Pacific Racing
Pacific is a former motor racing team. The team was founded in 1984 by Keith Wiggins and was in Thetford, UK, resident.
- 4.1 Results in Formula 1
The beginnings
Pacific Racing was in the 1980s, initially active in the British Formula Ford. There scored JJ Lehto, the driver of the team, a number of successes before Pacific with Lehto in 1988 moved to the British Formula 3 Championship. Lehto won in the first year of the joint commitment the championship, so the team already ascended for the upcoming season in the International Formula 3000 championship. After some initial difficulties also a Pacific - driver could win with a Reynard chassis the Championship: The Brazilian Christian Fittipaldi won the title in the 1991 season for 1993 Keith Wiggins at first planned to move up to Formula 1, . However, this step could be for financial reasons not initially realize, so that Pacific committed another year in Formula 3000. Drivers were David Coulthard and Michael Bartels. Coulthard finished the championship with 25 points in third place (behind the champion Olivier Panis and Pedro Lamy ) from Bartels drove a four championship points and was overall eleventh.
Pacific in Formula 1
Planning for Pacific's rise to Formula 1 began in 1992. During the year, Keith Wiggins secured a chassis that should use the team in the future at Grand Prix.
Preparations 1992 and 1993
These were essentially a construction of Reynard, a chassis manufacturer to the Pacific since the formula 3 days had good relations. Reynard in 1991, had even thought about an entry into Formula 1 and a chassis developed for this purpose. The car had outwardly strong similarities to the Benetton B191. As Reynard Formula 1 ambitions end of 1991 ultimately failed - Adrian Reynard gave as reason that he had not been able to get an exclusive drive motor for his project - was Reynard Formula 1 chassis to Keith Wiggins and his Pacific team passed.
Keith Wiggins reported Pacific Grand Prix of the 1993 Formula 1 season. As a driver Michael Bartels was provided. As for the motor to be used, there are different information. A source says that Pacific had initially reported a Cosworth HB- eight-cylinder. According to other sources, the use of a ten-cylinder engine from Ilmor was provided in 1992.
In the end, the project failed to financial difficulties. In February 1993, shortly before the start of the Formula 1 season 1993, Wiggins took his message back.
The Formula 1 season 1994
Ultimately Pacific's entry into Formula 1 delayed by one year. This, too, had not been granted. As in the previous year, there had been significant financial difficulty even in winter 1993/94. The situation was ultimately secured only by the racer Bertrand Gachot, which took as his team-mate Paul Belmondo substantial amounts of money into the team. The team included alongside Keith Wiggins Paul Brown, a former Zakspeed and Andrea Moda Formula engineer, and Ian Dawson as team manager. Sponsors, there was little; especially the Icelandic beverage manufacturers Ursus campaigned on the engine cover for its products.
As a vehicle of the Pacific PR01 was reported. These were still in the core to Reynard Formula 1 chassis from the year 1991. The car was not manufactured at Pacific, but at Reynard Composites. The superficial similarities to the Benetton B191 were still evident, especially the tall, tapered nose of the vehicle with the suspended beneath the front wings were clear signs of past design principles. The drive served Ilmor LH -10 engines, which were on the level of development of the 1992 season. At the time they were entered at Tyrrell, where they had at best understated performances shown. The engine is said to have cost accounts for about 40 percent of the budget of Pacific according to some press reports. In total, the package of Pacific Grand Prix was technically outdated already on its debut. In essence, it was just a matter of Wiggins, 1994 necessarily to create the entry into Formula 1 in the second attempt; the means employed had to be compared to this goal is of secondary importance.
Pacific Grand Prix debut at the first race of 1994. The cars were painted silver and thus took the first 1997 McLaren again apprehended motive of the Silver Arrows anticipated. 1994 was not an easy year for a Formula 1 entry. Unlike in the previous year to 28 vehicles around the 26 starting places competed since had, next to newly reported Pacific and Simtek, another British team for the Formula 1 World Championship. This meant that the drivers had to undergo a qualification regularly and the two slowest pilots were not allowed to participate in the race. Wiggins ' stated aim was not only to beat Simtek, but also traveling regularly to finish in the points. These goals could not be realized in the end. The team suffered from numerous technical problems and the lack of competitiveness of the overall package. The season was a disaster for Pacific. It failed Pacific to dominate Simtek; the smaller of the established teams such as Minardi, Footwork or Tyrrell showed significantly better performance than Pacific.
In the opening race, the Brazilian Grand Prix, Paul Belmondo could not drive because of technical defects. Bertrand Gachot, however, failed to qualify, but dropped out in the second round, after he had collided with the Larrousse by Olivier Beretta. On the following racing Pacific could, however, only take part if for different reasons competed not all reported 28 driver: On the tragic Grand Prix of San Marino Pacific was able to attend because Roland Ratzenberger was killed in an accident in qualifying on Saturday and Rubens Barrichello already in Friday practice was seriously injured. At the Spanish Grand Prix, the Sauber team did not participate because Wendlinger was seriously injured in the previous race in Monaco and was in a coma; therefore were in Spain only 26 starting places to forgive, so Gachot and Belmondo were almost automatically qualified. As the Grand Prix of Spain then Andrea Montermini in Simtek hard crashed and his car damaged so much that it could not be made in time for the next race in Canada again, this meant a qualification at least for Bertrand Gachot. None of these attempts, the Pacific - driver reached a finish. Gachot was stopped regularly by technical failure of the vehicle; Belmondo, however, ended the only two races that he participated, each for personal reasons: the Grand Prix of Monaco, he was due to fitness problems raised, and the Spanish Grand Prix, he finished with a spin.
From early summer of 1994, however, when all teams competed regularly and fully staffed again, no Pacific - pilot managed more qualifications. Among the overseas races the car wore a new sloping front end. However, this slight modification to the lack of success changed nothing. So Gachot commented on his car to the press: It was a unfahrbares car that had the aerodynamics of a refrigerator. He was glad not to have to drive this car.
The Formula 1 season 1995
Pacific invested a lot of money in the development of the Pacific PR02. To do this, had bought the naming rights of the dissolved late 1994 Lotus teams of the better engines were promised to be the most disappointing Ilmors of 1994. With Andrea Montermini Pacific undertook a promising new drivers. Bertrand Gachot remained the team; He was co-owner and secured with its payments ultimately obtaining the team. As the financial situation was difficult during the year, Gachot stepped back into the second row and allowed for paying riders like Giovanni Lavaggi and Jean -Denis Delétraz individual inserts in the Pacific. For the last race of the year Pacific tried to oblige the Japanese Katsumi Yamamoto and the Australians Oliver Gavin. However, the FIA Super Licence refused both drivers, so took Gachot end of the season once the control.
The Formula 1 season was not successful. Although there were, despite the newly added teams Forti no qualification problems since after the withdrawal of Larrousse and Lotus in the winter break 1994/1995, only 13 teams were registered and the number of racing stables after the Grand Prix of Monaco, as Simtek abandoned, even further reduced. But the athletic performance of Pacific were still not in the area of competitiveness. The statistics record countless failures: 16 defects, eight accidents, a task and a disqualification. Once Gachot was due to gearbox problems not start, and once it was not considered due to the large residue. But there were bright spots: six times a Pacific - rider crossed the finish line ( number 9, 12, 8, 12, 15, 8; chronologically ) - but still no points. Whether the failures were actually technical reasons or whether they had other backgrounds, is doubtful. Andrea Montermini led to this a few years later in an interview that it was located mainly in financial straits: The team had no money for regular engine revisions. Therefore, you have Montermini instructed in the race to turn a few laps and then give up in order to extend the life of the engines.
For 1996, Wiggins was planning to use Yamaha engines that should be looked at Judd. The end of 1995 concluded a preliminary agreement with Pacific Judd; Oliver Gavin was hired as a driver. The realization of the project failed due to financial difficulties.
The last few years: 1996 and 1997
Despite the protestations of the team leader, you will the money in time muster up for the season opener in 1996, Pacific from starting up in the Formula 1 season 1996. The Team Matta became involved in 1996 instead with Patrick Lemarié and Cristiano back in Formula 3000. 1997 Pacific Racing entered again in F3000, this time with Oliver Tichy and Marc Gene. However, before the end of this season, the team had to close the gates, in October 1997, Pacific Racing was dissolved; a follow-up team did not exist. Keith Wiggins later worked for Lola Cars.
Facts and Figures
Results in Formula 1
Swell
- Adriano Cimarosti: The century of racing. Stuttgart 1997, ISBN 3-613-01848-9
- Motorsport aktuell: Swiss weekly journal with various articles and notes relating to the exits Pacific in 1992-1997.
- Formula 1 team