Spirit 201C
Spirit 201C Honda |
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Constructor: | Spirit | ||||||||
Designer: | Gordon Coppuck | ||||||||
Successor: | Spirit 101B | ||||||||
Technical specifications | |||||||||
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Chassis: | Monocoque | ||||||||
Engine: | Honda 163E | ||||||||
Wheelbase: | 2654 mm | ||||||||
Weight: | 580 kg | ||||||||
Tires: | Goodyear | ||||||||
Petrol: | Shell | ||||||||
statistics | |||||||||
Driver: | Stefan Johansson | ||||||||
First start: | Great Britain Grand Prix 1983 | ||||||||
Last start: | 1983 European Grand Prix | ||||||||
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World Cup points: | - | ||||||||
Podiums: | - | ||||||||
Leadership laps: | - | ||||||||
Status: end of season 1983 |
The Spirit 201C was a racing car of the British motorsport team Spirit Racing , which took part in the 1983 Formula 1 World Championship . With this vehicle, Honda returned to Formula 1 after a fifteen-year break as an engine manufacturer.
background
Spirit Racing was founded in 1981 by John Wickham, former manager of the Formula 2 works team at March Engineering , and former McLaren designer Gordon Coppuck. The team, which initially competed in the Formula 2 European Championship from 1982 , had close relationships with Honda from the start. Spirit used the same factory facilities in Slough , UK , where Honda had previously housed its own factory team for the motorcycle world championship. In addition, Honda supplied the Spirits Formula 2 team with the coveted six-cylinder engines with which Geoff Lees had become the superior Formula 2 champion last year . From 1982 Honda used the Spirit cars as a test vehicle for its own turbo engines, with which the company wanted to compete in Formula 1 in the coming season. In the motorsport literature it is therefore assumed that Honda financially and organizationally supported the founding of the Spirit team with the intention of using this racing team to prepare for their own Formula 1 entry.
Spirit entered Formula 1 in 1983 with the Honda engine. The debut took place at the Race of Champions 1983 at Brands Hatch , the last Formula 1 race so far without world championship status . Spirit drove here with the model Spirit 201/4 , a modified Formula 2 chassis. Spirit then reported the further developed 201C for its first world championship run. Over the course of the season, observers had the impression that Spirits and Honda's commitment this year was a mere test run. In the summer of 1983, Honda signed a long-term contract with the top team Williams F1 . Spirit's hope of being able to continue using Honda engines as a junior team at the same time was not fulfilled, as Frank Williams insisted on an exclusive delivery. Spirit then lost the Honda engine for 1984, but received financial support from Honda the following year. The team was still involved in Formula 1 with Hart engines until spring 1985 . At that time, Spirit was considered the smallest and financially weakest team in Formula 1.
construction
The Spirit 201C was based on the model 201 that Gordon Coppuck had designed in 1982 for participation in the Formula 2 European Championship. The chassis, the suspension and the body of the front end corresponded to the 201 from 1982, but the 201C was significantly lighter than the base model and also lighter than the 201/4, which was only used once. The curb weight was given as 580 kg; so the 201C was still the heaviest car in the field. A noticeable feature was a large, three-part rear wing, which in the first version was attached to the side pods in front of the rear wheels.
The 201C used a Honda RA163-E six cylinder engine. The design was based on the Formula 2 engine RA263 from 1980. The engine was equipped with two turbochargers from KKK and had intake manifold injection developed by Honda . The performance was specified at the factory as "more than 600 hp". The five-speed gearbox was obtained from Hewland .
Races
The Spirit 201C made its debut in July 1983 at the British Grand Prix . The team only showed up with one vehicle that was reported for Stefan Johansson . In qualifying Johansson qualified for 14th place on the grid. He was slower than Keke Rosberg in the Williams FW08C , who still used a naturally aspirated Cosworth engine , but faster than any other naturally aspirated car and also faster than Nigel Mansell , who drove a Turbo-powered Lotus from Renault . In the race, Johansson dropped out on lap 15 after a fault in the fuel pump . In the following race at the Hockenheimring , in which Johansson started as 13th and penultimate turbo driver, an engine defect led to the premature failure. Spirit-Honda had the first finish at the team’s third race at the Österreichring , which Johansson finished in 12th place, five laps behind. Johansson finished seventh in the Netherlands . At the Italian Grand Prix , Johansson retired prematurely after an engine failure, while he finished the European Grand Prix two laps behind in 14th place. That was the last race for Spirit Honda.
The team no longer took part in the season finale in South Africa . There, the Honda engine first appeared in a Williams team chassis. Keke Rosberg finished fifth in the new Williams FW09, scoring her first world championship points for Honda after her comeback.
Results
driver | No. | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4th | 5 | 6th | 7th | 8th | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14th | 15th | 16 | 17th | 18th | 19th | 20th | 21st | 22nd | 23 | 24 | Points | rank |
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Formula 1 World Championship 1983 | 0 | - | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
S. Johansson | 40 | DNF | DNF | 12 | 7th | DNF | 14th |
Legend | ||
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colour | abbreviation | meaning |
gold | - | victory |
silver | - | 2nd place |
bronze | - | 3rd place |
green | - | Placement in the points |
blue | - | Classified outside the point ranks |
violet | DNF | Race not finished (did not finish) |
NC | not classified | |
red | DNQ | did not qualify |
DNPQ | failed in pre-qualification (did not pre-qualify) | |
black | DSQ | disqualified |
White | DNS | not at the start (did not start) |
WD | withdrawn | |
Light Blue | PO | only participated in the training (practiced only) |
TD | Friday test driver | |
without | DNP | did not participate in the training (did not practice) |
INJ | injured or sick | |
EX | excluded | |
DNA | did not arrive | |
C. | Race canceled | |
no participation in the World Cup | ||
other | P / bold | Pole position |
SR / italic | Fastest race lap | |
* | not at the finish, but counted due to the distance covered |
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() | Streak results | |
underlined | Leader in the overall standings |
literature
- Ian Bamsey: The 1000 bhp Grand Prix Cars , 1988 (GT Foulis & Co. Ltd), ISBN 978-0854296170 (English)
- Adriano Cimarosti: The century of racing , Motorbuch Verlag Stuttgart 1997, ISBN 3-613-01848-9
- David Hodges: A – Z of Grand Prix Cars 1906–2001 , 2001 (Crowood Press), ISBN 1-86126-339-2 (English)
- David Hodges: Racing Cars from A – Z after 1945 , Stuttgart 1993, ISBN 3-613-01477-7
- Pierre Ménard: La Grande Encyclopédie de la Formule 1 , 2nd edition, St. Sulpice, 2000, ISBN 2-940125-45-7 (French)
- Doug Nye: The Big Book of Formula 1 Racing Cars. The three-liter formula from 1966 . Publishing house Rudolf Müller, Cologne 1986, ISBN 3-481-29851-X .
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b Ian Bamsey: The 1000 bhp Grand Prix Cars , 1988 (GT Foulis & Co. Ltd.), ISBN 978-0854296170 , S. 110th
- ↑ Adriano Cimarosti: The century of racing , motor book publisher Stuttgart 1997, ISBN 3-613-01848-9 , S. 340th
- ↑ a b Adriano Cimarosti: The century of racing , motor book publisher Stuttgart 1997, ISBN 3-613-01848-9 , S. 336th
- ^ David Hodges: Racing cars from A – Z after 1945 , Stuttgart 1993, ISBN 3-613-01477-7 , p. 235.