruse Motorsports team were the first to purchase an LMP2-spec car, using the smaller Judd V8 as a powerplant.
Lister Cars
The Lister Motor Company Ltd. is a British sports car manufacturer founded by Brian Lister in 1954 in Cambridge, England, which became known for its involvement in motorsport. After buying the company in 1986, Laurence Pearce produced variants ...
also announced their intentions to purchase a chassis, which they would later modify, to replace their ineligible
Storm LMP.
At the Pescarolo 01's debut in the Le Mans Series opener, the #16 car of Pescarolo Sport managed to finish in second place, between the two factory
Peugeot
Peugeot (, , ) is a French brand of automobiles owned by Stellantis.
The family business that preceded the current Peugeot companies was founded in 1810, with a steel foundry that soon started making hand tools and kitchen equipment, and the ...
diesels, while the #17 car finished fourth. The Rollcentre and Kruse cars also finished the event in points-earning positions.
At the
2007 24 Hours of Le Mans
The 75th 24 Hours of Le Mans (French: ''75e 24 Heures du Mans'') was a 24-hour automobile endurance race for Le Mans Prototype and Grand Touring cars, which took place at the Circuit de la Sarthe, near Le Mans, France, from 16 to 17 June 200 ...
, Pescarolo Sport was returning as the previous year's runner-up. All four 01s from the Le Mans Series were entered, and three of them were able to successfully reach the finish. The #16 Pescarolo of
Emmanuel Collard
Emmanuel Collard (born 3 April 1971) is a French professional racing driver. He is a former member of the Porsche Junioren factory team, but also drives for other marques.
Born in Arpajon, Essonne, Collard is the winner of the Le Mans Series f ...
,
Jean-Christophe Boullion
Jean-Christophe "Jules" Boullion (born 27 December 1969) is a French professional racing driver who raced in Formula One for the Sauber team.
Career
Born in Saint-Brieuc, near Côtes d'Armor, Boullion started karting in 1982 and moved to ca ...
, and
Romain Dumas
Romain Dumas (born 14 December 1977) is a French racing driver and a Porsche factory driver. He first started out in karting and single-seater before becoming an expert driver in endurance racing, GT and sport-prototype. He has won the greatest r ...
was classified third, eleven laps behind the winning
Audi
Audi AG () is a German automotive manufacturer of luxury vehicles headquartered in Ingolstadt, Bavaria, Germany. As a subsidiary of its parent company, the Volkswagen Group, Audi produces vehicles in nine production facilities worldwide.
Th ...
, while Rollcentre Racing's car was a further eleven laps behind in fourth place. Pescarolo's #17 car finished well back in 13th, while Kruse's car suffered mechanical problems and retired in the first half of the event.
At the following race, the Nürburgring 1000 km, the works car managed a third place again, behind the two Peugeot 908 HDi FAP and for the Spa event (1000 km) on August 19 it was classified second in the race, just being beaten by the surviving Peugeot of Lamy-Sarrazin (the other one having not finished the race due to a rare mechanical failure), the other works Pescarolo ranking at 4th place.
For the British race (1000 km of Silverstone, 16 September) the Nr 16 car driven by Collard and Boullion again, ranked 2nd, still behind a Peugeot while the privateer Rollcentre car was third.
For the last race of the Le Mans Series (Mil Milhas do Brasil on November 10) on the Interlagos circuit, just one Pescarolo 01 was entered (the works car of Boullion-Collard-Primat) and it finished the race in 4th place behind the two Peugeot and the works Creation CA07.
Pescarolo's #16 good results allow Pescarolo Sport to secure second place in the LMP1 Teams Championship. Pescarolo's #17 car struggled to earn points and finished seventh in points, but the Rollcentre team were able to outperform the one factory Pescarolo and finish fourth in the championship. Kruse's season was cut short as a fire on board the team's transporter destroyed their car.
2008
For the 2008 season, five Pescarolo 01s would once again be entered in the Le Mans Series. Pescarolo Sport and Rollcentre Racing remained as they had the year before (Pescarolo with 01 and new 07 chassis), but two more 01s were entered by the French Saulnier Racing. The team, now owned by Jacques Nicolet, entered an 01 each in the LMP1 (which was the ex-works 05 chassis) and LMP2 (the brand new 06 chassis) classes.
In the LMP1 category, the four teams faced stiffer competition from not only the returning Peugeots, but also newcomers Audi. Pescarolo Sport finished on the podium twice in five races, once each for the #16 and #17 cars. It was the #16 car which once again led amongst Pescarolos in the Teams Championship, finishing in sixth place, while every other Pescarolo team managed to earn at least a point during the year. In LMP2, the Saulnier car using the latest V8 from Judd had a best finish of second in class at the
1000 km of Nürburgring and successfully finished the year fourth in the Teams Championship, the best non-Porsche in the field.
As in the previous year, the entire contingent of 01s competed 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 racing, sports car race held annually near the town of Le Mans, France. It is the world's oldest active Endurance racing (motorsport), endurance r ...
, and once again nearly all were able to finish. #17 led the 01 field home in seventh place, the best finisher using
petrol
Gasoline (; ) or petrol (; ) (see ) is a transparent, petroleum-derived flammable liquid that is used primarily as a fuel in most spark-ignited internal combustion engines (also known as petrol engines). It consists mostly of organic co ...
fuel. Rollcentre's race ended in eleventh place, while the LMP1 Saulnier entry survived for 26th. In LMP2, the Saulnier 01 was third in its class, 21 laps behind the winning Porsche, and ranked eighteenth in the overall standings. Only the #16 Pescarolo, which had earned a podium the previous year, was unable to complete the full race.
2009
In 2009, Pescarolo Sport and
OAK Racing
OAK Racing is an endurance racing team specialising in sports prototypes based in Le Mans, France. In 2013 it won the 24 Hours of Le Mans in LMP2 class and the 2013 FIA WEC World Champion drivers and teams on LMP2 class.
In 2012 the team cont ...
(the new name of Saulnier Racing), partnered with
Mazda
, commonly referred to as simply Mazda, is a Japanese multinational automotive manufacturer headquartered in Fuchū, Hiroshima, Japan.
In 2015, Mazda produced 1.5 million vehicles for global sales, the majority of which (nearly one m ...
France, competed in the
Le Mans Series season, each with two Evo chassis'. Pescarolo Sport #16 finished second in the LMP1 class Teams Championship thirteen points behind
AMR Eastern Europe who ran a
Lola-Aston Martin B09/60
The Lola-Aston Martin B09/60, also known as the Aston Martin DBR1-2, is a Le Mans Prototype sports car built by Lola Cars International and co-developed with Prodrive for use by Aston Martin Racing. It is the first prototype to bear the Aston ...
. They ran a #17 car for the first two-round before replacing it with the Peugeot. OAK Racing managed sixth and eighth in the LMP2 Teams Championship with eighth place car #35 earning a ten-point deduction. The car could have been placed in fourth position if the points deduction was not in place.
Pescarolo Sport competed at 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 racing, sports car race held annually near the town of Le Mans, France. It is the world's oldest active Endurance racing (motorsport), endurance r ...
with only one car being #16. Their #17 car was a
Peugeot 908 HDi FAP
The Peugeot 908 HDi FAP is a sports prototype racing car built by the French automobile manufacturer Peugeot to compete in the 24 Hours of Le Mans endurance race, starting in 2007 and eventually winning in 2009. This effort, in development sin ...
. OAK Racing also campaigned their two LMP2-spec 01's at Le Mans. Pescarolo Sport managed to finish eighth overall and in class among tough opposition which included nine diesel-powered LMP1 cars as well as petrol opposition from
Aston Martin Racing
Aston Martin Racing is a British auto racing team established in 2004 as a partnership between automobile manufacturer Aston Martin and engineering group Prodrive. The partnership was initially created for the purpose of returning Aston ...
and
Oreca
ORECA (Organisation Exploitation Compétition Automobiles) is a French racing team and race car constructor, founded in 1973 and run by Hugues de Chaunac, former team manager of F1 team AGS. Oreca has had success in many areas of motorsport. ...
. OAK Racing car #24 did well in LMP2 finishing third in class and 20th overall. Car #35 retired after 208 laps.
In December 2009 OAK Racing reached an agreement with Pescarolo Sport to take over the manufacturing side of its business. Consequently, the
development and construction of the chassis, bodywork and spare parts of the Pescarolo prototypes was assumed by OAK Racing, as well as
all commercial activities.
2010
In 2010, Pescarolo Sport did not race at all, the company being eventually disbanded on July 13 after having been in receivership in June. Though, OAK Racing, still partnered with
Mazda
, commonly referred to as simply Mazda, is a Japanese multinational automotive manufacturer headquartered in Fuchū, Hiroshima, Japan.
In 2015, Mazda produced 1.5 million vehicles for global sales, the majority of which (nearly one m ...
France, competed in the
Le Mans Series season, with two Evo chassis' in LMP2 category.
On 15 October 2010, during the asset sale of Pescarolo Sport, OAK Racing owner
Jacques Nicolet
Jacques Nicolet (born 5 April 1956 in Gigondas) is a French businessman and racing driver. He is the chairman of the Supervisory Board for Altarea SCA, a French real estate investment and development company, which he co-founded in 1994 with Ala ...
and Prestige Racing’s Joël Rivière joined forces to purchase the lots, later presenting them to Henri Pescarolo and thus allowing him to revive his team.
2011
2011 saw the return of a Pescarolo works team under the form of a new team named Pescarolo Team, succeeding to Pescarolo Sport, being bankrupt in July 2010 after their financial difficulties. Pescarolo Team raced in the LMP1 class in the
2011 Le Mans Series season
The 2011 Le Mans Series was the eighth season of the Automobile Club de l'Ouest's Le Mans Series. The series began on 3 April with the 6 Hours of Castellet and ended after five rounds on 25 September. It is a series for Le Mans Prototype and Gra ...
at the
2011 24 Hours of Le Mans
The 79th 24 Hours of Le Mans (French: ''79e 24 Heures du Mans'') was an 24-hour automobile endurance race for Le Mans Prototype (LMP) and Le Mans Grand Touring Endurance (LMGTE) cars. The race was held from 11 to 12 June 2011 at the Circuit de ...
.
OAK Racing
OAK Racing is an endurance racing team specialising in sports prototypes based in Le Mans, France. In 2013 it won the 24 Hours of Le Mans in LMP2 class and the 2013 FIA WEC World Champion drivers and teams on LMP2 class.
In 2012 the team cont ...
raced their own modified version of the 01 with two LMP1 cars and two LMP2 cars. The No. 35 OAK Pescarolo 01 finished third in the LMP2 class at the
2011 12 Hours of Sebring, the other two cars OAK Racing brought along (which were LMP1 cars) both retired, one of which led the race overall for a brief period after a full course caution. Pescarolo Team competed at the
6 Hours of Castellet
The 1000 km of Castellet is a Blancpain Endurance Series sports car race held at Circuit Paul Ricard in Le Castellet, France. The race began in 1970 as a round of the European 2-Litre Sportscar Championship, and World Sportscar Championshi ...
with one car. Pescarolo's return was a dream comeback as they won overall. The grandfathered V10-powered car finished one lap ahead of second place car with Emmanuel Collard, Christophe Tinseau and
Julien Jousse
Julien Jousse (born 21 January 1986 in Les Issambres) is a professional racing driver from France.
Career
Formula Ford
After spending time in karting between 1997 and 2001, Jousse began has circuit racing career in 2002 in the Formula Ford Kent ...
piloting the car.
2012
OAK Racing split the design, manufacturing, and sales divisions of the team into an independent company named
Onroak Automotive
Ligier Automotive is a French company which designs, manufacturers, and sells racing cars, specifically sports prototypes for various international series. Onroak was founded in 2012 by Jacques Nicolet who split the design, manufacturing, and sal ...
and continued to run their modified version of the 01 in the LMP1 class for the upcoming
2012 FIA World Endurance Championship season
The 2012 FIA World Endurance Championship was the inaugural running of the World Endurance Championship. It was co-organised by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA) and the Automobile Club de l'Ouest (ACO). The series replaced t ...
. Their LMP2 car was renamed the Morgan LMP2 due to OAK's partnership with
Morgan Motor Company
The Morgan Motor Company is a British motor car manufacturer owned by Italian investment group Investindustrial. It was founded in 1910 by Henry Frederick Stanley Morgan.
Morgan is based in Malvern Link, an area of Malvern, and employs appr ...
. Pescarolo Team used the 01 for the last time at the
2012 12 Hours of Sebring
The 60th Annual Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring was the 60th running of the 12 Hours of Sebring, an auto race
Auto racing (also known as car racing, motor racing, or automobile racing) is a motorsport involving the racing of automobiles for ...
(with a 5-liter engine, finishing 6th overall and 3rd among WEC LMP1 teams, behind the two
Joest Racing
Joest Racing is a sports car racing team that was established in 1978 by former Porsche works racer Reinhold Joest. Their headquarters are in Wald-Michelbach, Germany.
Early years
As a combined driver/team owner, Reinhold Joest first began to ...
Audi R18 TDI
The Audi R18 is a Le Mans Prototype (LMP) racing car constructed by the German car manufacturer Audi AG. It is the successor to the Audi R15 TDI. Like its predecessor, the R18 uses a TDI turbocharged diesel engine but with a reduced capacity ...
s) before being replaced by the Pescarolo 03, a modified version of
Aston Martin Racing
Aston Martin Racing is a British auto racing team established in 2004 as a partnership between automobile manufacturer Aston Martin and engineering group Prodrive. The partnership was initially created for the purpose of returning Aston ...
's
AMR One. OAK Racing managed to finish in 2nd in the LMP2-class of Sebring, but experienced a turbulent season and finished 4th in the LMP2 Trophy.
2013
![Morgan Nissan LMP2](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d4/Morgan_Nissan_LMP2.JPG)
The OAK-Pescarolo 01 was retired at the beginning of 2013. OAK Racing decided to concentrate on running the Morgan LMP2. The Morgan LMP2, equipped with a
Nissan VK45DE engine, enjoyed great success in 2013, winning the LMP2-class of the
2013 24 Hours of Le Mans
The 81st 24 Hours of Le Mans (French: ''81e 24 Heures du Mans'') was a 24-hour automobile endurance racing event for Le Mans Prototype and Le Mans Grand Touring Endurance cars held from 19 to 23 June 2013 at the Circuit de la Sarthe close ...
and both the
Asian Le Mans Series
The Asian Le Mans Series is an Asian sports car racing endurance series created by the Automobile Club de l'Ouest (ACO) and based in Asia. It is the successor to the defunct Japan Le Mans Challenge which folded in 2007 after its second season. ...
and
World Endurance Championship World Endurance Championship may refer to:
* FIA World Endurance Championship, an auto racing series held since 2012
* World Sportscar Championship, an auto racing series which used the title World Endurance Championship from 1981 to 1985
* Endura ...
in the LMP2 category.
2014
For the 2014 season the Morgan LMP2 was campaigned for the
World Endurance Championship World Endurance Championship may refer to:
* FIA World Endurance Championship, an auto racing series held since 2012
* World Sportscar Championship, an auto racing series which used the title World Endurance Championship from 1981 to 1985
* Endura ...
under the title of G-Drive Racing. It was driven to first in class finishes at the 6 hours at Silverstone and 6 hours at Spa. It qualified for the 24 hours at Le Mans 13th overall, 4th in class, but did not finish. It was replaced with the newer
Ligier JS P2
The Ligier JS P2 is a racing car designed and built by French manufacturer Onroak Automotive and named in partnership with French former racing driver Guy Ligier. Designed for the Le Mans Prototype 2 (LMP2) regulations, it is intended as a secon ...
for the remainder of the season.
2015
In the 2015 24 Hours of Le Mans the Morgan Nissan and Morgan Evo SARD entered the race in the LMP2 class. The Morgan finished 19th overall and the Morgan Evo retired with engine problems.
References
External links
*
Pescarolo 01-Judd Specifications
{{WEC cars 2015
Le Mans Prototypes
24 Hours of Le Mans race cars
Sports prototypes