Prodrive
Prodrive Ltd.. is a British holding company, which is active both in motorsport, as well as offering engineering services.
The company, based in Banbury designs, develops and sports car manufacturers such as Subaru and Aston Martin. Also operates Prodrive racing teams in different series. The development department in Warwick offers design and development consulting for various automobile manufacturers.
Prodrive is mainly known for its success in the World Rally Championship with the Subaru World Rally Team. From the 2011 season the Mini WRC team starts with a structured and supported by Prodrive Mini WRC. At the Rally Germany 2011, the factory driver Dani Sordo finished third overall.
In addition to the British home Prodrive operates activities in Detroit and California in the United States, Thailand, China and Australia.
In 2007, a project managed by David Richards and Prodrive consortium the sports car manufacturer Aston Martin. With your own team Prodrive Prodrive F1 also wanted to start in the 2008 Formula 1 season, but was rejected by the FIA.
History
In 1984, David Richards and Ian Parry the company Prodrive, based on their joint business activities in the field of motorsport marketing and consulting. The first run by Prodrive Racing team was the Rothmans Porsche Rally Team, which won in the first year of its existence, the Middle East Rally Championship, finishing in second place in the European Rally Championship. After further successes in rally area with Porsche, MG and BMW, expanded Prodrive in 1987 in the touring car segment. The BMW M3 team was the overall winner of the 1988 British Touring Car Championship and in the following two years, class winner. Since then, Prodrive engaged almost continuously in touring car racing, with teams for Alfa Romeo, Honda and Ford in the BTCC and for Volvo in the European Touring Car Championship.
In 1990 the successful partnership between Prodrive and Subaru World Rally Team, 1991, the Scot Colin McRae was the first time with this team of British Rally Champion. In the same year the company founded an engineering department to sell developments to other racing teams and car manufacturers can. McRae repeated his success in 1992 and won with a Subaru Impreza 1995, the World Rally Championship.
1999 bought the investment company Apax Partners shares of 49 %, and enabled Prodrive Ltd.. such a large financial framework for their expansion plans. The following year, the company moved to new premises with its own test track near Warwick. Furthermore, the fifth Constructors ' titles in the BTCC and the third constructors' title in the WTCC was won this year. 2001 expanded Prodrive GT race car class, with the constructed in-house racing version of the Ferrari 550 Maranello Prodrive took in the FIA GT Championship in part. Also this year, the traditional company Tickford was taken.
2002 Advanced Prodrive engineering department by opening a branch in Germany and the creation of Prodrive USA. In the same year the name of the joint venture between Prodrive and Ford Australia was changed to Ford Performance Vehicles. In addition, Prodrive went this year for the first time in the 24- hour race at Le Mans. The Prodrive Ferrari was the race, despite pole position in the GTS class, not end, however, won the race the following year. Also in 2003 agreed Prodrive and Aston Martin their cooperation in the construction of a GT1 race version of the DB9 and the construction of a racing team. The run by Prodrive since 2001 Formula 1 team BAR 2004 was recorded the first podium with Jenson Button and the third place in the Constructors' Championship.
2005 Aston Martin DBR9 debuted victory at the 12 Hours of Sebring, the 24 Hours of Le Mans was a third place can be achieved. In the spring of 2006, Prodrive Prodrive P2 concept car before and signed a partnership agreement with Carver Europe for the construction and production of the vehicle Carver. In the same year Prodrive F1, initially confirmed after years of effort as 12 team for the 2008 Formula 1 season, but was ultimately not approved for this season. In addition to successes in the GT class and the V8 Supercar starts Prodrive in 2006 with the production of the Vanden Brink Carver and goes with the Aston Martin Rally GT, the first Aston Martin rally car for over 50 years, in road rallies at the start. 2007 with the DBR9 won for the first time since 1959, an Aston Martin at Le Mans in its class; In the same year, a consortium led by David Richards, the company Aston Martin from Ford in 2008 Prodrive could repeat the success in the GT1 series and developed for Alfa Romeo sports a limited version of the Brera. In the same year the Kuwaiti Investment Dar Company The (TID ) bought a stake of 40%. In the following year put together with Prodrive and Lola Charouz Racing Aston Martin first sports car project has been around since the Nimrod NRA/C2. The Lola - Aston Martin LMP1 car was mentioned in both the Le Mans Series and the 24 Hours of Le Mans. During the Le Mans prototype in the Le Mans Series 2009 season title in the driver and import Team Championship, reached the LMP1 at Le Mans with the fourth overall the best result of a vehicle with a gasoline engine.
Source
- Prodrive Company History ( English)
Weblink
- Prodrive.com