Prodrive's logo

Prodrive Ltd. is a motorsport and automotive engineering group based in Banbury, United Kingdom. It designs, constructs and races cars for companies and teams such as Subaru and Aston Martin. Its Automotive Technology division based in Warwick provides road car design and engineering consultation for various car manufacturers. Image File history File links Prodrive_logo. ... Image File history File links Prodrive_logo. ... Auto racing (also known as automobile racing or autosport) is a sport involving racing automobiles. ... Engineering is the design, analysis, and/or construction of works for practical purposes. ... The modern Castle Quay Shopping Centre in Banbury alongside the Oxford Canal, with Banbury Museum in the background Banbury is a market town on the River Cherwell in Oxfordshire, England. ... Karl Benzs Velo (vélo means bicycle in French) model (1894) - entered into the first automobile race 2005 MINI Cooper S. An automobile (also motor car or simply car) is a wheeled passenger vehicle that carries its own motor. ... For other uses, see Subaru (disambiguation). ... Aston Martin Lagonda Limited is a manufacturer of luxury performance cars, whose headquarters are at Gaydon, Warwickshire, England. ... Map sources for Warwick at grid reference SP2865 Warwick (pronounced ) is the historic county town of Warwickshire in England and has a population of 25,434 (2001 census). ...

Prodrive is perhaps best known for its involvement in the World Rally Championship with the Subaru World Rally Team. Stephane Sarrazin driving a Subaru Impreza WRC on the Monte Carlo Rally Carlos Sainz driving a Toyota Corolla WRC on the Monte Carlo Rally The World Rally Championship (WRC) is a rallying series organised by the FIA, culminating with a champion driver and manufacturer. ...

In addition to its British base, the group has activities in Germany, Detroit and California in the United States, Thailand, China and Australia. Motto: Speramus Meliora; Resurget Cineribus (We Hope For Better Things; It Shall Rise From the Ashes - this motto was adopted after the disastrous 1805 fire that devastated the city) Nickname: The Motor City and Motown Location in Wayne County, Michigan Founded Incorporated July 24, 1701 1815  County Wayne County Mayor... Official language(s) English Capital Sacramento Largest city Los Angeles Area  Ranked 3rd  - Total 158,302 sq mi (410,000 km²)  - Width 250 miles (400 km)  - Length 770 miles (1,240 km)  - % water 4. ...

History

Prodrive was founded in 1984 by Ian Parry and David Richards, who is now the chairman of the group. Their first involvement in motor racing was running rally teams for Porsche, MG and BMW, all of whom it had various successes with. In 1987 they expanded into touring cars, running BMW's M3, in the British Touring Car Championship. They were the outright 1988 champions, and class champions in 1989 and 1990. Since then, Prodrive has been almost continuously involved in touring cars, running campaigns for Alfa Romeo, Honda and Ford. David Richards CBE (born 3 June 1952) is the chairman of Prodrive and the former Team Principal of the BAR and Benetton Formula One auto racing teams. ... Dr. Ing. ... MG is a British marque that has produced sports cars since 1924, although none have been made since MG Rover went bankrupt in the spring of 2005. ... BMW AG (an initialism for Bayerische Motoren-Werke Aktiengesellschaft, or in English, Bavarian Motor Works; ISIN: DE0005190003), is an independent German company and manufacturer of automobiles and motorcycles. ... Horatio Nelson Jackson in his 2-seat Winton touring car, The Vermont, drives across America A touring car was a popular car body style in the early 20th century, being a larger alternative to the runabout. ... The BMW M3 is a sports version of the popular compact BMW 3-Series automobile, made by BMW Motorsport. ... The current BTCC logo The British Touring Car Championship is a series of races for saloon cars which is held each year in the United Kingdom and Ireland. ... During its history, Alfa Romeo has competed successfully in many different categories of motorsport, including Formula One, sportscar racing, touring car racing and rallies. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... It has been suggested that this article be split into articles entitled Ford Motor Company and Ford (vehicles). ...

In 1999, investment group Apax Partners bought 49% of the company. Apax Partners is a private equity and venture capital firm which operates in the United Kingdom, United States, Europe, and Israel. ...

In 2001, Prodrive entered sports car racing with its own privately-developed Ferrari 550 GTS Maranello, which competed in the FIA GT series and the GTS class of the American Le Mans Series. In 2003, the Prodrive team beat the rival Chevrolet Corvette C5R at the 24 Hours of Le Mans endurance race to take the GTS class win. The American Le Mans Series (ALMS) is a series of automobile races. ... The Chevrolet Corvette is the sports car that has been manufactured by Chevrolet since 1953. ... The 24 Hours of Le Mans (24 Heures du Mans) is the worlds most famous sports car endurance race, held annually at Circuit de la Sarthe near Le Mans, France, in the French Sarthe département. ...

In May 2001, Prodrive acquired Tickford, a British automotive engineering business based in Milton Keynes. With this business came joint venture operations with Engelhard in Detroit and Ford of Australia in Melbourne Australia. Tickford is a automobile tuning company most famous for the 140mph Tickford Turbo Capri. ...

In 2003 Prodrive bought Glenn Seton Racing and renamed it as Ford Performance Racing for the 2003 Australian V8 Supercar Championship. Prodrive also owned 51% in Ford Performance Vehicles (Ford Australia holds the other 49%). V8 Supercars is a touring car racing category. ... The current FPV logo Ford Performance Vehicles (FPV) is the Melbourne-based official performance tuning division of Ford Australia, founded in 2002. ... Ford Australia is the Australian subsidiary of Ford Motor Company and was founded in Geelong, Victoria in 1926 as an outpost of Ford Motor Company of Canada, Limited. ...

In December 2001 Prodrive was brought in to manage the unsuccessful Formula One constructor BAR. Richards was appointed as team principal of BAR, but after Honda increased its share in the team in late 2004, Richards was replaced in that role by Prodrive's managing director Nick Fry. Formula One - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia /**/ @import /skins-1. ... British American Racing is a Formula One constructor that competed in the sport from 1999 to 2005. ... Nick Fry, British, (born 29 June 1956) is the Chief Executive Officer and Team Principal of the Formula One constructor Honda. ...

Following its success with the Ferrari 550, Aston Martin and Prodrive created a partnership called Aston Martin Racing. In 2004, Aston Martin Racing unveiled the DBR9 based on the road going DB9. In its first outing at the 12 Hours of Sebring in 2005, the team won the GT1 class. The team competed with the cars at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 2005 and came third to the factory Corvette team and then during 2006 competed in the American Le Mans Series. At Le Mans in 2006, the Aston Martin Racing team was second to the Corvettes.

In January 2006 Prodrive unveiled a two-seater sports car Prodrive P2. The Prodrive P2 is a prototype two-seater sports car designed, engineered and built by Prodrive at its Banbury and Warwick sites. ...

In March 2007 a consortium led by Prodrive chairman David Richards bought British sports car firm Aston Martin from Ford, bringing Aston Martin back into British control. Prodrive has no financial involvement in the deal.^[1] Aston Martin Lagonda Limited is a manufacturer of luxury performance cars, whose headquarters are at Gaydon, Warwickshire, England. ... Ford may mean a number of things: A ford is a river crossing. ...

World Rally Championship

In 1990, Prodrive began a long standing and highly successful relationship with Subaru. Prodrive was tasked with running Subaru's rallying campaigns, helping them to 3 Drivers' and 3 Manufacturers' World Rally Championships. Starting out with the Subaru Legacy, they achieved minor success in the World Rally Championship with regular drivers Colin McRae and Ari Vatanen. The first Subaru victory in the WRC was by McRae in a Legacy during the 1993 Rally New Zealand. The smaller and more agile Impreza became the platform which Prodrive would be most successful with in rally. Scotland’s Colin McRae won the 1995 World Rally Championship for drivers, followed later by England’s Richard Burns in 2001 and Norwegian Petter Solberg in 2003. All three championship Subarus were prepared and run by Prodrive. 1990 (MCMXC) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar. ... For other uses, see Subaru (disambiguation). ... Subaru Legacy station wagon (third generation) US-spec Subaru Legacy The Subaru Legacy is a mid-size car introduced by the Japanese manufacturer Subaru in February 1989 as a larger, upscale companion to the companys Leone/Loyale (which was known, in some countries, by its trim level only, Subaru... Colin McRae MBE (born in Lanark, Scotland, 5 August 1968) is, together with Sébastien Loeb, the second most successful World Rally Championship driver of all time (in the currency of individual rally wins), second only to Carlos Sainz. ... Ari Vatanen (born April 27, 1952) is a Finnish rally driver turned politician and Member of the European Parliament. ... 1997 Subaru Impreza Outback Sport The Subaru Impreza is a compact car that was first introduced by Subaru in 1993. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Petter Hollywood Solberg (born November 18, 1974 in Askim), from Spydeberg i Østfold, Norway, is a professional rally driver. ...

The distinctive blue with yellow colour scheme is a throwback to the early 1990's sponsorship deal with 555, a BAT cigarette brand popular in Asia. The Impreza/Prodrive partnership continues to be a major force in World Rallying. 555 Classics pack State Express 555 is a cigarette brand manufactured by British American Tobacco. ... British American Tobacco Plc (LSE: BATS, AMEX: BTI) (BTI on the American Stock Exchange) is the third largest cigarette company in the world. ...

Formula One

On April 28th, 2006, Prodrive were officially granted entry to F1 when the FIA announced the list of entrants to the 2008 Formula One World Championship^[2]. While a total of 22 teams applied for entry, the FIA had always maintained that, for reasons of both safety and practicality, only 12 teams would be granted entry, meaning only 1 new team would line up on the grid in 2008. April 28 is the 118th day of the year (119th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 247 days remaining. ... For the Manfred Mann album, see 2006 (album). ... Formula One, abbreviated to F1 and also known as Grand Prix racing, is the highest class of single-seat open-wheel auto racing. ... The Fédération Internationale de lAutomobile, commonly referred to as the FIA, is a non-profit association established in 1904 to represent the interest of motoring organisations and motor car users. ... 2008 Formula One season - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia /**/ @import /skins-1. ...

FIA president Max Mosley was impressed by Prodrive's bid, which beat off stiff competition from the likes of Carlin Motorsport, the Jean Alesi-led McLaren-supported Direxiv outfit, BAR co-founder Craig Pollock, former Minardi owner Paul Stoddart and ex-Jordan Grand Prix team principal, Eddie Jordan. Max Rufus Mosley (born 1940, London, England) is currently serving his fourth term as president of the Fédération Internationale de lAutomobile. ... Carlin Motorsport is a Formula 3 team founded by Trevor Carlin. ... Jean Alesi, (born Giovanni Alesi June 11, 1964) is a French racing driver of both French and Sicilian origins. ... Direxiv (In motorsport) is involved with GP2, a series which is closely linked to Formula 1 and future drivers in Formula 1 are likely to have raced in GP2. ... British American Racing is a Formula One constructor that competed in the sport from 1999 to 2005. ... Craig Pollock, born February 20, 1956 in Glasgow, Scotland, is a businessman and manager of the Formula One driver Jacques Villeneuve. ... Minardi was an automobile racing team and constructor founded in 1979 by Giancarlo Minardi. ... Stoddart at the 2005 Australian Grand Prix Paul Stoddart Born May 26th, 1955, is an Australian millionaire and owner of the Minardi Formula One racing team. ... Eddie Jordan, founder and owner of Jordan Grand Prix, greets the fans in Montreal in 1996 Jordan Grand Prix was a Formula One constructor that competed from 1991 to 2005. ... Eddie Jordan Edmund Eddie Jordan (born March 30, 1948) is founder, owner, and team principal of Jordan Grand Prix, a Formula One constructor. ...

He revealed Prodrive have found the finances to support their bid, adding: "Prodrive has the best combination of financial backing, technical capability and motorsport experience. Also, Prodrive's chief executive, David Richards, has experience as a Formula One team principal."

According to rumours[1], the Prodrive F1 team will use Mercedes engines and (FIA permitting) the same cars as McLaren. This would, in effect, make the Prodrive team little more than a "B"-team for McLaren/Mercedes to give young, talented drivers a chance in F1, much like Scuderia Toro Rosso is to Red Bull Racing or Super Aguri to Honda. McLaren, founded in 1963 by New Zealander Bruce McLaren (1937–1970), is a racing team based in Woking, England, which is best known as a Formula One constructor but has also competed in the Indianapolis 500-Mile Race, Canadian-American Challenge Cup, and 24 Hours of Le Mans. ... Scuderia Toro Rosso, (Red Bull Team in Italian) is a Formula One racing team (initially known as Squadra Toro Rosso - Team Red Bull, although this use of team is restricted to squads like football teams) owned by the drinks company Red Bull and former racer Gerhard Berger, which made its... Red Bull Racing is one of two (along with Scuderia Toro Rosso) Formula One teams owned by Austrian beverage company Red Bull. ... Super Aguri F1 is a new Formula One team that aims be on the grid in 2006. ... Honda Racing F1 Team is a Formula One team run by Japanese car manufacturer Honda. ...

With Prodrive's interest in purchasing Aston Martin from Ford there is the chance the Prodrive F1 car will carry the Aston name. ^[3] Aston Martin Lagonda Limited is a manufacturer of luxury performance cars, whose headquarters are at Gaydon, Warwickshire, England. ... Ford may mean a number of things: A ford is a river crossing. ...

The Fulcrum

In March 2006, Prodrive announced its intent to build a 200-acre (roughly over 800,000 square meters) motorsport facility called The Fulcrum. It will be based at the former Honiley Airfield at Wroxall in Warwickshire, a non-metropolitan county in central England A detailed map Stratford-upon-Avon Kenilworth Castle Warwickshire (pronounced //, //, or //) is a landlocked non-metropolitan county in central England. ... Motto: (French for God and my right) Anthem: God Save the King/Queen Capital London (de facto) Largest city London Official language(s) English (de facto) Unification    - by Athelstan AD 927  Area    - Total 130,395 km² (1st in UK)   50,346 sq mi  Population    - 2006 est. ...

Prodrive's statement in the planning application for the facility - which could house as many as 1,000 staff - boasted of "a motorsport complex which could eventually house Prodrive's new British Formula One team," further cementing Richards' intention to return to F1 which he will in 2008, as mentioned above. Formula One - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia /**/ @import /skins-1. ... Formula One, abbreviated to F1 and also known as Grand Prix racing, is the highest class of single-seat open-wheel auto racing. ...

Until such time that the Honiley factory is operational, Prodrive will remain at their Banbury headquarters. The modern Castle Quay Shopping Centre in Banbury alongside the Oxford Canal, with Banbury Museum in the background Banbury is a market town on the River Cherwell in Oxfordshire, England. ...

As of August 3, 2006, Prodrive has won the support of the Warwick District Council planning committee for development of The Fulcrum. The permission covers an highly advanced engineering research and development campus, a conference facility called the Catalyst Centre and new access road, a roundabout, infrastructure, parking and landscaping.

All is not final yet, however, as the plans still have to be presented to the British government's new Department for Communities and Local Government, the body which looks after housing, urban regeneration, planning and local government.

Notes

2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the Anno Domini (common) era. ... March 12 is the 71st day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (72nd in leap years). ... A news release, press release or press statement is a written or recorded communication directed at members of the news media for the purpose of announcing something claimed as having news value. ...

References

• Cropley, S (November. 9, 2004). Beauty and the beast. Autocar pp. 44-51.
• Cropley, S (November. 30, 2004). Out, but not down. Autocar pp. 72-73.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to:

Prodrive vehicles

• Prodrive's website
• Subaru World Rally Team Homepage