Spirit 201C

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Spirit 201C

Spirit 201C Honda

Constructor: United KingdomUnited Kingdom Spirit
Designer: Gordon Coppuck
Successor: Spirit 101B
Technical specifications
Chassis: Monocoque
Engine: Honda 163E
Wheelbase: 2654 mm
Weight: 580 kg
Tires: Goodyear
Petrol: Shell
statistics
Driver: SwedenSweden Stefan Johansson
First start: Great Britain Grand Prix 1983
Last start: 1983 European Grand Prix
Starts Victories Poles SR
7th - - -
World Cup points: -
Podiums: -
Leadership laps: -
Status: end of season 1983
Template: Infobox racing car / maintenance / old parameters
Template: Infobox Formula 1 racing car / maintenance / front suspension
Template: Infobox Formula 1 racing car / maintenance / rear suspension

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

Honda turbo engine in the rear of the Spirit 201C

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
Formula 1 World Championship 1983 Flag of Brazil (1968–1992) .svg Flag of the United States.svg Flag of France.svg Flag of San Marino (1862–2011) .svg Flag of Monaco.svg Flag of Belgium (civil) .svg Flag of the US.svg Flag of Canada.svg Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Flag of Germany.svg Flag of Austria.svg Flag of the Netherlands.svg Flag of Italy.svg Flag of Europe.svg Flag of South Africa (1928–1994) .svg 0 -
SwedenSweden S. Johansson 40 DNF DNF 12 7th DNF 14th
Legend
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
() 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

Commons : Spirit 201C  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. a b Ian Bamsey: The 1000 bhp Grand Prix Cars , 1988 (GT Foulis & Co. Ltd.), ISBN 978-0854296170 , S. 110th
  2. Adriano Cimarosti: The century of racing , motor book publisher Stuttgart 1997, ISBN 3-613-01848-9 , S. 340th
  3. a b Adriano Cimarosti: The century of racing , motor book publisher Stuttgart 1997, ISBN 3-613-01848-9 , S. 336th
  4. ^ David Hodges: Racing cars from A – Z after 1945 , Stuttgart 1993, ISBN 3-613-01477-7 , p. 235.