Apex Motorsport Explained

Apex Motorsport
Base:Buckingham, Buckinghamshire, United Kingdom
Principal:John Wickham
Harry Handkammer
Founders:Richard Lloyd
Former Series:British Touring Car Championship
FIA GT3 European Championship
British GT Championship
International GT Open
Drivers: Frank Biela
John Bintcliffe
Yvan Muller
Guy Smith
Stéphane Ortelli
Andy Wallace
Butch Leitzinger
Eric van de Poele
Driver Titles:1 (1996 BTCC)
Team Titles:1 (1996 BTCC)

Apex Motorsport, formerly known as Audi Sport UK, was a British auto racing team founded in 1996 by former racing driver Richard Lloyd in partnership with the Volkswagen Group.[1] Formed to bring Audi into the British Touring Car Championship, the team won the teams and manufacturers titles in their debut season, as well as the drivers championship for German Frank Biela with eight victories over the course of the season. Biela and Audi Sport UK finished the 1997 season in second for all three championships before the series banned the four-wheel drive systems that Audi utilized, forcing the team to redevelop a new car for 1998. The 1998 BTCC campaign was winless, and Audi Sport UK left the series at the end of the season to concentrate on sports car racing. Audi Sport UK, in conjunction with Racing Technology Norfolk, developed and campaigned the Audi R8C for Audi's first attempt at the 24 Hours of Le Mans. The team failed to finish, in part due to a rushed schedule to complete the two cars. The team spent 2000 building cars for the American Speedvision World Challenge series[2] but remained involved in Volkswagen's sports car program as Bentley, another Volkswagen Group brand, began developing their own entry for Le Mans.[3] The team changed their name to Apex Motorsport and debuted the Bentley EXP Speed 8 in and finished with one car on the race podium. A fourth-place finish followed in before Apex joined with Joest Racing, who had been running Audi's continued Le Mans program, to campaign two cars in 2003 at the 12 Hours of Sebring as well as Le Mans. Third and fourth places were earned at Sebring, while Team Bentley scored a one-two finish at Le Mans, with Tom Kristensen, Rinaldo Capello, and Guy Smith driving the winning car.

Bentley's program ended after the Le Mans victory, and Apex Motorsport was left without any Volkswagen Group programs and remained stagnant for two years. The team's assets were put up for auction in 2006 to no avail.[4] Lloyd, along with racing driver and entrepreneur Harry Handkammer, approached Jaguar Cars to develop a Group GT3 sportscar program.[5] Built around the Jaguar XKR, Apex and Jaguar agreed to build cars for the team as well as cars to be sold to customers to justify the cost of the program. The team first raced the cars late in the 2007 season for the international FIA GT3 European Championship and British GT Championship. While developing the Jaguars in March 2008, Lloyd and team member Christopher Allarton, along with racing driver David Leslie were en route to Nogaro Circuit for testing when their aircraft crashed near Biggin Hill. All three, plus two pilots, were killed in the crash.[6] Despite the loss for the team, they continued their FIA GT3 campaign for the season, and pushed with further development of the car in 2009. However the project came to an early close in 2009 after no cars had been sold to customers and the team was dissolved by 2014.

Racing record

24 Hours of Le Mans

YearEntrantNo.CarDriversClassLaps
1999 Audi Sport UK9Audi R8C Christian Abt
Stefan Johansson
Stéphane Ortelli
LMGTP55DNFDNF
10 Perry McCarthy
Andy Wallace
James Weaver
198DNFDNF
2001 Team Bentley7Bentley EXP Speed 8 Martin Brundle
Stéphane Ortelli
Guy Smith
LMGTP56DNFDNF
8 Butch Leitzinger
Eric van de Poele
Andy Wallace
3063rd1st
2002 Team Bentley8Bentley EXP Speed 8 Butch Leitzinger
Eric van de Poele
Andy Wallace
LMGTP3624th1st
2003 Team Bentley7Bentley Speed 8 Rinaldo Capello
Tom Kristensen
Guy Smith
LMGTP3771st1st
8 Mark Blundell
David Brabham
Johnny Herbert
3752nd2nd

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Remembering a racing pioneer and deal-maker . . . Newbold . James . 30 March 2018 . 2 November 2018.
  2. Web site: Audi to Provide Turnkey S4 Competition Racers . . 24 March 2000 . 2 November 2018.
  3. Web site: Bentley Motors returns to Le Mans . . 3 November 2000 . 2 November 2018.
  4. Web site: Apex Motorsport assets up for sale . . . 7 February 2006 . 2 November 2018.
  5. News: Jaguar XKR GT3 . 19 December 2007 . . 2 November 2018.
  6. Web site: Leslie and Lloyd killed in plane crash . . 1 April 2008 . 2 November 2018.