Oliver Webb Explained

Oliver Webb
Nationality: British
Birth Date:20 March 1991
Birth Place:Manchester, Greater Manchester, England
Racing Licence: FIA Gold
Current Series:FIA World Endurance Championship
First Year:2015
Current Team:ARC Bratislava
Car Number:44
Former Teams:ByKolles Racing Team
Team SARD Morand
Starts:32
Prev Series:Indy Lights
British Formula 3
Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0
Formula Renault 2.0 UK
FR2.0 Portugal Winter Series
Formula Renault 2.0 NEC
FR2.0 UK Winter Series
Formula BMW UK
T Cars Autumn Trophy
T Cars
Prev Series Years:2011-12
2010
2009
200809
2008
2008
2007–08
2007
2005
2005–06
Awards:Formula BMW Scholarship, 2014 European Le Mans Championship, 2014 Le Mans podium, 2015 Dubai Champions
Award Years:2006, 2007, 2010, 2014, 2015

Oliver "Oli" James Webb (born 20 March 1991 in Manchester) is a British auto racing driver. He is a 2004 Karting Champion, 2007 Formula BMW Scholarship winner, 2010 Formula 3 competitor, 2014 European Le Mans series Champion, 2015 Dubai 24 Hour Champion, and W Motors Ambassador.

Career

Karting

Webb began his career in karting at the age of nine, progressing up through the ranks in the Greater Manchester karting scene with the help of management from British Touring Car Championship driver Michael Bentwood.[1] With more experience, Webb started to win races at the Three Sisters Karting Circuit in Wigan, eventually winning that circuit's Mini Max Championship in 2004. He finished fourth in the Junior Max Championship in 2005, combining that with a season in T Cars.

T Cars

Webb moved into T Cars with Graham Hathaway Engineering in 2005,[2] combining the campaign with schoolwork and his karting career. He continued into the 2005 Autumn Trophy, finishing second to Adrian Quaife-Hobbs.[3] He finished third in the 2006 main series,[3] winning three races, a non-championship double-header at Brands Hatch,[4] and achieved a record seven fastest laps in a season.[1]

Formula BMW

At the conclusion of the 2006 season, Bentwood entered Webb into the Formula BMW Scholarship Programme where drivers had the opportunity to be awarded with a financial contribution towards their racing budget, and an education and coaching programme from BMW Motorsport. Webb was one of the six chosen drivers for the scholarship, moving into Formula BMW UK in 2007. Webb drove for Carlin Motorsport, alongside Henry Surtees. Webb finished ninth in the championship, despite not finishing on the podium in any of the twenty races.[3]

Formula Renault

He moved to the British Formula Renault Championship to compete in the Winter Series in 2007. Competing for Fortec Motorsport, Webb finished fifteenth in the four-race series, with a best race result of eleventh at Croft.[5] Webb continued his progression up the British motorsport ladder, by moving into the main British series for the 2008 season. Staying with Fortec, Webb finished every single race in the points en route to eighth in the overall championship.[3] His best result was fourth place at round seventeen, at Silverstone.[6] He finished third in the Graduates Cup for first-year drivers, behind Dean Stoneman and James Calado.Webb competed in three other Formula Renault series during the season, competing in the Northern European Cup, and the British and Portuguese Winter Series championships. In the NEC, he recorded a fourth-place finish at Spa, and added a twelfth at Zolder to wind up 25th in the standings.[7] In the UK Winter Series, Webb finished fourth overall in the four-race series, finishing on the podium at Rockingham.[8] A retirement in the second race cost him a top-three championship spot.[3] Finally, he finished as runner-up to team-mate Calado in the Portuguese Winter Series, with the two taking all four victories, Calado with three and Webb with one.

In 2009, Webb returned for a second season in Formula Renault UK.[3] Consistency was the key for Webb, as he finished all but one race of the season, winning two races at Brands Hatch and at Silverstone. Webb was never outside the top-five in the championship standings, leading the championship after fourteen races before falling behind Dean Smith and Calado later in the season. Webb achieved ten podiums over the course of the season.[3] He also made his first foray into the Eurocup, taking part in the rounds in Barcelona and at Le Mans.

Formula Three

For the 2010 season, Webb continued to drive for Fortec, but stepped up to compete in the British Formula 3 Championship.[9] [10] Webb finished third in the championship with three wins, 14 podium finishes, and four fastest laps.

Formula Renault 3.5

For 2011 Webb signed with the Spanish Pons Racing team to race in Formula Renault 3.5. He finished 21st in the championship with five points finishes, scoring a best result of sixth in the final race at the Circuit de Catalunya.

Webb returned to the series in 2013 with Fortec Motorsport. Despite previously saying that he was not expecting to race single-seaters in 2014, it was announced that he would be returning to Pons Racing to race in Formula Renault 3.5 in 2014.[11]

Indy Lights

Webb made his debut in the American Firestone Indy Lights series at the 2011 double-header at Edmonton for Jensen MotorSport. Webb finished on the podium in third in the first attrition-filled race and finished fifth in the second. He rejoined the team for the race in Baltimore where he crashed out after running in the top five and made his oval racing debut at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway season finale where he finished tenth.[12]

Webb signed with Sam Schmidt Motorsports to compete in the 2012 Indy Lights season.[13] Webb finished seventh in points and won the pole and finished on the podium in third place at Belle Isle, his best finish.

European Le Mans Series

In March 2014 it was announced that Webb would join Signatech to participate in their attempt to defend their LMP2 title alongside Nelson Panciatici and Paul-Loup Chatin, following a last-minute deal to race the 24 Hours of Daytona with OAK Racing. Oliver won the championship overall with wins and poles[14]

World Endurance championship

Racing with Sard Morand, podium at Spa round 2.

Outside racing

On 17 November 2019, Webb was announced as a W Motors Brand Ambassador[15] and took part in the company's first track experience two days later.[16] [17] He will drive at W Motors events and assist in the development of their upcoming supercar.

On 10 October 2020, Webb drove a Shelby SuperCars (SSC) Tuatara in an attempt to set a new production car top speed record, hitting a claimed VMAX of 331.15 mph (532 km/h) and a two-way average of 316.11 mph (508 km/h) on a seven-mile stretch of closed road just outside of Las Vegas on State Route 160. Following an online controversy over the accuracy of the claimed speeds, SSC have stated that they will re-run the record attempt.[18]

Racing record

Career summary

SeasonSeriesTeamRacesWinsPolesF/LapsPodiumsPointsPosition
2005T Carsalign=left rowspan=2Graham Hathaway Engineering???????
T Cars Autumn Trophy?????1172nd
2006T CarsGraham Hathaway Engineering2033?111333rd
2007Formula BMW UKCarlin Motorsport1800004069th
Formula Renault UK Winter CupFortec Motorsport400002915th
2008Formula Renault UKFortec Motorsport2000002678th
Formula Renault 2.0 NEC400002527th
Formula Renault UK Winter Cup40000644th
Portuguese Formula Renault 2.0 Winter Series41101282nd
2009Formula Renault UKalign=left rowspan=2Fortec Motorsport2020210419†3rd
Eurocup Formula Renault 2.040000029th
2010British Formula 3 International Seriesalign=left rowspan=2Fortec Motorsport30344142503rd
Macau Grand Prix10000N/A18th
2011Formula Renault 3.5 SeriesPons Racing1700001721st
Indy LightsJensen MotorSport4000110418th
2012Indy LightsSam Schmidt Motorsports1201013107th
2013Formula Renault 3.5 Seriesalign=left rowspan=3Fortec Motorsports1600002715th
British GT Championship - GT3100000NC
FIA GT Series200000NC†
2014Formula Renault 3.5 SeriesPons Racing50000026th
European Le Mans Series - LMP2Signatech Alpine51003781st
24 Hours of Le Mans - LMP210000N/A3rd
United SportsCar Championship - PrototypeOAK Racing100002656th
2015FIA World Endurance Championship - LMP2Team SARD-Morand70001707th
24 Hours of Le Mans - LMP210000N/ADNF
24H Series - A6Black Falcon
2015-16Asian Le Mans Series - LMP2Race Performance20002335th
2016FIA World Endurance Championship - LMP1align=left rowspan=2ByKolles Racing Team9000019.517th
24 Hours of Le Mans - LMP110000N/ADNF
24H Series - A6Black Falcon
2017FIA World Endurance Championship - LMP1align=left rowspan=2ByKolles Racing Team400008.530th
24 Hours of Le Mans - LMP110000N/ADNF
Blancpain GT Series Endurance CupStrakka Racing20000438th
Blancpain GT Series Endurance Cup - Pro-Am100000NC
Intercontinental GT Challenge100000NC
24H Series - SPXLeipert Motorsport
201824H GT Series - SPXLeipert Motorsport
24 Hours of Le Mans - LMP1ByKolles Racing Team10000N/ADNF
2018-19FIA World Endurance Championship - LMP1ByKolles Racing Team7000022.517th
2019TitansRX International Europe SeriesN/A800008010th
24 Hours of Le Mans - LMP1ByKolles Racing Team10000N/ADNF
2019-20Jaguar I-Pace eTrophyJaguar VIP Car200000NC†
FIA World Endurance Championship - LMP1ByKolles Racing Team200000NC†
202024H GT Series - 991race:pro motorsport10000188th
2021FIA World Endurance Championship - LMP2ARC Bratislava40000727th
Pure ETCR ChampionshipRomeo Ferraris/M1RA400001779th
2022GT Cup Championshipalign=left rowspan=2Greystone GT21300429513th
British GT Championship - GT3100000NC†
British Endurance Championship - Class BMtech111110NC†
Indian Racing LeagueBangalore Speedsters100000NC
2023British GT Championship - GT3Greystone GT700000NC
McLaren Trophy Europe - Artura Trophy
Indian Racing LeagueBangalore Speedsters3010258‡5th‡
2023-24Middle East Trophy - TCRSimpson Motorsport
2024International GT OpenGreystone GT30000051st*
International GT Open - Pro-Am30000021st*
McLaren Trophy Europe - 570S Trophy
British GT Championship - GT3100000NC†*
Masters Endurance Legends - GTJMB Classic21022103rd*
Team standings. As Webb was a guest driver he was ineligible to score points.

Complete Formula Renault 3.5 Series results

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)

YearTeam1234567891011121314151617PosPoints
2011Pons RacingALC
1

ALC
2

SPA
1

SPA
2

MNZ
1

MNZ
2

MON
1

NÜR
1

NÜR
2

HUN
1

HUN
2

SIL
1

SIL
2

LEC
1

LEC
2

CAT
1

CAT
2

21st17
2013Fortec MotorsportsMNZ
1

MNZ
2

ALC
1

ALC
2

MON
1

SPA
1

SPA
2

MSC
1

MSC
2

RBR
1

RBR
2

HUN
1

HUN
2

LEC
1

LEC
2

CAT
1

CAT
2

15th27
2014Pons RacingMNZ
1

MNZ
2

ALC
1

ALC
2

MON
1

SPA
1
SPA
2
MSC
1
MSC
2
NÜR
1
NÜR
2
HUN
1
HUN
2
LEC
1
LEC
2
JER
1
JER
2
26th0

American open–wheel racing results

(key)

Indy Lights

YearTeam1234567891011121314RankPoints
2011Jensen MotorSportSTPALALBHINDYMILIOWTOREDM
EDM
TRONHMBAL
KTYLVS
18th104
2012Sam Schmidt MotorsportsSTP
ALA
LBH
INDY
DET
MIL
IOW
TOR
EDM
TRO
BAL
FON
7th310

Complete British GT Championship results

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)

YearTeamCarClass12345678910DCPoints
2013Fortec MotorsportsMercedes-Benz SLS AMG GT3GT3OUL
1
OUL
2
ROC
1

SIL
1
SNE
1
SNE
2
BRH
1
ZAN
1
ZAN
2
DON
1
NC0
2022Greystone GTMcLaren 720S GT3GT3OUL
1
OUL
2
SIL
1
DON
1
SNE
1
SNE
2
SPA
1

BRH
1
DON
1
NC†0†
2023Greystone GTMcLaren 720S GT3GT3OUL
1

OUL
2

SIL
1

DON
1

SNE
1

SNE
2

ALG
1

BRH
1
DON
1
NC0
2024Greystone GTMcLaren 720S GT3 EvoGT3OUL
1
OUL
2
SIL
1
DON
1
SPA
1

SNE
1

SNE
2

DON
1

BRH
1

NC†*0†*
As Webb was a guest driver he was ineligible to score points.

Complete 24 Hours of Le Mans results

YearTeamCo-DriversCarClassLaps
2014 Signatech-Alpine Paul-Loup Chatin
Nelson Panciatici
Alpine A450b-NissanLMP23557th3rd
2015 Team SARD Morand Pierre Ragues
Zoël Amberg
Morgan LMP2 Evo-SARDLMP2162DNFDNF
2016 ByKolles Racing Team Pierre Kaffer
Simon Trummer
CLM P1/01-AERLMP1206DNFDNF
2017 ByKolles Racing Team Dominik Kraihamer
Marco Bonanomi
ENSO CLM P1/01-NismoLMP17DNFDNF
2018 ByKolles Racing Team Dominik Kraihamer
Tom Dillmann
ENSO CLM P1/01-NismoLMP165DNFDNF
2019 ByKolles Racing Team Paolo Ruberti
Tom Dillmann
ENSO CLM P1/01-GibsonLMP1163DNFDNF
2020 ByKolles Racing Team Bruno Spengler
Tom Dillmann
ENSO CLM P1/01-GibsonLMP197DNFDNF
2021 ARC Bratislava Matej Konôpka
Miro Konôpka
Oreca 07-GibsonLMP234224th15th
LMP2 Pro-Am6th

Complete United SportsCar Championship results

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)

Complete FIA World Endurance Championship results

YearEntrantClassCarEngine123456789RankPoints
2015Team SARD MorandLMP2Morgan LMP2 EvoSARD (Judd) 3.6 L V8SILSPA
LMS
NÜR
COA
FUJ
SHA
BHR
7th70
2016ByKolles Racing TeamLMP1CLM P1/01AER P60 2.4 L Turbo V6SIL
SPA
LMS
NÜR
MEX
COA
FUJ
SHA
BHR
17th19.5
2017ByKolles Racing TeamLMP1ENSO CLM P1/01Nismo VRX30A 3.0 L Turbo V6SIL
SPA
LMS
NÜR
MEXCOAFUJSHABHR30th8.5
2018–19ByKolles Racing TeamLMP1ENSO CLM P1/01Nismo VRX30A 3.0 L Turbo V6SPA
LMS
SIL
FUJ
SHA
SEB17th22.5
Gibson GL458 4.5 L V8SPA
LMS
2019–20ByKolles Racing TeamLMP1ENSO CLM P1/01Gibson GL458 4.5 L V8SILFUJSHABHRCOASPA
LMS
BHR
NC†0†
2021ARC BratislavaLMP2Ligier JS P217Gibson GK428 4.2 L V8SPAALG
MNZ
27th7
Oreca 07LMS
BHR
BHR
As Webb was a guest driver he was ineligible to score points.

Notes and References

  1. News: Biography. Electric Studio. Oliver Webb. 2009-12-15. https://web.archive.org/web/20091203114828/http://www.oliwebbracing.com/biography. 3 December 2009. dead. dmy-all.
  2. News: Second place keeps Williams' championship hopes alive. https://archive.today/20070621171305/http://www.jameswilliamsracing.co.uk/SECOND_PLACE_KEEPS_WILLIAMS_CHAMPIONSHIP_HOPES_ALIVE. dead. 2007-06-21. MSO. James Williams. 2005-08-22. 2009-12-15. Starting race two from fourth on the grid, James dropped down at the start to sixth but had got back up to fourth before a collision on lap seven between Barry Russell and Oliver Webb brought out the red flag..
  3. http://www.driverdb.com/drivers/9230/career/ Career statistics at Driver Database
  4. News: MSVR's inaugural race meeting runs without a hitch. Brands Hatch. MotorSport Vision. 2006-03-22. 2009-12-15. https://web.archive.org/web/20110927122929/http://www.motorsportvision.co.uk/brands-hatch/news/article.asp?NewsID=1428. 27 September 2011. dead. dmy-all.
  5. News: 2007 Formula Renault UK with Michelin Winter Cup; Race 4 - CLASSIFICATION. 29. Timing Solutions Ltd.. tsl-timing.com. 2007-11-10. 2009-12-15. https://web.archive.org/web/20110717112223/http://www.tsl-timing.com/barc/2007/74521.pdf. 17 July 2011. dead. dmy-all.
  6. News: 2008 Formula Renault UK Championship with Michelin; Round 17 - CLASSIFICATION. Timing Solutions Ltd.. tsl-timing.com. 2008-08-31. 2009-12-15. https://web.archive.org/web/20110717112245/http://www.tsl-timing.com/?loc=major&season=2008&series=BTCC&event=races&source=toca2006&eventid=83503&table=83503rc1frn&tabletype=gif. 17 July 2011. live.
  7. News: Tabelle Northern European Cup Formula Renault 2.0 2008. Renault Sport. renault-sport.de. 2009-12-15.
  8. News: 2008 Formula Renault UK with Michelin Winter Cup; Race 2 - CLASSIFICATION. 24. Timing Solutions Ltd.. tsl-timing.com. 2008-11-08. 2009-12-15. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20110717110855/http://www.tsl-timing.com/barc/2008/84522.pdf. 17 July 2011. dmy-all.
  9. News: Webb signs to Fortec for 2010 Formula 3 campaign. British Formula 3 Championship. fota.co.uk. 2009-11-30. 2009-12-13.
  10. News: Knutsford teenager Oliver Webb to race in British F3 championship. Andrew. Simpson. Newsquest Media Group. Knutsford Guardian. 2009-12-03. 2009-12-15. https://web.archive.org/web/20110723032112/http://www.knutsfordguardian.co.uk/sport/4776257.Motorsport__Delight_for_Oli_at_joining_F3/. 23 July 2011. live.
  11. News: Roberto Merhi and Oliver Webb join 2014 Formula Renault 3.5 grid. 10 April 2014. Autosport. Haymarket Publications. 12 April 2014. https://web.archive.org/web/20140411001326/http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/113383. 11 April 2014. live.
  12. http://www.indycar.com/news/show/56-firestone-indy-lights/45901-webb-returns-to-jensen-for-bgp-vegas/ Webb returns to Jensen for BGP, Vegas
  13. http://www.racer.com/schmidt-signs-oliver-webb-for-2012-indy-lights-season/article/217965/ Schmidt signs Oliver Webb for 2012 Indy Lights season
  14. News: Oliver Webb seals Signatech Alpine European Le Mans Series drive. Watkins. Gary. 19 March 2014. Autosport. Haymarket Publications. 12 April 2014. https://web.archive.org/web/20140413140756/http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/113003. 13 April 2014. live.
  15. Web site: W Motors New Brand Ambassador Oliver Webb. 2019-11-17. W Motors Blog. 2019-12-01.
  16. Web site: Fenyr SuperSport Track Event at Dubai Autodrome. 2019-11-19. W Motors Blog. 2019-12-01.
  17. Web site: W Motors Announces New Brand Ambassador Oliver Webb At Dubai Track Event. Aki. Sara. 2019-11-20. Al Bawaba. en. 2019-12-01. 9 March 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220309044654/https://www.albawaba.com/business/pr/w-motors-announces-new-brand-ambassador-oliver-webb-dubai-track-event-1322505. dead.
  18. .Web site: 2020-10-19. SSC's Tuatara is the fastest car in the world with 331.15mph top speed. 2020-10-19. Top Gear. en. .