Alba AR2

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The Alba AR2 was a Group C junior sports car that was developed by Alba Engineering in 1983 and was used in sports car races until 1995.

Development history and technology

Alba Engineering was founded in 1983 by Giorgio Stirano, who had worked for Osella for many years as a chassis engineer . In the same year he was commissioned by the wealthy Italian racing driver and industrialist Martino Finotto to develop and build two racing cars for the new Group C junior class of Group C. Finotto wanted to use the car in the sports car world championship together with his friend Carlo Facetti . Under the direction of Stirano, two monocoques made of carbon fiber reinforced plastic were created . The motor was developed in the company CARMA operated by Finotto and Facetti. The 1.8-liter 4-cylinder turbo engine developed 410 hp. Since the FIA only allowed registered engine manufacturers in the world championship, which CARMA was not, a contract was concluded with Giannini Automobili without further ado and the engine was named Giannini Carma FF in 1984.

Since the AR2 was significantly above the weight limit in 1984, the chassis were revised in early 1985. The vehicles received bodies made of synthetic resin reinforced with aramid and carbon fibers and new chassis parts made of titanium . The astonishingly stable engine was also improved and developed 338 kW (460 hp) in 1985. The cars were used by the Italian Jolly Club team, which was closely connected to Finotto.

Racing history

1983

After the Jolly Club AR2 was registered for the 1000 km race in Monza , but could not yet be used for technical reasons - Finotto and Facetti then drove the factory Osella PA9 together with Carlo Franchi in this race - there was it Racing debut at the Silverstone 1000km race . The first outing ended with a superior class win for Finotto and Facetti. The much faster Group C cars were missing more than 10 seconds per lap, but the car proved to be fast and stable. However, in the C-Junior class, in addition to the AR2, with the Mazda 717C from Yōjirō Terada and Peter Lovett and a Harrier RX83C, only two other racing cars were reported, the latter not even starting.

The race on the Nordschleife of the Nürburgring also ended with a clear class win. At the most important endurance race of the year, the Le Mans 24-hour race , there was no finish. After 158 laps - the third driver, alongside Finotto and Facetti, was the Swiss Marco Vanoli - cracked chassis parts were discovered during a pit stop and the racing car was taken out of the race.

After another retirement at the 1000 km race at Spa-Francorchamps , this time due to engine failure, Finotto and Facetti celebrated another superior class victory at the 1000 km race at Brands Hatch with tenth place overall. After another class victory at the 1000 km race at Fuji came at the 1000 km race at Imola and the now completed second chassis used. Fulvio Ballabio and Guido Daccò drove this car in Imola . Both cars failed; The Facetti / Finotto AR2 had an electrical defect, Ballabio and Daccò failed due to engine failure.

After Facetti, Finotto and Daccò retired at the 1000 km race in Mugello , a 12th place finish and another class win at the last race of the season, the 1000 km race in Kyalami , was enough to win the world championship in Group C Junior Class. The third driver alongside Facetti and Finotto in this race was the Italian Massimo Faraci .

1984

In 1984 the Jolly Club team consistently used both chassis in the sports car world championship , in which class C-Junior became class C2. In the first race of the year, the 1000 km race in Monza , Facetti and Finotto (chassis 002) had to face third class behind Jim Busby and Rick Knoop in a Lola T616 and Ray Mallock , Mike Wilds and David Duffield in an Ecosse C284 content, which at the same time corresponded to eleventh overall rank.

Although the competition in the small Group C-Class was much higher than in the previous year, the team, and with it the manufacturer Alba, again secured the world championship title. Outstanding results were achieved in the Mosport 1000 km race . Guido Daccò and Almo Coppelli finished the race third in the overall standings, behind the works Porsche owned by Jacky Ickx and Jochen Mass and another Porsche 956 driven by David Hobbs , Rupert Keegan and Franz Konrad . Carlo Facetti, Martino Finotto and Alfredo Sebastini finished the race in sixth place overall.

1985 to 1995

From 1985, the successor models AR3 , AR4 , AR5 and AR6 were used in international sports car races and the AR2's appearances became more sparse. Class wins could no longer be achieved with the racing car type. The best result in 1985 was the eighth place overall for Facetti, Finotto and Daccò in the 1000 km race in Mugello .

In late 1985, a third chassis was discovered which was given chassis number 004 and was sold to the United States. This car had multiple team owners and was largely unsuccessful in races in North America. The best place was Giampiero Moretti's second place in the 1986 IMSA Light race in Miami . An AR2 was last used in racing at the 3-hour race in Mosport in 1995 , where Guido Daccò finished 23rd overall with the Canadian Uli Bieri .

literature

  • Thomas Nehlert, Group C: The sports car races 1982–1992 , Verlag Petrolpics, Bonn 2011, ISBN 3-940306-14-2 .

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Thomas Nehlert, Group C: The sports car races 1982-1992, page 159
  2. ^ 1983 Silverstone 1000 km race
  3. ↑ Picture: Alba AR2 with start number 63 at the 1000 km race in Silverstone 1983
  4. ↑ 1000 km race on the Nürburgring 1983
  5. ↑ Retirement at the Le Mans 24-hour race in 1983
  6. ^ 1000 km race of Spa-Francorchamps 1983
  7. ↑ Brands Hatsch 1000 km race in 1983
  8. ^ Fuji 1000 km race in 1983
  9. ↑ 1000 km race of Imola 1983
  10. ↑ 1000km Kyalami Race 1983
  11. ^ Monza 1000 km race in 1984
  12. ^ Mugello 1000 km race in 1985
  13. ^ Miami Light Grand Prix 1986
  14. ^ 3 Hours of Mosport 1995