From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding reliable references. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (August 2007)

Grand Prix Masters was a one-make motor racing series featuring retired Formula One drivers. The first race event, at the Kyalami circuit in South Africa took place on 11-13 November 2005. Nigel Mansell is a driver and financial stakeholder in the series.

Contents 1 Current Drivers 2 Former Drivers 3 Car 4 Concept 5 Controversy 6 On track 7 2005: First race 7.1 2005 Result 8 2006 calendar 8.1 2006 Results 9 2007 Calendar 10 TV 11 Bankruptcy 12 References 13 External links

Driver	Age	GP starts	GPM starts	GPM wins	Podiums
Nigel Mansell	53	187	3	2	2
Emerson Fittipaldi	60	149	3	0	1
Riccardo Patrese	52	256	3	0	1
Andrea De Cesaris	47	214	3	0	0
Derek Warwick	52	147	3	0	0
Hans Joachim Stuck	56	93	3	0	0
Christian Danner	48	47	3	0	2
Eddie Cheever	49	143	3	1	1
Jan Lammers	50	41	3	0	0
Eliseo Salazar	51	37	3	0	0
Patrick Tambay	57	123	3	0	0
René Arnoux	58	165	3	0	0
Eric van de Poele	45	29	2	0	2
Stefan Johansson	50	103	3	0	0
Alex Caffi	42	75	1	0	0
Pierluigi Martini	45	124	2	0	0
Johnny Herbert	42	165	0	0	0
Roberto Moreno	47	75	0	0	0
Alessandro Nannini	47	78	0	0	0
Raul Boesel	49	30	0	0	0

Driver	Age	GP starts	GPM starts
Jacques Laffite	63	180	1
Alan Jones	60	117	0[1]
Alain Prost	51	202	0[2]

1. ^ Jones pulled out of the first event at Kyalami due to lack of fitness.
2. ^ Prost was due to make an appearance during 2006, but never did.

All participants race identical open wheel cars, which are based on 1999 Reynard Champ cars. The chassis are built by English constructor Delta Motorsport [2], and are powered by naturally aspirated 80-degree 3.5-litre V8 engines produced by Nicholson McLaren. The engines are based on the Cosworth XB engines previously used in IndyCar racing, and according to the series organisers produce more than 650bhp at 10,400 rpm with over 320 ft·lbf (434 N·m) torque at 7,800 rpm.

In 2007 cars will be powered by a Mecachrome 90-degree V8 4.0 litre. It develops 600 bhp (450 kW) and revs to in excess of 9500 rpm. [3]

Gearbox operation is fully manual, and controlled by a contemporary paddle shift arrangement.

Grand Prix Masters promoters boast the 650 kg cars will reach 200 mph (300 km/h). They claim that the combination of stable aerodynamics and considerably simpler technology than is in use in modern Formula One will better demonstrate driver skill and promote overtaking. Electronic 'drivers aids' (such as traction control, power steering and ABS) are absent, and brakes are made of steel rather than carbon (as is used for many contemporary single seater race cars) to increase braking distances.

Grand Prix Masters is modeled on the lucrative seniors tours of golf and tennis. In order to compete, drivers must:

• Have retired from all forms of open wheel racing
• Have competed in F1 for two complete seasons
• Have passed a medical examination
• Be more than 45 years on the 1st Jan for the season to follow, and have retired from F1 for two complete seasons.
  • 2006 GPM announced the entry age limit for new drivers has been reduced from 45 to 40.
  • 2007 GPM website shows no entry age limit [4]

There have been questions surrounding the fitness of the former Formula One stars who will race in the series. Participant Christian Danner questioned the ability of 1980 World Champion Alan Jones and former GP winner Patrick Tambay in particular, given the rapid expansion of these drivers' waistlines since retiring from racing. Jones hit back claiming the only time Danner had seen a Grand Prix podium was when he passed it on the way to the lavatory. Jones' highly embarrassing lack of fitness at the first GP Masters event would suggest Danner's assessment was correct.

Alain Prost had been scheduled to take part in the first GP Masters event but pulled out. He was rumoured to be unwilling to participate unless he was sure he could beat Mansell, and at his current level of fitness, was unsure.

The Grand Prix Masters car first ran in late-September 2005 in the hands of Delta Motorsport [5] Operations Director Simon Dowson. He reported a successful shakedown, despite appearing to sit very high in the car, his helmet appearing to sit level with the top of the roll-over hoop.

In mid-October 2005 Nigel Mansell and René Arnoux tested the car at the Pembrey Circuit in South Wales.

26 October 2005 saw the first multi-car test for Grand Prix Masters with de Cesaris, Mansell, Johansson, Warwick, Caffi, Stuck, Tambay and Danner running at the Silverstone circuit in England.

De Cesaris was fastest, Danner slowest while Tambay crashed.

The first event took place at Kyalami in South Africa on 13 November 2005. Nigel Mansell took pole then won after battling hard with Emerson Fittipaldi. Riccardo Patrese was third. Andrea de Cesaris finished fourth after a storming drive, where he pushed past Derek Warwick. Stefan Johansson spun out early on. Jacques Laffite retired with damaged right-front suspension after colliding with René Arnoux. As predicted, Alan Jones proved hugely unfit. In practice he was up to ten seconds off the pace of Mansell, before pulling out of the race –- ostensibly due to neck injury. He was replaced by Eliseo Salazar, a driver of considerably lesser achievement.

• Kyalami (South Africa), 13 November

Rank	Driver	Team	Time	Gap
1	Nigel Mansell	Team Altech	50:55.154
2	Emerson Fittipaldi	Team LG	50:55.562	+ 0.408
3	Riccardo Patrese	Team Goldpfeil	51:15.816	+ 20.662
4	Andrea De Cesaris	Team Unipart	51:16.854	+ 21.700
5	Derek Warwick	Team Lixxus	51:17.007	+ 21.853
6	Hans Joachim Stuck	Team Phantom	51:18.355	+ 23.201
7	Christian Danner	Team Unipart	51:19.272	+ 24.118
8	Eddie Cheever	Team Altech	51:27.359	+ 32.205
9	Jan Lammers	Team LG	51:27.932	+ 32.778
10	Eliseo Salazar	Team Altech	51:38.573	+ 43.419
11	Patrick Tambay	Team Lixxus	52:06.738	+ 1'11.584
12	René Arnoux	Team Golden Palace	52:07.890	+ 1'12.736
13	Jacques Laffite	Team GMF	43:44.471	17 laps (DNF)
14	Stefan Johansson	Team Phantom	3:33.040	28 laps (DNF)

In January 2006 GP Masters announced it would hold events in the following venues:

• Losail (Qatar), 29 April
• Monza (Italy), 5 May Cancelled
• Silverstone (UK), 13 August
• Kyalami (South Africa), 12 November Cancelled

The race scheduled for Monza was cancelled due to noise limits, as can be read here: Confirmation of the cancellation of the Monza round of GP Masters. Additional races were scheduled for 18 June and 1 October at unspecified venues, but these did not occur.

April 29, 2006, Losail, Qatar

Rank	Driver	Team	Time	Gap
1	Nigel Mansell	Team Altech	52:06.000
2	Christian Danner	Team LUK	52:06.562	+ 0.562
3	Eric van de Poele	Team Golden People	52:07.174	+ 1.174
4	Eddie Cheever	Team Altech	52:09.016	+ 3.016
5	Derek Warwick	Team Lixxus	52:09.420	+ 3.420
6	Pierluigi Martini	Team Global	52:11.710	+ 5.710
7	Jan Lammers	Team LG	52:13.044	+ 7.044
8	Stefan Johansson	Team Altech	52:14.339	+ 8.339
9	René Arnoux	Team Golden People	52:15.068	+ 9.068
10	Riccardo Patrese	Team INA	52:15.423	+ 9.423
11	Patrick Tambay	Team Lixxus	52:21.506	+ 15.506
12	Emerson Fittipaldi	Team LG	52:35.788	+ 29.788
13	Andrea de Cesaris	Team INA	33:29.621	8 laps
14	Eliseo Salazar	Team Phantom	52:22.127	11 laps
15	Hans Joachim Stuck	Team Phantom	9:28.882	19 laps

August 13, 2006, Silverstone, England

Rank	Driver	Team	Time	Gap
1	Eddie Cheever	Team GPM	1:01:06.625
2	Eric van de Poele	Team Golden Palace	1:01:25.302	+ 16.677
3	Christian Danner	Team LUK	1:01:45.180	+ 36.555
4	Hans Joachim Stuck	Team Phantom	1:02:02.139	+ 53.514
5	Alex Caffi	Team Altech	1:02:11.648	+ 1:03.623
6	Riccardo Patrese	Team INA	1:02:15.492	+ 1:06.867
7	Pierluigi Martini	Team Motorola	1:02:54.980	+ 1:46.355
8	Emerson Fittipaldi	Team Altech	1:01:13.217	+ 1 Lap
9	René Arnoux	Team Golden People	1:01:55.250	+ 2 Laps
10	Andrea de Cesaris	Team INA	1:01:34.298	+ 2 Laps
11	Patrick Tambay	Team Lixxus	1:01:49.162	+ 3 Laps
12	Stefan Johansson	Team Virgin Radio/BP	55:22.246	+ 4 Laps
13	Jan Lammers	Team LG	34:44.025	13 laps
14	Eliseo Salazar	Team Phantom	19:30.140	20 laps
15	Derek Warwick	Team Lixxus	5:39.035	26 laps
16	Nigel Mansell	Team Altech	31:44.608	26 Laps

• Bucharest Ring (Romania), 20 May Cancelled
• Kyalami (South Africa), 23 September Cancelled
• Losail (Qatar), 17 November Cancelled

The race scheduled in Romania was cancelled due to financial difficulties from race organizers. GPM aims to secure a further race for the year with speculation that a race may occur in Australia or Malaysia

Drivers who were set to debut in GPM this year included Alessandro Nannini and Johnny Herbert.

Television deals have been announced with many countries showing live coverage. ^[3] In the UK, Murray Walker will continue to commentate on the series.

On September 18th 2007, Delta Motorsport, supplier of the GP Masters chassis, announced they were filing a petition with the British High Court to have the GP Masters Operating company placed in liquidation^[4] due to non-payment of invoices. Following a hearing on the 28th of November, 2007, the Grand Prix Masters series was officially wound up^[5].

1. ^ Jones pulled out of the first event at Kyalami due to lack of fitness.
2. ^ Prost was due to make an appearance during 2006, but never did.
3. ^ [1] GP Masters Broadcasters
4. ^ http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/62536
5. ^ http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/64156

• http://www.gpmasters.com
• http://www.delta-motorsport.com
• http://www.grandprixmastersonline.com
• Grand Prix Masters at YouTube