Highcroft Racing
Founded | 1989 |
---|---|
Team principal(s) | Duncan Dayton |
Current series | Historic motorsport |
Former series | Formula Ford American Le Mans Series |
Noted drivers | David Brabham Simon Pagenaud 2010 ) |
Highcroft Racing was an American auto racing team based out of Danbury, Connecticut and founded by driver Duncan Dayton in 1989. Initially founded for Dayton's involvement in historic motorsport, specifically the restoration and preparation of classic automobiles, the team was expanded for Dayton's entry into the USAC Formula Ford 2000 series in 1994. The team entered a partnership with Intersport Racing in 2003 and entered the American Le Mans Series (ALMS).
Highcroft Racing last competed in 2012, and has since ceased operations. In the spring of 2015, the building that housed their headquarters near the Danbury, CT Airport was sold for $8.2 million.[1]
Racing History
2006 (Lola)
In 2006 Highcroft purchased an MG-Lola EX257 from Dyson Racing and started their own ALMS team. They entered four races including Petit Le Mans where the team scored a third-place finish. The team ended the season 4th in the LMP1 Team Championship.
2007-11 (HPD)
For 2007, the team was chosen by
For 2008, the team continued their campaign of the Acura ARX-01. The team also earned title sponsorship from Patrón Tequila for a three-year contract. Scott Sharp joined the team to replace Stefan Johansson as David Brabhams co-driver. Over the season, the team gained 3 class finishes as well as an overall finish at Lime Rock Park, giving Acura its first overall victory. The team finished the season 2nd in the LMP2 championship[4] behind Penske Racing, but was, once again, the most successful of the Acura teams. Drivers Scott Sharp and David Brabham also finished 2nd in the Team Championship.[5]
Highcroft was one of two teams chosen to campaign Acura's new
The 2010 season saw the LMP1 and LMP2 classes combine to form a new, performance balanced, LMP class. Scott Sharp left Highcroft Racing at the end of the 2009 season in order to start his own team with Patrón CEO, Ed Brown. De Ferran Motorsport's
In 2010, Highcroft Racing made their debut in the 24 Hours of Le Mans using the HPD ARX-01c they competed with in the American Le Mans Series. Due to French Liquor Laws, the team were unable to display their primary sponsor, Patrón Tequila, on the car. They instead chose to represent their charitable partner, Malaria No More. Drivers David Brabham, Marino Franchitti, and Marco Werner qualified 2nd in class, behind Strakka Racing, the second HPD team. The team completed 296 laps and finished 9th in the LMP2 class.
For 2011, Highcroft Racing intended to compete in the full
2012 (DeltaWing)
In 2012, Highcroft Racing teamed with Ben Bowlby and All American Racers to build, develop and race the new DeltaWing, an experimental racing car. The car was designed to reduce aerodynamic drag dramatically allowing for quicker straight and cornering speeds while using half as much power and half as much weight. Despite skepticism over the project, the DeltaWing made its debut in the 2012 24 Hours of Le Mans, filling the 56th garage reserved for experimental vehicles. Marino Franchitti, Michael Krumm and Satoshi Motoyama[11] qualified 29th with a time of 3:42.612, which was 18.825 behind the lead car.[12] The car was retired after 75 laps following an accident in which the DeltaWing ran into a concrete barrier at the Porsche Curves after a collision with Kazuki Nakajima's Toyota TS030 Hybrid.[13] The DeltaWing recorded a best race lap time of 3:45.737, rivaling some of the LMP2 teams.[14] Nakajima later apologized for the incident. The team also competed at Petit Le Mans, the final round of the ALMS season, as an unclassified entry. The team set out to finish the race, something they hadn't done at Le Mans earlier in the year. After rebuilding the car from a collision in practice, the team went on to finish 5th overall, completing 388 laps; just 6 laps behind the overall leader.
Drivers
ALMS (2006-2011)
David Brabham (2007–11)
Duncan Dayton (2006, 2007 Sebring)
Dario Franchitti (2009 Sebring, Petit Le Mans)
Marino Franchitti (2010 Sebring, Petit Le Mans)
Memo Gidley (2006 Petit Le Mans)
Stefan Johansson (2007, 2008 Sebring)
Robbie Kerr (2007 Petit Le Mans)
Vítor Meira (2006 Petit Le Mans)
Simon Pagenaud (2010–11)
Scott Sharp (2008–09)
Andy Wallace (2006)
DeltaWing (2012)
Marino Franchitti
Michael Krumm
Satoshi Motoyama
References
- ^ "Former Highcroft Racing building sells for $8.2M". 29 April 2015.
- ^ 2007 Team Championship Results 2007
- ^ 2007 Drivers Championship Results 2007
- ^ 2008 Team Championship Results 2008
- ^ 2008 Drivers Championship Results[permanent dead link] 2008
- ^ 2009 Team Championship Results 2009
- ^ 2009 Drivers Championship Results[permanent dead link] 2009
- ^ Pagenaud Joins Patron Highcroft Archived 2009-12-17 at the Wayback Machine December 14, 2009
- ^ 2010 Team Championship Results 2010
- ^ 2010 Drivers Championship Results 2010
- ^ Considine, Tim (July 2012). "The DeltaWing". Road & Track. 63 (11): 121–124. Archived from the original on 4 June 2012. Retrieved 14 June 2012.
- ^ "DeltaWing to start 29th in 24 Hours of Le Mans after qualifying". Autoweek. June 14, 2012. Archived from the original on June 16, 2012. Retrieved June 16, 2012.
- ^ "24 Hours of Le Mans: Nissan DeltaWing retires after crash". Archived from the original on 2012-06-18. Retrieved 2013-06-20.
- ^ 24 Hours of Le Mans 2012 - Classification (See Lotus-Lola B12/80) Archived 2013-03-28 at the Wayback Machine