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Zytek Group Ltd is an automotive and motorsport company founded in 1981 and based in Fradley and Repton, United Kingdom. Zytek Group has two main divisions: Zytek Automotive, which is based at Fradley, Staffordshire; and Zytek Engineering, which is based at Repton, Derbyshire.

Zytek Automotive[link]

Zytek Automotive is a specialist powertrain and vehicle engineering enterprise. From its genesis of engine-management control systems, Zytek’s focus has developed to cover the Electric and Hybrid-vehicle sector.

Electric Motors[link]

Zytek offers full turnkey solutions to design, develop, and integrate electric motors into a range of cars and commercial vehicles, and offers low volume production facilities to complete the process.

The current family of electric MOTORS ranges up to 70 kW, with the next generation of drivetrains being developed to meet the needs of the advancing electric vehicle market.

Zytek has designed and integrated electric drive systems for a wide range of European and US vehicle manufacturers and is currently building high performance electric drivetrains up to 70 kW and 300Nm for cars, buses and light commercial vehicles. The UK facility can accommodate up to 6,000 E-Drive integrations a year in batches as low as 100, providing vehicle manufacturers and large fleets with a highly flexible specialist production resource for their low carbon programmes. Zytek can also manufacture up to around 18,000 high efficiency electric traction motors each year, with the option of integrated control systems to further improve overall system weight and packaging.

Smart Electric Drive[link]

Zytek converted an initial 100 smart fortwos to fully electric versions at their production facilities in Fradley, Staffordshire. These vehicles took part in a market trial by selected British customers as lease vehicles from 2007 to 2009.

The drivetrain installed in the smart electric drive utilizes state of the art 55 kW brushless DC motor technology that is designed and manufactured in house by Zytek. The award winning innovative drivetrain design integrates the electric motor, power and control electronics, into one compact assembly with only three connections: water, High voltage(300V) and low voltage (12v).

The success of the UK trials has led to the next generation smart 451 electric drive rolling off the production line from October 2009 at a dedicated Zytek facility at the smart fortwo assembly plant in Hambach, France.

Modec Delivery Vehicle[link]

The 70 kW integrated drivetrain installed in the Modec electric vehicle t is designed and manufactured in house by Zytek.

The 70 kW electric motor drives the 5.5 tonne suburban delivery vehicle, which has been developed as an alternative to the transit van for urban areas. Quiet and pollution free, Modec vans can carry two tonnes up to 100 miles at 50 mph, with zero emissions – all from a single charge.

The Production of the E drive is completed at Zytek’s production facility in Fradley, Staffordshire.

Vito E Taxi[link]

Zytek's 70 kW flexible drivetrain is integrated in the E Vito Taxi., incorporating integrated motor/gearbox and remote inverter.^[1] The prototype was developed by a consortium of automotive engineering and technology specialists, part funded by a grant from regional development agency Advantage West Midlands.

The vehicle is capable of up to 75 mph, powered by the innovative 70 kW Zytek electric drive system, driving the front wheels through a custom designed Vocis/Graziano transmission. The vehicle not only generates zero tailpipe emissions but also very low noise pollution.

Gordon Murray Design T.27[link]

Gordon Murray Design and Zytek Automotive developed an all-electric three-seater city car, the T.27, made possible through a GB£4.5 million million (US$7.2 million in June 2010) investment from the government-backed Technology Strategy Board.^[2][3] With a total cost of £9m (US$14.4 million in June 2010), the research and development project allowed the consortium to develop a prototype that was unveiled at the Royal Automobile Club in June 2011. The T.27 road debut is scheduled for November 2011 at the RAC Future Car Challenge. Gordon Murray Design is negotiating with three possible manufacturers for production of the T.27.^[3][4]

The T.27 was designed to be the world’s most efficient electric car due to its low weight and ‘clean sheet of paper design’. According to their developers, the T.27 features lower energy consumption per mile that other electric cars: uses 29% less energy per km than the Smart ED; 36% less energy per km than the Mitsubishi i MiEV; and 86% less energy per km than the Mini E.^[3][4] The efficient energy used was achieved through an entirely fresh approach, accepting no compromise in safety, performance, range, space, weight, rolling resistance and ride quality. By applying iStream methodology, a new manufacturing process developed by Gordon Murray Design, to the T.27 and fully integrating it with a custom-designed lightweight, highly efficient drivetrain from Zytek, every aspect of the vehicle was optimised.

Zytek Automotive developed a brand new, innovative, lightweight and fully integrated 25 kW electric motor, control system and 12.5 kWh lithium-ion battery pack, to ensure that maximum efficiency is achieved. The car all-electric range is 100 to 130 mi (160 to 210 km) depending on driving conditions. The total weight of the motor, inverter and gearbox configuration is up to 45% lighter than comparative current production EV powertrains. The T.27 weighs only 1,500 lb (680 kg), and achieves a top speed of 65 mph (105 km/h). Its 0-62 mph (0 to 100 km/h) speed is said to be under 15 seconds. In crash testing, the T.27 obtained high marks in the EuroNCAP 50 km/h (31 mph) impact crash test, showing good structural integrity and design.^[3][4]

At the heart of the powertrain is Zytek’s new, high efficiency permanent magnet synchronous motor. The high maximum machine speed of 14,000 rpm has enabled generated torque and hence machine size to be reduced considerably, bringing further reductions in cost and weight. When used in conjunction with the Zytek Electric Vehicle Control Module, torque delivery is scheduled in a way that further improves overall efficiency, while also eliminating the harshness that can occur during changes in torque demand.

The 17 month project has several aims; to position the consortium positively to further explore the possibility of scaling up and building a manufacturing facility in the UK, with the ultimate goal of producing the T.27 in this country; keeping the new technology and IPR within the UK and making this affordable, fun and environmentally friendly car widely available on the open market. The project outcomes will help justify the required follow-on commercial investment to take the vehicle into manufacture by providing a body of evidence that the concept is a viable design for production.

KERS[link]

Zytek’s extensive experience in the design, development and integration of road going pure electric and hybrid systems provided the platform for the high performance Zytek F1 KERS system in the 2009 season.^[5] Derivatives of this product are now being supplied to several other high profile formulae.

Zytek Engineering[link]

Zytek Motorsport is the brand name used for the Zytek Groups motorsport product range and applications.

In 1987, Zytek bought the British Alan Smith Racing outfit in order to expand its motorsports involvement. The team initially supported the Jordan Grand Prix team in Formula 3000 before the team eventually chose to concentrate on engine development. Zytek would return to running a motorsports team in 2004 when the company entered the Le Mans Endurance Series with their first sports car, the Zytek 04S, which was able to finish second in the team championship in 2005 due to two overall victories. Zytek Engineering continues to campaign in the Le Mans Series as well as in the American Le Mans Series and 24 Hours of Le Mans.

Engine Technology[link]

Expanding from their development of electronic management systems, Zytek created an engine development division in the early 1990s. From experienced gained in running a Formula 3000 team, Zytek was chosen by Judd to further develop and maintain the KV V8s they had initially built for use in the series. This program would eventually lead to Zytek being chosen as the sole engine supplier for the series from 1996 until 2004, although the engines would continue to be used in later Formula 3000-based series. Zytek built 90 units of the KVF3000 V8.

In late 2000, Panoz Motor Sports and Élan Motorsport Technologies worked together on the development of the new V8 motor for the Panoz LMP07 Le Mans Prototype. Although this project did not last long due to difficulties with the LMP07, Zytek continued developing a V8 prototype engine of their own for the DBA4 03S prototype. This engine later formed the basis for the eventual Zytek 04S prototype. The engine, based on the Formula 3000 units, was developed into 4.5-Litre 4.0-Litre and 3.4-Litre variants. Although these engines were used exclusively in the 04S, some engines were also sold to customers.

A further development of these engines was announced in 2005, when Zytek was once again chosen as the sole engine supplier for a new series, A1 Grand Prix. Although larger than the initial F3000 engines, the A1GP engines are based on the same architecture. A boost option was also included, allowing for 50 extra horsepower for a small duration of time. In 2008 Ferrari replaced Zytek as the sole engine supplier in A1GP. Zytek continued to power Euroseries 3000 until 2009 when it was replaced by Auto GP, which also utilises Zytek power in the form of the ZA348 3.4-Litre engine.

Vehicle Technology[link]

09SB as campaigned by customer team Quifel-ASM

In 2002, Zytek bought some of the remains of the defunct Reynard Motorsport from International Racing Management (IRM). These assets included the rights to the Reynard 02S Le Mans Prototype, of which only one had been completed since the company's demise. Zytek already supplied an engine to the existing chassis, and would therefore built further copies under the name Zytek 04S, offering both the chassis and engine as a complete package.

Due to changes in the prototype regulations in 2006, Zytek upgraded one of their existing 04S chassis while building a third all-new car, named the 06S. Further regulation changes in 2007 required the team to build an entirely new car, the Zytek-07s, which campaigned in both the LMP1 and LMP2 classes of the Le Mans Series.

Zytek's 09S proved an immediate success in 2009, taking the LMP2 Le Mans Series Team Championship with Quifel-ASM and the Driver's Championship with Miguel Amaral and Olivier Pla.

Hybrid Technology[link]

Q10[link]

In 2009 Zytek Engineering became the first manufacturer to score a podium with a hybrid LMP. The car, run by Corsa Motorsports, finished on the podium on its debut at Lime Rock.

The Zytek Q10 Hybrid is a non-invasive parallel hybrid system, consisting of a motor-generator, battery and inverter. Its purpose is to recover energy normally wasted during deceleration and subsequently use this energy to assist the internal combustion engine during acceleration.

While assisting, the motor-generator can be used to provide supplementary power or to reduce the power required from the internal combustion engine, in order to save fuel. It is important to note that the hybrid system itself doesn’t necessarily save fuel, it is by reducing the power output of the internal combustion engine that fuel is saved. The hybrid system can then be used to correct the deficit, facilitating the same power output while using less fuel.

ZPH[link]

ZPH will use the lessons learnt during the Q10 Sportscar project but will use bespoke motor racing parts in contrast to the heavily road-based Q10 system. This will enable the new generation hybrid to be considerably more efficient, with double the power density of the Q10 system.

Once the system has been developed and proven it will then be offered as a “bolt-on” system which can be fitted to a wide variety of motorsport platforms. The system will be ideally suited for one-make formulas, GT and Touring Car championships, or any other series or manufacturer looking to utilise hybrid power in a cost-effective manner. ZPH will weigh c.50 kg and produce c.40 kW of power.

See also[link]

• Gordon Murray

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Zytek racing cars

• Zytek Group Limited
• Zytek Automotive
• Zytek Engineering

v t e Automotive industry in the United Kingdom Manufacturing in the United Kingdom Economy of the United Kingdom Companies and marques Commercial vehicle producers Alexander Dennis Plaxton Dennis Eagle Ford of Britain Southampton Body & Assembly GM Manufacturing Luton JCB Leyland Trucks London Taxis International Optare Smith Electric Vehicles Stevens Vehicles Wrightbus Motorsport Arena Motorsport Carlin Caterham F1 Chevron Cars Cosworth Engine Developments Ltd. Force India Ford World Rally Team Fortec Hewland Ilmor Engineering Lister Cars Lola Cars Lotus F1 Marussia F1 McLaren Mercedes AMG High Performance Powertrains Mercedes GP M-Sport Munchi's Ford World Rally Team Prodrive Red Bull Racing Ricardo RML Group Team Dynamics Triple Eight Race Engineering Van Diemen Williams F1 Wirth Research Xtrac Zytek Motorsport Passenger car producers Ariel Ascari Aston Martin Bentley Crewe plant Briggs Bristol Caparo Caterham Defunct producers Electric Car Corporation Fenix Ford of Britain Bridgend Engine Dagenham plant Dunton Technical Centre Ginetta Honda UK Jaguar Land Rover Jaguar Land Rover Daimler Castle Bromwich plant Gaydon Centre Halewood plant Solihull plant Whitley Engineering Centre Lagonda Lightning Lotus McLaren MG Longbridge plant Mini Plant Oxford Morgan Nissan UK Noble Rolls-Royce Goodwood plant Spyker Toyota UK TVR Vauxhall Ellesmere Port Westfield Kit cars Caterham GKD GTM JBA Motors Marc Nordon Racing Onyx Quantum Sylva Ultima Sports Westfield Retail and services The AA Autoglass Auto Windscreens Halfords Inchcape Kwik-Fit Lex Vehicle Leasing Lookers Pendragon RAC Suppliers and consultancies Caparo Vehicle Technologies Cosworth Cummins UK GKN Johnson Matthey Lotus Engineering MIRA Perkins Engines Pilkington Quaife Ricardo Tata Steel Europe Tomkins Transport Research Laboratory Unipart WMG Zytek Government and regulatory bodies Department for Transport Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency Driving Standards Agency Vehicle Certification Agency Vehicle and Operator Services Agency Other Automobile designers Automobile magazines Autocar Auto Express Car Magazine Evo Top Gear What Car? IAM Motorcycle manufacturers Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders Top Gear Category

Olivier Pla
Pla at the 2011 24 Hours of Le Mans driver parade
Nationality	French
Born	(1981-10-22) October 22, 1981 (age 30) Toulouse (France)
2012 Le Mans Series (LMP2)
Debut season	2008
Current team	Quifel ASM Team
Starts	10
Wins	2
Poles	3
Fastest laps	5
Best finish	1st in 2009
Previous series
2007 2005–07 2004 2003 2001–02 2000	Porsche Cup Germany GP2 Series World Series by Nissan Formula Three Euroseries French Formula Three Formula Campus

Olivier Pla (born October 22, 1981 in Toulouse) is a race-car driver from France.

Career[link]

French Formula Campus & Formula Three[link]

Pla's career started in 2000 in French Formula Campus before moving on to French Formula Three Championship in 2001 with the Saulnier Racing team. He finished eighth in the series standings, taking nine points-scoring positions in eleven races, including a podium in the penultimate race of the season at Magny-Cours.^[1]

In 2002, Pla stayed in the series but switched to the ASM team. He finished third, behind Renaud Derlot and Tristan Gommendy, taking nine podium places from fourteen races, including wins at Croix-en-Ternois and Bugatti Circuit.^[2]

In 2003, Pla joined the Formula Three Euroseries with ASM. He finished third, behind Christian Klien and Ryan Briscoe, taking nine podium places from twenty races.^[3]

World Series by Nissan[link]

2004 saw Pla leave the Euroseries, joining the World Series by Nissan. He contested two rounds with RC Motorsport before joining Carlin Motorsport to replace Michael Keohane. He finished ninth, taking thirteen points-scoring positions in eighteen races, including a win at Estoril.^[4]

GP2 Series[link]

In 2005 he raced in the inaugural GP2 Series season for David Price Racing. In the early part of the season he stalled on the grid several times - some blamed the GP2 cars for the high number of stallings, while others noticed that the same drivers seemed to be affected regularly. In another race he selected reverse instead of first gear and went backwards into his team-mate's car. However, he took advantage of the reverse grid system to finish eighth in Race One and thus take pole for Race Two twice (at Hockenheim and Silverstone), winning both those races to finish 11th in the championship. He remained with DPR for 2006, but was dropped mid-season after running out of sponsorship, after a difficult period which saw him score no points and injure his hand in Monaco.

In 2007, he competed in the German Porsche Carrera Cup. However, he was recalled to DPR in the latter stages of the GP2 season to replace the injured Christian Bakkerud. In 2008, he moved to sports car racing, driving a Lola Le Mans Prototype in the Le Mans Series and 24 Hours of Le Mans.

Racing record[link]

Career summary[link]

Complete GP2 Series results[link]

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)

24 Hours of Le Mans results[link]

Year	Class	No	Tyres	Car	Team	Co-Drivers	Laps	Pos.	Class Pos.
2008	LMP2	40	D	Lola B05/40 AER P07 2.0L Turbo I4	Quifel ASM Team	Miguel Amaral Guy Smith	325	20th	4th
2009	LMP2	40	D	Ginetta-Zytek GZ09S/2 Zytek ZG348 3.4L V8	Quifel ASM Team	Miguel Amaral Guy Smith	46	DNF	DNF
2010	LMP2	40	D	Ginetta-Zytek GZ09S/2 Zytek ZG348 3.4L V8	Quifel ASM Team	Miguel Amaral Warren Hughes	318	20th	7th
2011	LMP1	20	D	Zytek 09SC Zytek ZG348 3.4L V8	Quifel ASM Team	Miguel Amaral Warren Hughes	48	DNF	DNF

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Olivier Pla

• Official website
• Olivier Pla – career summary at DriverDB.com

Nigel Mansell Mansell at the 1991 United States Grand Prix Born (1953-08-08) 8 August 1953 (age 58) Upton-upon-Severn, United Kingdom Formula One World Championship career Nationality British Active years 1980–1992, 1994–1995 Teams Lotus, Williams, Ferrari, McLaren Races 191 (187 starts) Championships 1 (1992) Wins 31 Podiums 59 Career points 480 (482)[1] Pole positions 32 Fastest laps 30 First race 1980 Austrian Grand Prix First win 1985 European Grand Prix Last win 1994 Australian Grand Prix Last race 1995 Spanish Grand Prix 24 Hours of Le Mans career Participating years 2010 Teams Beechdean Mansell Best finish DNF

Nigel Mansell Debut season CART, 1993 Former teams Newman/Haas Racing Starts 31 Wins 5 Poles 11 Best finish 1st in 1993 Previous series 1982–1992; 1994 Formula One Championship titles 1993 CART IndyCar World Series champion, CART Rookie of the Year Awards 1993 Royal Automobile Club Gold Medal, ESPY for Best Driver

Nigel Ernest James Mansell, CBE (born 8 August 1953 in Upton-upon-Severn, Worcestershire, England) is a British racing driver who won both the Formula One World Championship (1992) and the CART Indy Car World Series (1993). Mansell was the reigning F1 champion when he moved over to CART, being the first person to win the CART title in his debut season, making him the only person to hold both titles simultaneously.

His career in Formula One spanned 15 seasons, with his final two full seasons of top-level racing being spent in the CART series. Mansell remains the most successful British Formula One driver of all time in terms of race wins with 31 victories, and is fourth overall on the Formula One race winners list behind Michael Schumacher, Alain Prost and Ayrton Senna. He held the record for the most number of poles set in a single season, which was broken in 2011 by Sebastian Vettel. He was rated in the top 10 Formula One drivers of all time by longtime Formula One commentator Murray Walker.^[2] In 2008, American sports television network ESPN ranked him 24th on their top drivers of all-time.^[3] He was also ranked #9 of the 50 greatest F1 drivers of all time by the Times Online on a list that also included such drivers as Alain Prost, Ayrton Senna, Jackie Stewart and Jim Clark.^[4]

Mansell raced in the GP Masters series and signed a one-off race deal for the Scuderia Ecosse GT race team to drive their number 63 Ferrari F430 GT2 car at Silverstone on 6 May 2007. He has since competed in additional sports car races with his sons, Leo and Greg, including the 2010 24 Hours of Le Mans.

To date, he is the most recent inductee to the International Motorsports Hall of Fame from a country other than the US, having been inducted in 2005.

He is the current President of one of the UK's largest Youth Work Charities, UK Youth.^[5]. He is also President of the IAM (Institute of Advanced Motorists).

Career[link]

Born in Upton-upon-Severn, Worcestershire, Mansell spent 11 years of his early life as a Special Constable for the Isle of Man and latterly for Devon and Cornwall Constabulary.^[6] He had a fairly slow start to his racing career, using his own money to help work his way up the ranks. After considerable success in kart racing, he moved to the Formula Ford series to the disapproval of his father. In 1976, Mansell won 6 of the 9 races he took part in, including his debut event at Mallory Park. He entered 42 races the following year and won 33 to become the 1977 British Formula Ford champion, despite suffering a broken neck in a qualifying session at Brands Hatch. Doctors told him he had been perilously close to quadriplegia, that he would be confined for six months and would never drive again. Mansell discharged himself from the hospital and returned to racing. Three weeks before the accident he had resigned his job as an aerospace engineer, having previously sold most of his personal belongings to finance his foray into Formula Ford.^[7] Later that year he was given the chance to race a Lola T570 Formula 3 car at Silverstone. He finished fourth and decided that he was ready to move into the higher formula.^[8]

Mansell raced in Formula Three in 1978–1980. Mansell's first season in Formula Three started with a pole position and a 2nd place finish. However, the car was not competitive, as a commercial deal with Unipart required his team to use Triumph Dolomite engines that were vastly inferior to the Toyota engines used by the leading teams. After three 7th place finishes and a fourth in his last race, he parted from the team. The next season saw him take a paid drive with Dave Price Racing. Following a first win in the series at Silverstone in March, he went on to finish 8th in the championship.^[8] His racing was consistent, but a collision with Andrea de Cesaris resulted in a huge cartwheeling crash which he was lucky to survive. Again he was hospitalised, this time with broken vertebrae. His driving was noticed by Colin Chapman, owner of Lotus, and shortly after his accident, hiding the extent of his injury with painkillers, Mansell performed well enough in a tryout with Lotus to become a test driver for the Formula One team.

Formula One[link]

1980–1984: Lotus[link]

Mansell's skill as a test driver, including setting the fastest lap around Silverstone in a Lotus car at the time, impressed Chapman enough to give him a trio of starts in F1 in 1980, driving a development version of the Lotus 81 used by the team, the Lotus 81B. In his Formula One debut at the 1980 Austrian Grand Prix, a fuel leak in the cockpit that developed shortly before the start of the race left him with painful first and second degree burns on his buttocks. An engine failure forced him to retire from that race and his second, however an accident at his third event at Imola meant he failed to qualify. Team leader Mario Andretti wrote his car off before the final race of the season and Mansell had to give up his car for Andretti to compete in. Andretti announced he was leaving to move to Alfa Romeo at the end of the season leaving Lotus with a vacant race seat.

Despite Mansell being unpopular with sponsor David Thieme of Essex Petroleum, and much speculation in the press that Jean-Pierre Jarier would fill the vacancy, Chapman announced at the start of the season the seat would be filled by Mansell.

Mansell's four years as a full-time Lotus driver were a struggle, as the cars were unreliable. Out of 59 race starts with the team, he finished just 24 of them. He managed a best finish of third place, which he achieved five times during the four years, including Lotus's fifth race of the 1981 season, and only the seventh of Mansell's Formula One career. Team mate Elio de Angelis took a surprise win at the 1982 Austrian Grand Prix, and was frequently faster than his less experienced colleague Mansell.

Mansell's Lotus 91 from 1982 being exhibited in March 2007.

During the 1982 season, Mansell planned to race in the 24 Hours of Le Mans sportscar event in order to earn extra money. At the time Mansell was paid £50,000 a year and was offered £10,000 to take part in Le Mans. Chapman believed that by entering the Le Mans race, Mansell was exposing himself to unnecessary risk and paid him £10,000 to not take part in the race. Chapman extended Mansell's contract to the end of the 1984 season in a deal that made him a millionaire.^[9]

As a result of the gestures such as the above, Mansell became very close to Chapman and was devastated by his sudden death in 1982. In his autobiography Mansell stated that when Chapman died, "the bottom dropped out of my world. Part of me died with him. I had lost a member of my family". Following Chapman's death relationships at Lotus became strained, as replacement team principal Peter Warr did not have a high regard for him as a driver. This was demonstrated by the fact that Mansell's teammate Elio de Angelis had exclusive use of a Renault turbo-charged 93T for the whole season, and Mansell did not get to drive a turbocharged car until the 9th round, the British Grand Prix at Silverstone, a race where he climbed from 16th to 2nd and eventually finished 4th in a brand-new, hastily designed 94T. Warr was not keen on honouring the last year of the contract that Mansell had signed with Chapman. However, with encouragement from Lotus's sponsors, John Player Special (who allegedly preferred a British driver), it was announced Mansell would be staying with the team.

Mansell set his first pole position in a Lotus 95T at the 1984 Dallas Grand Prix.

In 1984, Mansell finished in the championship top 10 for the first time, and took his first career pole position. At the 1984 Monaco Grand Prix Mansell surprised many by overtaking Alain Prost in a wet race for the lead, but soon after retired from the race after losing control on the slippery painted lines on the road surface on the run up the hill on lap 15. Late in the season, Lotus announced the recruitment of Ayrton Senna for the following year, leaving Mansell with no race seat at Lotus. After receiving offers from Arrows and Williams, and firstly turning down Williams's offer, it was announced before the Dutch Grand Prix that he would indeed be joining Williams.

Mansell was remembered by many that year when he collapsed while pushing his car to the finish line after the transmission failed on the last lap of the 1984 Dallas Grand Prix. The race was one of the hottest on record, and after 2 hours of driving in 104°F (about 40°C) conditions Mansell fainted while pushing his car over the line to salvage a sixth place finish (and thus 1 championship point) in a race of which he had led half, having started from pole.^[10]

In his autobiography, Mansell claimed that his final race with the Lotus team—the 1984 Portuguese Grand Prix—was heavily compromised by Warr's unwillingness to give Mansell the brake pads he desired for the race. With 18 laps of the race remaining, and with Mansell in second position, the brakes on his car failed. On Mansell's departure, Warr was quoted "He'll never win a Grand Prix as long as I have a hole in my arse".^[11]

1985–1988: Williams[link]

Mansell at the 1985 German Grand Prix.

In 1985 Frank Williams hired Mansell to drive alongside Keke Rosberg as part of the Williams team, Mansell later saying "Keke was probably one of the best team-mates I've had in my career".^{[citation needed]} Mansell was given the now famous "Red 5" number on his car, which he carried on subsequent Williams and Newman/Haas cars and which was brought to the public's attention mainly through commentator Murray Walker and his enthusiastic commentary for the BBC.

1985 initially appeared to provide more of the same for Mansell, although he was closer to the pace than before, especially as the Honda engines became more competitive by mid-season.

Mansell achieved second place at the Belgian Grand Prix at Spa-Francorchamps, and followed this with his first victory in 72 starts at the European Grand Prix at Brands Hatch in England. He achieved a second straight victory at the South African Grand Prix in Kyalami. These triumphs helped turn Mansell into a Formula One star.

Going into 1986, the Williams-Honda team had a car capable of winning regularly, and Mansell had established himself as a potential World Championship contender. He also had a new team-mate in twice World Champion Nelson Piquet. The Brazilian publicly described Mansell as "an uneducated blockhead" and had also criticised his wife, Roseanne.^{[citation needed]} Unperturbed by Piquet's mind games, Mansell went on to record five Grand Prix wins in 1986 and also played part in one of the closest finishes in Formula One history, finishing second to Ayrton Senna in the Spanish Grand Prix at Jerez by a mere 0.014 seconds. The 1986 season went right down-to-the-wire in Adelaide, Australia for the Australian Grand Prix with Prost, Piquet and Mansell all still in contention for the title. After aiming for a third place finish which would guarantee him the title, Mansell would narrowly miss out on winning it after his left-rear tyre exploded in spectacular fashion on the main straight with only 19 laps of the race to go^[12] . In a 2012 interview for Sky Sports Legends of F1^[13] Mansell revealed that, had he hit the wall rather than bringing the car safely to a halt, the stewards would have red flagged the race. As the race was over two thirds distance, he would have kept his position and won his first F1 world title. Instead Mansell ended the season as runner-up to Alain Prost. His efforts in 1986 led to his being voted the BBC Sports Personality of the Year.

Six more wins followed in 1987, including an emotional and hugely popular victory at Silverstone in which he came back from 28 seconds behind in 30 laps to beat team-mate Piquet, with his car running out of fuel on the slowing down lap. However, at the Italian Grand Prix he missed a gear and let Piquet, who was using an active suspension car, through to win. A heavy qualifying accident at Suzuka in Japan for the penultimate race of the season severely injured Mansell's back (a spinal concussion), and as a result of Mansell absent from the remaining two races, Piquet became champion for the third time even though he failed to score any points in these two remaining races.

Mansell driving for Williams at the 1988 Canadian Grand Prix.

In 1988, Williams lost the turbo power of Honda to McLaren, and had to settle with a naturally aspirated Judd engine. A dismal season followed, which saw Mansell's Williams team experiment with a terribly unreliable (but extremely innovative) active suspension system. Mansell would complete only two of the fourteen races in which he appeared in 1988, both being podium finishes. Ironically, one of these was a second place at the British Grand Prix at Silverstone where the team had reverted to a passive suspension set-up.

Mansell developed chickenpox in the summer of 1988 and after a competitive (but ill-advised) drive in the very hot conditions of the 1988 Hungarian Grand Prix the illness became even worse, forcing him to miss the next two Grands Prix.

1989–1990: Ferrari[link]

In preparation for the 1989 season, Mansell became the last Ferrari driver to be personally selected by Enzo Ferrari before his death in August 1988, an honour Mansell described as "one of the greatest in my entire career". Enzo Ferrari presented a 1989 Ferrari F40 as a gift to Mansell.^[14] In Italy he became known as "il leone" ("the lion") by the tifosi (Ferrari fans) because of his fearless driving style. The season was one of change in the sport, with the banning of turbo engines by the FIA and the introduction of the electronic gearbox by Ferrari.

Mansell believed that 1989 would be a development year and that he would be able to challenge for the championship the following season. In his first appearance with the team he scored a very unlikely win in the Brazilian Grand Prix at Jacarepaguá, Rio de Janeiro; his least favourite track and the home race of his bitter rival Piquet. He later joked^{[citation needed]} that he had booked an early flight home for halfway through the race as he predicted the car's new electronic gearbox would last only a few laps. Mansell became the first driver to win a race in a car with a semi-automatic gearbox. He also remained the last man to win on his Ferrari debut until Kimi Räikkönen in the 2007 Australian Grand Prix.

Mansell in Ferrari overalls at the 1990 United States Grand Prix.

The rest of 1989 was characterised by gearbox and various other problems, including a disqualification at the Canadian Grand Prix and a black-flagged incident at the Portuguese Grand Prix for reversing in the pit-lane, which resulted in a ban for the next race in Spain. However, Mansell finished fourth in the Championship with the help of a memorable second win for Ferrari at the Hungarian Grand Prix, where, after concentrating on the race set-up of his car, he won after a fantastic late-race pass on Ayrton Senna having started 12th on the grid.

A tough 1990 followed with Ferrari, in which his car suffered more reliability problems, forcing him to retire from seven races. He was paired with Alain Prost, the reigning World Champion, who took over as the team's lead driver. Mansell recalls one incident where at the 1990 British Grand Prix, the car he drove didn't handle the same as in the previous race where he had taken pole position. On confronting the mechanics, it transpired that Prost saw Mansell as having a superior car and as a result, they were swapped without telling Mansell.^[15] After retiring from the race, he announced he was retiring from the sport altogether at the end of the season. Mansell scored only a single win, at the 1990 Portuguese Grand Prix and finished 5th in the world championship. His retirement plans were halted when Frank Williams again stepped in. Williams signed Mansell on 1 October 1990 after Mansell was ensured the contract stated that he would be the focus of the team, having experienced being the 'Number Two' driver at Ferrari. Mansell would be paid £4.6 million a season, a deal which made him the highest paid British sportsman at the time.^[16]

1991–1992: Return to Williams[link]

Mansell scored his first finish of 1991 with second place at the Monaco Grand Prix.

Mansell gives Ayrton Senna a lift back to the paddock on the Victory Lap of the 1991 British Grand Prix, at Silverstone. Mansell had won the race, while Senna had run out of fuel.

Mansell's return to Williams wasn't straightforward. He would agree to return only if a list of demands were met, including undisputed number one status, guarantees of support in a wide variety of areas with each guarantee in writing, and assurances from suppliers such as Renault and Elf that they would do everything necessary to help him win. Frank Williams said the demands were 'impossible', Mansell concluded that if that were the case he would be happy to retire.^{[citation needed]} Three weeks later the impossible had happened and Mansell was a Williams driver.

His second stint with Williams was even better than the first. Back in the familiar 'Red 5', he won five races in 1991, most memorably in the Spanish Grand Prix. In this race he went wheel to wheel with Ayrton Senna, with only centimetres to spare, at over 320 km/h (199 mph) on the main straight. Quite a different spectacle was offered following Mansell's victory in the British Grand Prix at Silverstone. Senna's car had stopped on the final lap, but, rather than leave his rival stranded out on the circuit, Mansell pulled over on his victory lap and allowed Senna to ride on the Williams sidepod back to the pits.

The Williams team's decision to develop their new semi-automatic gearbox by racing with it at the start of the season, was at the cost of points in the opening rounds of the championship. Senna was on 40 points by the time Mansell gained his first 6 in Monaco. Despite a good mid season, which included a hat-trick of victories, Senna's consistency (and Mansell's retirements at key races) meant that he finished second in the Championship once again, this time behind Senna.

1992 would be Mansell's finest season. He started the year with five straight victories (a record not equalled until Michael Schumacher in 2004). At the sixth round of the season in Monaco, he took pole and dominated much of the race. However, with seven laps remaining, Mansell suffered a loose wheel nut and was forced into the pits, emerging behind Ayrton Senna's McLaren-Honda. Mansell, on fresh tyres, set a lap record almost two seconds quicker than Senna's and closed from 5.2 to 1.9 seconds in only two laps. The pair duelled around Monaco for the final four laps but Mansell could find no way past, finishing just 0.2 seconds behind the Brazilian.^[17][18] Mansell became the most successful British driver of all time when he won the British Grand Prix at Silverstone, as he surpassed Jackie Stewart's record of 27 wins with his 28th. Mansell was crowned Formula One World Champion early in the season at the Hungarian Grand Prix, the eleventh round of that season, where his second place finish clinched the Drivers' Championship, securing the title in the least number of Grands Prix since the 16-race season format started. Mansell also set the then-record for the most number of wins in one season (9); both records stood until broken by Schumacher in 2002. He managed 14 pole positions that year, a record only broken by Sebastian Vettel in 2011 in the Brazilian Grand Prix on the 26th November.

Other Formula One records set in 1992 that he still holds are the highest percentage of pole positions in a season (88%), most wins from pole position in a season (9) most races before becoming World Champion (180 races) and most runner-up championship finishes before becoming World Champion (3).

He won the BBC Sports Personality of the Year award again in 1992, one of only three people to have won the award twice.

CART IndyCar World Series[link]

Nigel Mansell driving in the 1993 CART IndyCar World Series

Despite being world champion, Mansell had a public disagreement with Williams. In his autobiography Mansell writes that this was because of a deal made at the previous Hungarian Grand Prix, which Williams reneged on, and the prospect of Frenchman Alain Prost joining the Renault-powered team.

Williams had neglected to tell Mansell that Prost had signed for 1993 at only the second race of the 1992 season in Mexico, a position that Mansell felt would be similar to their days together at Ferrari. To boot, Williams had Senna offering to drive the second car for free (although Senna found later he couldn't because of Prost's clause in his contract allowing him to veto the move) and decided that there was little sense in paying the high fees Mansell went on to demand. With the original offer revoked, Mansell with no teams near the competitiveness of Williams decided that enough was enough. An eleventh hour offer was made to him at the Italian Grand Prix, but by then the damage was done; Mansell retired from F1.

Mansell consequently left to join the Newman/Haas CART team in 1993. He took over the seat of Michael Andretti, who coincidentally had left CART to race in Formula One for McLaren. At the season opener at Surfers Paradise, Australia, he became the first "rookie" to take pole position and win his first race. A few weeks later however, he suffered a substantial crash at the Phoenix International Raceway, severely injuring his back. At the 1993 Indianapolis 500, Mansell would lead the race only to finish third after losing the lead to Emerson Fittipaldi and Arie Luyendyk after a poor re-start. On his 40th birthday, however, Mansell would avenge his loss at Indianapolis to score a 500-mile race victory at Michigan, considered by many a tougher 500 mile race to win. He would go on to score five wins for the 1993 CART season, which, with more high-placed finishes, was good enough to earn him the championship. This enabled Mansell to become the only driver in history to hold both the Formula One and CART championships at the same time, because when he won the 1993 CART championship he was still the reigning F1 world champion, with the 1993 F1 championship not yet having been decided.

Following this successful season in CART, Mansell received several awards, including a Gold Medal from the Royal Automobile Club and the 1993 ESPY Award for Best Driver.

His Newman/Haas car was much less reliable the following year, 1994, and results suffered. It was during this season that Mansell "wore out his welcome" in the United States with glimpses of rude behaviour, particularly after he was knocked out of the Indianapolis 500. After the crash, he stormed out of the track hospital, and refused medical care. When a reporter asked Mansell if he had spoken with Dennis Vitolo, the driver who had crashed into him, Mansell replied, "you speak to him." and shoved the camera away. Subsequently, Mansell was due to sign autographs at a K-mart (the primary sponsor of his car), but because of a lack of demand the event was cancelled. Mansell was also the catalyst for the breakdown in the relationship between himself and Mario Andretti. Mario has since remarked "I guess if Ronnie Peterson was the best team-mate I ever had, Nigel Mansell was the worst" and "I had a lot of respect for him as a driver, but not as a man".^[19]

Return to Formula One[link]

In 1994 Mansell made a Formula One comeback. After the untimely death of Ayrton Senna, he returned to Formula One with Williams, replacing young rookie David Coulthard for the French Grand Prix and the last three races of the season. Mansell was paid approximately £900,000 per race, compared to Williams's lead driver at the time, Damon Hill being paid £300,000 for the entire season.^[20] Mansell's return was helped by Bernie Ecclestone helping unravel his contracts in the United States. It was important for F1 to have a world champion driving that season, and with worldwide TV viewing figures starting to decline, they needed Mansell. The 40-year-old wasn't as quick as Damon Hill in race trim but signs that his speeds were coming back were evident in Japan during a fantastic battle with the Ferrari of Jean Alesi. Mansell took his final Grand Prix victory in Adelaide, which was the final race of the season, having out-qualified the two title contenders at the time, Damon Hill and Michael Schumacher, in the process. The plan initially was for Mansell to protect Hill from Schumacher, but both drivers passed him at the start and eventually collided (causing the retirement of both), handing Schumacher his 1st world title.

Williams had an option on Mansell's services for 1995 which Mansell was convinced they would take. Williams however, opted for youth over experience and hired Coulthard.

1995: McLaren[link]

Mansell was quick again and on the back of winning two titles, he was still hot property. After losing the Williams seat to David Coulthard, Mansell signed to drive for McLaren in 1995.

It was well documented that Mansell and Ron Dennis never saw eye to eye but with McLaren's sponsors wanting a world champion, Dennis had only two options: the second option, Schumacher, was already taken, which left Mansell. Media speculated from the start that they wouldn't last together because of their two contrasting personalities.

The season started dismally; Mansell couldn't fit into the car and wasn't able to race until Imola, where he ran in the midfield, a good way off the pace of his team-mate Mika Häkkinen. The Spanish Grand Prix saw a similar outcome but, outpaced and frustrated with his car's handling characteristics, he chose to retire after just two races with the team. Mansell cited the decision to retire as his not wanting to make up the numbers and with no hope of the MP4/10 being competitive.

A few testing sessions with F1 teams including Jordan suggested another comeback could be on the cards, but it never happened.

British Touring Car Championship[link]

Mansell took part in the 1993 TOCA Shootout, held at Donington Park. Mansell drove a Ford Mondeo with his usual red number 5. The race ended in disaster for Mansell; he was knocked unconscious following a crash. He lost control of his car through the exit of the Old Hairpin, over-corrected the slide and collided with Tiff Needell's Nissan, resulting in a spin and a heavy impact with the tyre wall under the bridge.^[21]

Mansell made a return to racing in 1998 in the British Touring Car Championship, driving in a Ford Mondeo for three rounds. With the number 5 already taken by James Thompson, Mansell raced with the red number 55.^[22][23]

At his first event at Donington Park, he retired 3 laps into the sprint race, meaning he would start the feature race in 19th position on the grid. As the conditions changed and the track got wetter, Mansell found himself leading the race for several laps, and he finished in 5th position.^[24] The race was regarded by many fans as one of the greatest in touring car history.^[25]

It was to be his best finish in the series, as he failed to finish either race at the next round he participated in at Brands Hatch, and at his final race at Silverstone he finished in 14th and 11th place.^[26][27] Having competed in 3 of the 13 rounds, he finished 18th out of 21 in the drivers' championship.^[28]

Subsequent appearances[link]

Mansell demonstrated a Jordan EJ14 in the streets of London before the 2004 British Grand Prix.

On July 16, 2005, Mansell took part in a Race of Legends exhibition event at the Norisring round of the DTM.^[29] He competed against Jody Scheckter, Alain Prost, Mick Doohan, Emerson Fittipaldi and Johnny Cecotto, each driver having an opportunity to drive Audi, Mercedes and Opel cars. Prost was announced as the winner by the DTM organisers.^[30]

Mansell became a financial stakeholder and a driver in the new Grand Prix Masters series. Following a period of testing and developing the car, Mansell made a successful race comeback by winning the inaugural race of the series in Kyalami in November 2005.^[31] After the success of the race at Kyalami, four dates were scheduled for the GP Masters Series in 2006, including one at Silverstone. Mansell won the season opener at Qatar in April from pole position.^[32] The Monza round of the series was cancelled due to noise limitations at the venue, whilst technical issues quickly ruled him out of the Silverstone race.^[33]

Also in 2006 he appeared to Brands Hatch, scene of his first Grand Prix win, in May 2006, driving some demonstration laps in the BMW M3 GTR that Andy Priaulx drove to victory in the 2005 24 Hours Nürburgring, as part of the World Touring Car Championship event.

Mansell at the 2007 British Grand Prix. After retiring from Formula One, he shaved his distinctive trademark moustache.

On the weekend of May 6, 2007 he made an appearance in the second round of the FIA GT Championship at Silverstone driving a Ferrari 430 GT2 for the Scuderia Ecosse team.^[34] He was paired with Chris Niarchos, finishing 7th in class and 21st overall.^[35]

Mansell, with his son Leo, tested a Chamberlain-Synergy team Le Mans prototype Lola-AER B06/10 during the week commencing 14 July 2008, at the Estoril circuit. The pair were said to be considering a drive in the American Le Mans series, possibly commencing as soon as October 2008 in the Petit Le Mans event,^[36][37] although neither driver was in the final field.

On July 3, 2009, Mansell tested his other son Greg's World Series by Renault car at the Silverstone Circuit, setting a best time six seconds off the pace of the fastest driver in the session.^[38]

Mansell took part in the last round of the 2009 Le Mans Series, the 1000 km of Silverstone, driving Team LNT's Ginetta-Zytek GZ09 alongside his son Greg and team boss Lawrence Tomlinson.^[39]

Mansell raced a Ginetta-Zytek Z09R in the 2010 24 Hours of Le Mans, alongside his two sons.^[40] According to the BBC, this was the first time a father has raced at Le Mans in the same car as his two sons. However, in the race he crashed out after only five laps, following a puncture.^[41]

For the 2010 Formula One season, the Sporting Regulations were changed so that a former driver sits on the stewards' panel. Mansell took this role at both the 2010 and 2011 British Grand Prix.

Endorsements[link]

On October 1, 2009 Nigel appeared as the 'Face of Euronics'.^[42]

In 2010, Nigel paired with Iranian-British comic Omid Djalili in an UK television advertising campaign for price comparison website Moneysupermarket.com and at the end of the first ad, Djalili put a fake moustache on Mansell's upper lip.

Video games[link]

There were two video games endorsed by Mansell: Nigel Mansell's Grand Prix (1988, Martech) and Nigel Mansell's World Championship (1993, Gremlin Graphics).

Personal life[link]

Mansell currently lives in Jersey, Channel Islands. Mansell lived in Port Erin on the Isle of Man during most of his F1 career until 1995.^[43]

Helmet[link]

Mansell raced with a Blue helmet with 2 red and white arrows on each side forming on the frontview a drawing resembling the Union Flag with the upper angles of the arrows united by a red and white U, with the white chin area, when he entered to Williams, it was added a blue ring on the white part of the helmet. His sons Leo and Greg inherited his helmet design, but Leo's helmet has the red chin area and the white part that envelopes the visor (not counting the top) is red with white outline, while Greg's helmet has the blue chin area and the white area that envelopes the visor is blue with white outline.

Awards[link]

Mansell was awarded the title of BBC Sports Personality of the Year in both 1986 and 1992.^[44][45] Only two other people have won the award twice, one of which being fellow racing driver and former F1 World Champion Damon Hill. Mansell was inducted into the International Motorsports Hall of Fame in 2005.^[46]

Already Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE), Mansell was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the 2012 New Year Honours for services to children and young people (as president of UK Youth).^[47][48]

Racing career results[link]

Complete European Formula Two Championship results[link]

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in italics indicate fastest lap)

Formula One World Championship results[link]

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position, races in italics indicate fastest lap)

American Open-Wheel racing results[link]

CART[link]

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position)

Complete British Touring Car Championship results[link]

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position - 1 point awarded all races) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap) (* signifies that driver lead feature race for at least one lap - 1 point given)

Complete Grand Prix Masters results[link]

(key)

Complete 24 Hours of Le Mans results[link]

Year	Class	No	Tyres	Car	Team	Co-Drivers	Laps	Pos.	Class Pos.
2010	LMP1	5	D	Ginetta-Zytek GZ09S Zytek ZJ458 4.5 L V8	Beechdean Mansell	Greg Mansell Leo Mansell	4	DNF	DNF

Notes[link]

References[link]

• Hamilton, Maurice Frank Williams Macmillan ISBN 0-333-71716-3
• Mansell, Nigel My Autobiography Collins Willow ISBN 0-00-218497-4
• BTCC Pages
• Crash.net

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Nigel Mansell

• Nigel Mansell official website
• Nigel Mansell official Twitter account
• Profile – by FIA GT Championship official website
• King Nigel Mansell – Unofficial site
• Biography of Nigel Mansell
• BBC Sport – News of Return in Grand Prix Masters
• Grand Prix Masters
• Nigel Mansell statistics
• Nigel Mansell Videos
• Grand Prix History – Hall of Fame, Nigel Mansell
• Nigel Mansell Lotus 87