Onyx Grand Prix

Onyx was the name of a British motorsport racing team that has competed in Formula 2, Formula 3000 and Formula 1. The team was based in Littlehampton, UK.

• 3.1 The background: the spring races in 1982
• 3.2 The only full season: 1989 3.2.1 Car and Driver
• 3.2.2 The sporting successes
• 3.2.3 The policy

• 3.3.1 policy
• 3.3.2 The Race

The history: Mike Earle in motorsport

Onyx Racing was founded in 1978 by Mike Earle and Greg Field. Mike Earle had worked in the previous 15 years in a variety of racing teams as a manager and can collect in-depth experience in motor sport in this way:

• In the late 1960s, Mike Earle ran the British Church Farm Racing team, with which he was primarily active in Formula 3. In the season 1968 Church Farm Racing approached in the Formula 2 European Championship.

• From 1972 operational Mike Earle along with David Purley the team LEC, which bundled the racing activities Purleys in several racing classes. LEC initially joined to the formula 2. In the 1977 season the team was active with a designed by Mike Pilbeam vehicle in Formula 1. The racing team ended after the British Grand Prix in 1977, when David Purley hard crashed and destroyed his race car.

Onyx before the Formula 1

1979

In 1979, the Onyx team first appeared in international motorsport. The team volunteered for the Formula 2 European Championship. The team is the only team Pilbeam a MK42 with a hard - engine one; Driver was Patrick Neve, who for the newly formed team Williams Grand Prix Engineering in 1977 driven in Formula 1 and for the 1979 season Willi Kauhsen Racing team was short as the team's riders have been talking. The combination of a new team and problematic car was overall unsuccessful. Onyx Racing played only the first half of the Formula 2 season 1979 and retired after the Gran Premio di Roma initially back.

1980

The Formula 2 season 1980 was similar problematic. The team called itself now Mike Earle Racing with March and set a date March 802. Some sources report that Mike Earle had received a semi-works status from March Engineering; actually joined the team on in the second half of the season, and even then some races were still left out. As a driver initially acted shortly Johnny Cecotto; later, the Italian newcomer Riccardo palletizing was reported. Overall, the team reached this year in terms of hard results.

1982

Due to its good relationship with the business and decision makers in motorsport succeeded Mike Earle for 1982, use the latest cars by March and also to get factory support. Onyx acted here as a quasi- factory team. Depending on a car in 1982 by Beppe Gabbiani (Start 1) and Christian Danner (start No. 2) was driven, a third car was moved in each race by Thierry Tassin, Patrick Neve and Dave Scott. The team was led intelligent and reached solid results in the first year.

1984

Last year, the Formula 2 Onyx sat again a the latest cars by March, the Model 842 The engine was a four-cylinder common class of BMW, which has now been tuned by Heini Mader in Switzerland. Onyx put a regular three vehicles. Christian Danner was no longer on the team, he was switched to the start of the season for the British team competing PMC Motorsport. For Onyx drove now Thierry Tassin (start number 3), Emanuele Pirro (No. 4 ) and Pierre Petit (No. 5). For the last race of the year - and at the same time the last race of the Formula 2 - Derek Bell drove a fourth car for the Onyx team.

F3000

In the first four years, the first time in 1985 advertised Formula 3000 Championship Onyx sat still on carts of March, which were driven by DFV engines from Cosworth. First, the team was quite successful; that changed, however, as March 1987, a private Formula 1 project off the ground, which tied the essential capacity at the plant and the formula was 3000 fall from view. 1987 and 1988 were the Formula 3000 cars from March inferior to those of Reynard, so that the Onyx team could enter no more major successes. This circumstance was a major reason for the decision Mike Earles, is now itself to focus on the Formula 1.

Onyx in Formula 1

The background: The spring races in 1982

A first contact to the Formula 1 there had been 1982: Every year, Onyx Race Engineering sat minute March 821 in the Formula 1. In that year, March Racing maintained its own factory team in Formula 1, with Jochen Mass and Rupert Keegan (each starting number 17) and Raul Boesel (car number 18) took as a driver. In the spring of 1982 joined the wealthy Spaniard Emilio de Villota, one of the last private Formula 1 driver, on March zoom and asked for a use in a Formula 1 car. Since March was busy with the preparation and use of own car itself, but on the other hand, knew the financial possibilities de Villotas and they do not want to let slip, March would connect to Onyx Race Engineering, which was prepared with its own infrastructure and financing to bring by Emilio de Villota a Formula 1 car for the Spaniard at the start.

The team has been reported under the name Onyx / LTB team March; Emilio de Villota received the starting number 19 as a vehicle March 821 was reported, ie the same type, also began the work team. Probably, however, is that de Villotas car was an older, used vehicle - possibly a 811 of 1981 - which was subsequently converted to the 1982 configuration.

The Onyx / LTB Team March and Emilio de Villota appeared to all the races that were held between 15 May and 16 July 1982. These were the Grand Prix of Monaco, Belgium, USA - East in Detroit, Canada and England. For any of these races, Emilio de Villota could qualify. After the fifth attempt, he made his Formula 1 ambitions to final; he did not start again in Formula 1

The only full season: 1989

Since the end of 1987, Mike Earle dealt with the permanent entry of his team into Formula 1 immediate reason was the declining competitiveness of Formula 3000 cars from March that had been used. For the rest, the end of the costly turbo years of Formula 1 apparent, so that Earle - like many other team bosses too - saw the real possibility in 1989 to operate motor sports the highest class to decent financial conditions.

Car and Driver

During the year 1988, the British engineer Alan Jenkins developed a handy, solid -made Formula 1 car with the name ORE1. Long held in the UK, the rumor that Formula 1 car of Onyx is basically nothing more than a revised March 881 This is not true; the differences in detail were significant. Nevertheless, one can assume that had Alan Jenkins of the technical basis of the Formula 3000 cars from March inspired; after all, these cars were at a time when he was working on the Formula 1 cars for Onyx, Onyx daily in the workshop available. When engine is a Cosworth DFR engine was provided, which was tuned by Brian Hart. Finally, the funding of racing use seemed to be feasible, as the beginning of 1989, the Belgian businessman Jean -Pierre Van Rossem initially completed a sponsorship agreement and later also acquired shares in the team itself. Van Rossem was generous with the lettering of his company " Moneytron " placard on the car, a Belgian financial company that had generated great profits in 1988, but in practice it is likely to have acted after the illegal Ponzi scheme.

For the first race of the year Onyx reported the Swedish veteran Stefan Johansson, who had traveled the year before under difficult conditions and with Ligier and had suffered shipwreck there. Johansson was the start number 36 his side turned to the debutants Bertrand Gachot, neither the experience nor had motivation and was especially noticeable by public criticism of the team and van Rossem. From the Grand Prix of Portugal Gachot was replaced by the more established Finn JJ Lehto.

The sporting successes

In terms of sport, the first year was quite successful. The team reached a total of six points, all have been run by Stefan Johansson, who experienced a 5th place at the Grand Prix of France and a 3rd place in the Grand Prix of Portugal.

The policy

More problematic was the policy of the team. Van Rossem took over during the year, more and more shares in the team and had become in late summer to a majority shareholder. That did the team no good. The eye-catching, sometimes perceived as unkempt Jean -Pierre van Rossem was not a born diplomat; again and again he came rumbling on, berated officials, like Bernie Ecclestone and announced loud, unrealistic future prospects. All this raised doubts about the seriousness of the racing pay.

First, the successes of the young racing team impressed yet, and the outlook for the future of the team appeared in the summer of 1989 rosy. When Porsche announced his comeback in Formula 1 during the year 1989, Onyx was the first choice, and according to several press reports, Porsche was about to conclude a contract with Van Rossem and Onyx. Once, however, in the fall of 1989, there were increasing press releases on investigations by the Belgian police van Rossem against, pulled his Porsche while CEO Heinz Branitzki the emergency brake. A little later an alliance between Porsche and Arrows was announced, to take effect in 1990, lasted only a few months because of sustained failure of the combination of car and engine, however.

The withdrawal of Porsche was Jean -Pierre van Rossem seen the delight in Formula 1 lose. His right exploiting the majority owner, he also dismissed in December 1989, the team founder Mike Earle. All this meant that prevailed in the race-free months between November 1989 and February 1990 standstill at Onyx. There was no further development, it was not even clear whether and to what concept would start the team in the 1990 season.

1990: Changing owner

Policy

On February 17, 1990 announced Jean -Pierre van Rossem that Onyx will set the racing and not compete for the Formula 1 championship in 1990. At the same time he sold the team to the Japanese publishing company Middle Bridge, which already owned a Formula 3000 team and was shortly occurred in the UK as an automotive producer by failing produced from 1987 to 1988 a total of 90 copies of the previously set at the factory Reliant Scimitar GTE.

Middle Bridge immediately announced the resumption of racing operations at Onyx; actually was but little to implementation of this goal. Instead acquired Middle Bridge in early March 1990, yet the traditional Formula 1 Brabham team, which had previously belonged to the Swiss entrepreneur Joachim Lüthi and now, after he had been imprisoned for economic offenses, also showed no discernible racing. Initially it was not clear how Middle Bridge wanted to coordinate the operation of two racing stables; briefly held up the rumor that they wanted to dissolve the traditional Brabahm team in favor of Onyx. For this decision, the fact would have spoken that Onyx - unlike Brabham - in the first half of the 1990 season was not subject to pre-qualification and thus was able to achieve reasonably safe race participants. On the other hand, Brabham had with further better name, so that in the end for the sole operation of Brabham decided. Onyx, however, seemed again to stand before the end. Although the team went to the first race in 1990; the old driver appeared in the paddock. However, as a racing operation should be allowed was unclear.

Rescue for Onyx came shortly before the first training in the form of Swiss business people Peter Monteverdi and Karl Foitek. Peter Monteverdi was a resounding name in the automotive world: From 1967 to 1984 he was with his company Monteverdi produces a series of legendary sports car in Basel. Monteverdi, the management of the daily business was transferred, and Foitek took over the team with all assets and liabilities and thus ensured the survival of the British team. Reason for this step was essentially the Swiss driver Gregor Foitek, the son of Swiss Ferrari importer Karl Foitek, which in turn was friends with Peter Monteverdi. Gregor had Foitek 1989 debut at the unsuccessful Italian Formula 1 team EuroBrun Racing, but failed to qualify for a race not once this year. For the first two races of 1990 Foitek had - possibly mediated by the former team owner Joachim Lüthi - a contract with Brabham, however, Middle Bridge had made it clear after the takeover of the team, that an extension of Foitek Treaty was out of the question. Ultimately, proved to be the acquisition of the Onyx team as the only way Gregor Foitek in Formula 1 to leave.

The team entered 1990 as Onyx Monteverdi to; later the suffix " Onyx" was omitted. The name of the car is unclear; depending on the source they were named ORE1B or ORE2. The technical basis still proved to be useful, however, resulted in financial deficiency and amateurish decisions by the team management believes that soon no longer competitive benefits were achieved.

The races

As Gregor Foitek was tied for the first two races of the year Brabham, launched Onyx Monteverdi first with the known driver pairing Stefan Johansson ( start number 35) and JJ Lehto (No. 36).

In the first two races of the year in Phoenix and Brazil succeeded in any of the driver to qualify for a race.

As for the third race of the season Gregor Foitek schedule came into the team, Peter Monteverdi decided for financial reasons for it to dismiss the experienced Stefan Johansson and let Foitek take its place beside the young Lehto. Designer Alan Jenkins went by himself after Monteverdi had promised him that his salary would be reduced by 70%. A number of mechanics left the team. All this had a lasting impact on the success of the team.

The riders did their best, but failed again and again to the increasingly outdated mechanics of the car. From the Grand Prix of San Marino to the race in Mexico City, they managed regularly to qualify for the race. A finish they reached but only twice ( in Imola as 12 and 15 in Mexico ). In Monte Carlo Foitek went long on the sixth position, but was promoted to the final laps of Éric Bernard out of the race.

After the tenth race of the season the team was closed forever. The technique still served as the basis for the 1992 featured Monteverdi Hai 650F1 prototype, which was never built in series.

Swell

• David Hodges: " race car from AZ ", 1st edition Stuttgart 1993.
• "End of idiocy New trend in motorsport industrialist buy in a racing stables. ", In: Der Spiegel 30/1989 of 24 July 1989, pp. 137-139; Articles about Jean -Pierre van Rossem, Joachim Lüthi and Akira Akagi.
• " Fresh smell of money: A Belgian stock market professional is making millions with system ", in: Time 39/1989 of 22 September 1989; Articles about Jean -Pierre van Rossem.