113-673: Ilmor is a British independent high-performance motor racing engineering company. It was founded by Mario Illien and Paul Morgan in November 1983. With manufacturing based in Brixworth , Northamptonshire , and maintenance offices in Plymouth, Michigan , the company supplies engines and consultancy to the IndyCar Series and MotoGP . Ilmor Engineering originally designed built and produced IndyCar engines for Chevrolet . In
226-400: A Chairman of Motorsport.com. In 2013 he began writing a regular monthly blog column on the official website of McLaren . Fittipaldi is the younger brother of former Formula One driver and team owner Wilson Fittipaldi . He is the uncle of TUDOR United Sports Car Championship driver Christian Fittipaldi . He was married to Maria Helena from 1970-82. They had three children. He was married
339-406: A transformative shift, echoing past pivots. The industry, much like the cars it champions , has had to navigate through a global pandemic and a persistent chip shortage, each threatening to derail production schedules . At the same time, a new course is being charted towards an electric future, a dramatic change in direction that is challenging the old guard of gasoline engines. There is also
452-631: A "manufacturer's" logo and "vehicle name", yet use components produced by another automobile manufacturer. There are also other stock car governing bodies, most notably the Automobile Racing Club of America (ARCA). In the UK, British Stock car racing is also referred to as "Short Circuit Racing". UK Stock car racing started in the 1950s and grew rapidly through the 1960s and 1970s. Events take place on shale or tarmac tracks – usually around 1/4 mile long. There are around 35 tracks in
565-473: A Corvette production car named in his honor. At age 67, he entered the 2014 6 Hours of São Paulo . Emerson Fittipaldi was born on 12 December 1946 in São Paulo , Brazil . He is the younger son of prominent Italian-Brazilian motorsports journalist and radio commentator Wilson Fittipaldi Sr and his wife Józefa "Juzy" Wojciechowska, an immigrant from Saint Petersburg of Polish and Russian descent. He
678-400: A crash at Michigan International Speedway a year earlier, he was flying his private plane across his orange tree farm in the state of São Paulo . The plane lost power and plunged 90 metres (300 ft) to the ground, leaving him with serious back injuries. Though Fittipaldi had converted to Christianity the year prior, his beliefs were reinforced after the crash. Fittipaldi is a Protestant in
791-754: A custom-built, 28,000-square-foot (2,600 m) facility in Plymouth, Michigan. The new facility housed all of the necessary disciplines to support the Indy Car program including design, engineering, engine building, engine test, performance development and trackside support functions. From its start as an Indy Car engineering and trackside support group Ilmor, Inc.’s capabilities have grown to encompass design and analysis tools, engine and sub-systems test capabilities – including emissions compliance benches, precision manufacturing, electronics and wiring design and manufacture, and facilities for service and support. Today,
904-577: A daughter with Carlos da Cruz, Pietro , Enzo and Valentina Fittipaldi. Pietro and Enzo are also racing drivers, with Enzo being announced as a member of the Red Bull Junior Team in November 2022. Pietro made his Formula 1 debut at the 2020 Sakhir Grand Prix driving for the Haas F1 Team . For 2024, he signed to run a full IndyCar schedule with Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing . In September 1997, while recovering from injuries in
1017-410: A distance of 8 mi (13 km). It was won by the carriage of Isaac Watt Boulton . Internal combustion auto racing events began soon after the construction of the first successful gasoline -fueled automobiles. The first organized contest was on April 28, 1887, by the chief editor of Paris publication Le Vélocipède , Monsieur Fossier. It ran 2 kilometres (1.2 mi) from Neuilly Bridge to
1130-671: A growing number of events for electric racing cars, such as the Formula E , the Eco Grand Prix or the Electric GT Championship . In single-seater ( open-wheel ) racing, the wheels are not covered, and the cars often have aerofoil wings front and rear to produce downforce and enhance adhesion to the track. The most popular varieties of open-wheel road racing are Formula One (F1), the IndyCar Series and Super Formula . In Europe and Asia, open-wheeled racing
1243-707: A lap at 388 km/h (241 mph). The series' biggest race is the Indianapolis 500 , which is commonly referred to as "The Greatest Spectacle in Racing" due to being the longest continuously run race in the series and having the largest crowd for a single-day sporting event (350,000+). The other major international single-seater racing series is Formula 2 (formerly known as Formula 3000 and GP2 Series ). Regional series include Super Formula and Formula V6 Asia (specifically in Asia), Formula Renault 3.5 (also known as
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#17327718334241356-548: A later time. The addition of the INDY drive placed Ilmor High Performance Marine firmly into the ranks of marine powertrain suppliers. As a natural step for Ilmor, a decision was made in 2007 to enter the MV10 engine into powerboat competition. The twist for Ilmor, which is accustomed to manufacturing bespoke racing engines, was to race only engines identical to those already sold to the more typical high-performance powerboat customer. In
1469-482: A much easier time following and passing than in open-wheel racing . It often features full-contact racing with subtle bumping and nudging due to the small speed differentials and large grids. The major touring car championships conducted worldwide are the Supercars Championship (Australia), British Touring Car Championship , Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters (DTM), World Touring Car Championship and
1582-578: A near monopoly) led them to break away from their parent company to pursue their own ideas. There was some acrimony in their split from Cosworth, their former employer claiming that the Ilmor engine was little different from their planned modifications to the DFX. Founded as an independent British engine manufacturer in 1983, it started building engines for Indy cars with the money of team owner and chassis manufacturer Roger Penske. The Ilmor 265-A, badged initially as
1695-450: A nearly full lap lead over teammate Unser Jr. Approaching 50, Fittipaldi was still driving in CART in 1996 when an injury at Michigan International Speedway ended his career. Fittipaldi did not return to the series as a driver after the injury. Fittipaldi finished his CART career with 22 wins. In 2003 he made a return to CART as a team owner. Fittipaldi was the acting team principal for
1808-600: A poor season, whereas Penske teammate Paul Tracy claimed three wins but retired in the last five races to finish fifth in the standings. PacWest drivers Maurício Gugelmin and Mark Blundell claimed four wins combined and finished fourth and sixth in the standings. Forsythe driver Greg Moore got two wins and three second places, but retired in eight races and finished seventh. After the CART- IRL split, Mercedes gradually lost interest in American racing and left CART after
1921-450: A practical mode of transport, but soon became an important way for automobile makers to demonstrate their machines. By the 1930s, specialist racing cars had developed. There are now numerous different categories, each with different rules and regulations. The first prearranged match race of two self-powered road vehicles over a prescribed route occurred at 4:30 A.M. on August 30, 1867, between Ashton-under-Lyne and Old Trafford , England,
2034-460: A practice session for the Indianapolis 500 after his close friend Ayrton Senna , also a native of Brazil and a former Formula One champion, died in a crash . Fittipaldi was one of the pallbearers during Senna's funeral, alongside Jackie Stewart , Alain Prost and several other F1 world champions. Fittipaldi nearly won his third 500 but clipped the turn 4 wall with 15 laps to go while he was holding
2147-527: A second Indianapolis 500 victory by taking the lead from reigning Formula One World Champion Nigel Mansell on lap 185 and holding it for the remainder. The race saw him break Indianapolis victory lane tradition when he drank a celebratory bottle of orange juice before the traditional bottle of milk. He was only the second driver to not drink milk at Indianapolis since the tradition was founded in 1936 (and firmly established in 1956). Fittipaldi owned several orange groves in his native Brazil, and wanted to promote
2260-590: A second time, to Teresa, in the mid-1980s. They have two children. In early December 2012 he married economist Rossana Fanucchi in São Paulo after a partnership of eleven years. They have a son, Emerson Jr. , born in 2007, and daughter Vittoria, born in early 2012. Emerson Jr. competed in the 2021 F4 Danish Championship , finishing third overall. His daughter Tatiana, married racing driver Max Papis . They have two children, Marco Papis and Matteo Papis; Emerson's grandsons. His daughter Juliana, had two sons and
2373-426: A small, low-cost machine on small tracks. Many of the current top drivers began their careers in karts. Formula Ford represents the most popular first open-wheel category for up-and-coming drivers stepping up from karts. The series is still the preferred option, as it has introduced an aero package and slicks, allowing the junior drivers to gain experience in a race car with dynamics closer to F1. The Star Mazda Series
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#17327718334242486-544: A strong contender on the CART circuit. In 1996 , the open wheel "split" began between CART and the IRL. Ilmor primarily was a provider for CART-based teams, and did not provide engines for any full-time IRL teams. At the 1996 Indy 500 , the "Ilmor Mercedes-Benz D" was used by Galles Racing , and finished second, the powerplant's one and only start in an IRL -sanctioned race. When the IRL switched to normally-aspirated engines for 1997,
2599-451: A two-bike team in the MotoGP motorcycle racing series and would enter a single rider team as a wildcard entry in the final two races of the 2006 season. For the 2007 MotoGP season, engine capacity was to be reduced to 800cc from 990cc so Ilmor's wildcard entries in 2006 would be the first appearance of an 800cc MotoGP motorcycle at a race meeting. Former 500 cc race winner Garry McCoy
2712-713: A well-established supplier in the U.S. and European boat market. In addition to the MV10-550 engine, Ilmor created two additional performance variants: the MV10-625 in 2005, and the MV 7-10 in 2006. The 700-horsepower, naturally aspirated marine engine was developed with significantly improved fuel efficiency and a light-weight package. The MV10-550 was later upgraded to the 570 hp in 2006. In 2009, Ilmor had to utilize its engineering expertise to create an entirely new generation of MV-10 marine products. Emissions requirements established by
2825-533: A year later the 12 Hours of Porto Alegre. The pair moved to racing Formula Vees , and built up a company with their parents. In his second season in single-seaters, Fittipaldi won the Brazilian Formula Vee title at age 21. He left for Europe in 1969, with the ambition to convince team owners of his talent in three months. After some podiums and his first victories in Formula Ford , Fittipaldi
2938-823: Is NASCAR (National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing). NASCAR's premier series is the NASCAR Cup Series , its most famous races being the Daytona 500 , the Southern 500 , the Coca-Cola 600 , and the Brickyard 400 . NASCAR also runs several feeder series, including the Xfinity Series and Craftsman Truck Series (a pickup truck racing series). The series conduct races across the entire continental United States . NASCAR also sanctions series outside of
3051-448: Is a motorsport involving the racing of automobiles for competition. In North America, the term is commonly used to describe all forms of automobile sport including non-racing disciplines. Auto racing has existed since the invention of the automobile. Races of various types were organized, with the first recorded as early as 1867. Many of the earliest events were effectively reliability trials , aimed at proving these new machines were
3164-537: Is a two-time winner of the Indianapolis 500 . Moving up from Formula Two , Fittipaldi made his race debut for Team Lotus as a third driver at the 1970 British Grand Prix . After Jochen Rindt was killed at the 1970 Italian Grand Prix , the Brazilian became Lotus's lead driver in only his fifth Grand Prix. He enjoyed considerable success with Lotus, winning the World Drivers' Championship in 1972 at
3277-541: Is a Brazilian former racing driver and motorsport executive, who competed in Formula One from 1970 to 1980 . Fittipaldi won two Formula One World Drivers' Championship titles , which he won in 1972 and 1974 with Lotus and McLaren , respectively; he won 14 Grands Prix across 11 seasons. In American open-wheel racing , Fittipaldi won the IndyCar World Series in 1989 with Patrick , and
3390-719: Is a worldwide series that runs only street circuit and race tracks . These cars are heavily based on technology and their aerodynamics. The speed record was set in 2005 by Juan Pablo Montoya hitting 373 km/h (232 mph). Some of the most prominent races are the Monaco Grand Prix, the Italian Grand Prix , and the British Grand Prix . The season ends with the crowning of the World Championship for drivers and constructors. In
3503-650: Is another entry-level series. Indy Lights represent the last step on the Road to Indy , being less powerful and lighter than an IndyCar racer. Students at colleges and universities can also take part in single-seater racing through the Formula SAE competition, which involves designing and building a single-seater car in a multidisciplinary team and racing it at the competition. This also develops other soft skills, such as teamwork, while promoting motorsport and engineering. The world's first all-female Formula racing team
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3616-615: Is commonly referred to as 'Formula', with appropriate hierarchical suffixes. In North America, the 'Formula' terminology is not followed (with the exception of F1). The sport is usually arranged to follow an international format (such as F1), a regional format (such as the Formula 3 Euro Series), and/or a domestic, or country-specific, format (such as the German Formula 3 championship, or the British Formula Ford). F1
3729-460: Is independent of Mercedes, is once again known as Ilmor Engineering Ltd. They developed the Ilmor X3 for the 2007 MotoGP World Motorcycle Championship, entering one race before withdrawing and effectively shutting down the race team, due to funding problems. Racing remains the core part of the business today and Ilmor acts as a consultant for motorsport clients from all forms of racing. However,
3842-923: Is the FIA World Endurance Championship . The main series for GT car racing is the GT World Challenge Europe , divided into two separate championships: the GT World Challenge Europe Sprint Cup and the GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup . This series has formed after the folding of the various FIA GT championships. The prevailing classes of GT cars are GT3 , GT4 and GT2 class cars. GT2 cars have powerful engines, often exceeding 600 horsepower. However, they have less downforce than GT3 cars and also have less driver aids. GT3 cars are far and away
3955-509: Is the highest output emissions certified gasoline engine commercially available in Europe. As part of its overall marine business development plan, Ilmor also unveiled the all-new INDY high-performance stern-drive in 2009. The INDY drive, two and a half years in the making, was designed to complement not only all of the current Ilmor high-performance marine engines but to handle the power and torque of several other engines aimed for introduction at
4068-522: Is undergoing a period of transition, but is still the longest-running road racing series in the U.S. The National Auto Sport Association also provides a venue for amateurs to compete in home-built factory-derived vehicles on various local circuits. In sports car racing, production-derived versions of two-seat sports cars , also known as grand tourers (GTs), and purpose-built sports prototype cars compete within their respective classes on closed circuits. The premier championship series of sports car racing
4181-415: The 1987 Indianapolis 500 . Rick Mears earned the first victory for the engine in a 500 mile race at the 1987 Pocono 500 . A year later, Mears won the 1988 Indianapolis 500 , the engine's first win at Indianapolis. The engine went on to have a stellar record in CART . From 1987 to 1991, the "Chevy-A" engine won 64 of 78 races. In 1992 , the 265-A engine was followed up by the 265-B engine. The "Chevy-B"
4294-680: The 24 Hours of Le Mans , begun in 1923. It is run by the Automobile Club of the West (ACO). Team Ferrari won the race in 2023. With auto construction and racing dominated by France, the French automobile club ACF staged a number of major international races, usually from or to Paris, connecting with another major city, in France or elsewhere in Europe. Aspendale Racecourse , in Australia,
4407-634: The 24 Hours of Le Mans , the Rolex 24 at Daytona , 24 Hours of Spa -Franchorchamps, the 12 Hours of Sebring , the 6 Hours of Watkins Glen , and the 1,000-mile (1,600 km) Petit Le Mans at Road Atlanta . There is also the 24 Hours of the Nürburgring on the famed Nordschleife track and the Dubai 24 Hour , which is aimed at GT3 and below cars with a mixture of professional and pro-am drivers. Production-car racing, otherwise known as "showroom stock" in
4520-629: The California Air Resources Board (the most stringent in the U.S.), the federal Environmental Protection Agency and the European Union meant that all high-performance marine engines had to meet tough new exhaust emissions standards. The MV10-650 and the MV10-725, along with state-of-the-art Ilmor designed electronics were created to not only meet but exceed every requirement of the new regulations. Ilmor's MV10-725
4633-553: The WeatherTech SportsCar Championship starting in 2014. These races are often conducted over long distances, at least 1,000 km (621 mi), and cars are driven by teams of two or more drivers, switching every few hours. Due to the performance difference between production-based sports cars and purpose-built sports prototypes, one race usually involves several racing classes, each fighting for its own championship. Famous sports car races include
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4746-653: The World Touring Car Cup . The European Touring Car Cup is a one-day event open to Super 2000 specification touring cars from Europe's many national championships. While Super GT traces its lineage to the now-defunct JGTC , the cars are much more similar to GT3 race cars than proper touring cars, and also have much more aggressive aerodynamics. The Sports Car Club of America 's SPEED World Challenge Touring Car and GT championships are dominant in North America. America's historic Trans-Am Series
4859-475: The "C" throughout 1994. Without badging support, the engines were referred to simply as the "Ilmor-C" and the "Ilmor-D". The other engine introduced in 1994 was the top-secret 265-E (see below), which was actually a 3.43 liter pushrod engine, used by Penske Racing at the 1994 Indianapolis 500 . For 1995, Mercedes-Benz became the badging manufacturer for the Ilmor Indy car engines. The engine continued to be
4972-472: The 1980s and 1990s all over the United States. In North America, stock car racing is the most popular form of auto racing. Primarily raced on oval tracks , stock cars vaguely resemble production cars, but are in fact purpose-built racing machines that are built to tight specifications and, together with touring cars, also called Silhouette racing cars . The largest stock car racing governing body
5085-696: The 1990s, the company built a partnership with Mercedes-Benz to power F1 cars for both the Sauber and McLaren teams. After the death of Paul Morgan in a vintage aeroplane crash in 2001, Mercedes increased its stake until it owned the entire company, and renamed it Mercedes-Benz High Performance Engines Ltd. In 2005, Mario Illien concluded a deal to purchase the Special Projects part of the company in partnership with Roger Penske , which worked in partnership with Honda Performance Development for IndyCar engines between 2003 and 2011. This new company, which
5198-671: The 2000 season. Ilmor continued working in the United States on the Oldsmobile Aurora V8 for the IRL Penske entries. In 2003 Honda partnered with Ilmor on the Honda Indy V8 engine between 2003 and 2011 for co-assembling, preparation, tune-up and maintenance. At the conclusion of the 2011 season, Honda discontinued their partnership with Ilmor subsequently moving all design, development and production in house without any third-party tune-up partnership to HPD, for
5311-460: The 2007 season. On 15 March 2007 after one race, the team announced that they were taking a break from Moto GP as a result of funding issues. On 30 April they announced that they would run a "slimmed-down" set-up focused purely on engine development, releasing all unnecessary personnel but keeping riders McWilliams and Pitt under contract. ( key ) Auto racing Auto racing (also known as car racing , motor racing , or automobile racing )
5424-581: The 2012 Honda Indy V6. In 2012 Chevrolet returned to the IndyCar Series , partnering with Ilmor on the Chevrolet Indy V6 engine program and supplying free engines for Team Penske and rest of Chevrolet-powered IndyCar Series teams are customers by pay lease system. Ilmor is the option specification engine supplier of engines for the ARCA Menards Series and NASCAR Camping World Truck Series . Truck Series teams are allowed to use
5537-462: The 24 hours of Le Mans (held annually since 1923) and in the (European) Le Mans series , Asian Le Mans Series and the WeatherTech SportsCar Championship . These cars are referred to as LMP (Le Mans prototype) cars with LMH and LMDh cars being run mainly by manufacturers and the slightly less powerful LMP2 cars run by privateer teams. All three Le Mans Series run GT cars in addition to Le Mans Prototypes; these cars have different restrictions than
5650-484: The 265-A. Emerson Fittipaldi drove a "Chevy-B" to 4th place in points, but both he and Mears dropped out of that year's Indy 500 due to crashes. It was at this time that Ilmor was receiving new competition from Cosworth , which had just introduced their new powerplant, the Ford-Cosworth XB. For the 1993 season , the 265-C engine was introduced, intended to replace both the 265-A and the 265-B. The "Chevy-C"
5763-537: The 265s were no longer permitted in the IRL and the Indy 500, and from that point on raced in the CART series exclusively. In 1991 Ilmor entered Formula 1 with a V10 engine as exclusive supplier to the ambitious Leyton House team (formerly March ). After some troubles Leyton House returned to racing as March in 1992, still using Ilmor engines. Ilmor also supplied engines to the Tyrrell team, starting from 1992. Powered by
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#17327718334245876-499: The 37-year-old Fittipaldi made his debut in the American CART series. He spent his first season acclimatising to IndyCars, driving for two teams before joining Patrick Racing as a replacement for Chip Ganassi , who had been seriously injured in the 1984 Michigan 500 . The 1985 Michigan 500 marked Fittipaldi's first victory in CART. Fittipaldi stayed five years with Patrick Racing, recording six victories and solid finishes in
5989-1082: The 396 engine, which is primarily used in ARCA, for the Superstar Racing Experience . Back in F1, for 1995 Mercedes had set its sights on higher goals and went looking for an engine supply deal with a more competitive team. Sauber had the opportunity to become a customer team, but team principal Peter Sauber opted to sign a deal with full-works Ford instead. From then on Ilmor built the Mercedes-Benz engines exclusively for McLaren after Ilmor repositioned its Formula One involvement from independent engine manufacturer to trusted engine builder and assembler to Mercedes-Benz High Performance Engines . The Ilmor engines went on to be hugely successful with McLaren, scoring several podiums in both 1995 and 1996 , leading to three wins in 1997 and back to back drivers championship in 1998 and 1999 , as well as
6102-612: The Bois de Boulogne. On July 22, 1894, the Parisian magazine Le Petit Journal organized what is considered to be the world's first motoring competition, from Paris to Rouen. One hundred and two competitors paid a 10- franc entrance fee. The first American automobile race is generally considered to be the Thanksgiving Day Chicago Times-Herald race of November 28, 1895. Press coverage of
6215-755: The Brazilian A1 GP entry. In 2005 Fittipaldi made a surprise return to competitive racing in the Grand Prix Masters event held at Kyalami in South Africa , finishing second behind fellow F1 driver Nigel Mansell . In 2008, Emerson and his brother Wilson entered the Brazilian GT3 Championship , driving a Porsche 997 GT3 for the WB Motorsports team. In 2011, he started embracing social media and became
6328-544: The F1 Drivers' Championship. At 25, he was then the youngest champion in F1 history. It appeared he might do it again in 1973. After three wins in four attempts with the 72D, he began to struggle in the new 72E that was unveiled mid-year. It resulted in the reverse of the previous year, with Stewart beating Fittipaldi for the Drivers' Championship. Fittipaldi left Lotus to sign with the promising McLaren team. Driving
6441-409: The FIA GT cars. Another prototype and GT racing championship exists in the United States; the Grand-Am , which began in 2000, sanctions its own endurance series, the Rolex Sports Car Series , which consists of slower and lower-cost Daytona Prototype race cars compared to LMP and FIA GT cars. The Rolex Sports Car Series and American Le Mans Series announced a merger between the two series forming
6554-496: The Fittipaldi cars not competitive enough to fight for victories. Fittipaldi took two more podium finishes, before retiring in 1980 . Following his Formula One career, Fittipaldi moved to the American CART series, achieving numerous successes, including the 1989 CART title and two wins at the Indianapolis 500 in 1989 and 1993 . Since his retirement from Indy Car racing in 1996 , Fittipaldi races only occasionally. In 2008, he became one of only three people in history to have
6667-416: The Ilmor V10's underwent extensive durability testing and the results were encouraging. Armed with enough knowledge and experience from the initial marine exposure and having completed a comprehensive study of the marine business at large, Ilmor made long term plans to enter the powerboat business in a serious manner. Since 2004, Ilmor's high-performance marine division has enjoyed substantial growth, becoming
6780-422: The Ilmor V10, Tyrrell scored eight points through Andrea de Cesaris and March another three through Karl Wendlinger . Ilmor were gaining a reasonable reputation in F1, and so the Sauber sportscar team and Mercedes-Benz, who were planning their Formula One entry together, signed a deal with Ilmor after scrapping plans for a Mercedes engine. In order to protect their image, Mercedes took on an observational role in
6893-405: The Ilmor- Chevrolet Indy V-8, debuted at the 1986 Indianapolis 500 with Team Penske driver Al Unser . In 1987, the engine program expanded to all three Penske team drivers ( Rick Mears , Danny Sullivan , and Al Unser), Patrick Racing , and Newman/Haas Racing . Mario Andretti , driving for Newman/Haas, won at Long Beach , the engine's first Indy car victory. He also won the pole position for
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#17327718334247006-553: The Mercedes-Benz 500I engine for Team Penske (although work on this started long before the Mercedes takeover as a private project between Ilmor and Penske). The 500I exploited a loophole in the engine rules at the Indianapolis 500 (which was run under slightly different rules to other CART races). Originally stock-block engines based on production units, fitted with two pushrod and rocker arm actuated valves per cylinder, were permitted to run at increased cubic capacity (3.43 litres vs 2.65 litres) and significantly greater turbo boost than
7119-411: The No. 1 Jochen Rindt won, and the No. 2 John Miles retired. Team Lotus plans for the season drastically changed when Jochen Rindt was killed at Monza in September and became the only driver to win the championship posthumously. John Miles also left the team, and Fittipaldi was promoted to be the Lotus No. 1 driver on his fifth F1 race at the United States GP with Reine Wisell and Pete Lovely as
7232-407: The Presbyterian tradition. He was a friend of Beatles guitarist George Harrison and was with him shortly before Harrison died in November 2001. In 2016, Fittipaldi established Fittipaldi Motors, and along with Pininfarina and HWA AG , created his first sports car project, the Fittipaldi EF7 , though the car never entered production. In August 2022, Fittipaldi announced his candidacy for
7345-467: The SuperCat Offshore Racing Series of the American Power Boat Association (APBA). Recognizing the business potential, Ilmor worked with then co-owner DaimlerChrysler to marinize and modify the Dodge Viper 's V10. Late that year, the first two prototype 550 HP engines were installed in a new 58-foot (18 m) sport rubber dinghy. In close collaboration with Pete Hledin of Douglas Marine (the parent company of Skater) and Bob Morgan of Big Thunder Marine,
7458-697: The UK and upwards of 7000 active drivers. The sport is split into three basic divisions – distinguished by the rules regarding car contact during racing. The most famous championship are the BriSCA F1 Stock Cars . Full-contact formulas include Bangers , Bombers, and Rookie Bangers – and racing features Demolition Derbies, Figure of Eight, and Oval Racing. Semi Contact Formulas include BriSCA F1, F2, and Superstox – where bumpers are used tactically. Non-contact formulas include National Hot Rods, Stock Rods, and Lightning Rods. Emerson Fittipaldi Emerson Fittipaldi ( Portuguese pronunciation: [ˈɛmeʁsõ fitʃiˈpawdʒi] ; born 12 December 1946)
7571-532: The UK, the major club series are the Monoposto Racing Club , BRSCC F3 (formerly ClubF3, formerly ARP F3), Formula Vee and Club Formula Ford. Each series caters to a section of the market, with some primarily providing low-cost racing, while others aim for an authentic experience using the same regulations as the professional series (BRSCC F3). The SCCA is also responsible for sanctioning single-seater racing in much of North America. There are other categories of single-seater racing, including kart racing , which employs
7684-401: The US, is an economical and rules-restricted version of touring-car racing, mainly used to restrict costs. Numerous production racing categories are based on particular makes of cars. Most series, with a few exceptions, follow the Group N regulation. There are several different series that are run all over the world, most notably, Japan's Super Taikyu and IMSA 's Firehawk Series, which ran in
7797-409: The United States, including the NASCAR Canada Series , NASCAR Mexico Series , NASCAR Whelen Euro Series , and NASCAR Brasil Sprint Race . NASCAR also governs several smaller regional series, such as the Whelen Modified Tour . Modified cars are best described as open-wheel cars. Modified cars have no parts related to the stock vehicle for which they are named after. A number of modified cars display
7910-438: The United States, the most popular series is the IndyCar Series . The cars have traditionally been similar to, though less technologically sophisticated than, F1 cars , with more restrictions on technology aimed at controlling costs. While these cars are not as technologically advanced, they are faster, in part due to their lower downforce compared to F1 cars, and also because they compete on oval race tracks, being able to average
8023-490: The World Series by Renault, succession series of World Series by Nissan ), Formula Three , Formula Palmer Audi and Formula Atlantic . In 2009, the FIA Formula Two Championship brought about the revival of the F2 series. Domestic, or country-specific, series include Formula Three and Formula Renault, with the leading introductory series being Formula Ford . Single-seater racing is not limited merely to professional teams and drivers. There exist many amateur racing clubs. In
8136-508: The age of 25. At the time, he was the youngest ever F1 world champion, and he held the record for 33 years. He later moved to McLaren for 1974 , winning the title once again, and helping McLaren win their first Constructors' Championship . He surprised the paddock by moving to his brother's Fittipaldi Automotive team prior to the 1976 season , being replaced by James Hunt . Success eluded him during his final years in Formula One, with
8249-556: The business is now using its racing expertise to diversify into other areas such as OEM automotive, defence, marine and energy efficient engine applications. Both engineers were working at Cosworth on the Cosworth DFX turbocharged methanol engine for the CART Indy Car World Series ; differences of opinion over the direction in which DFX development should go (Cosworth were inherently conservative as they had
8362-506: The citrus industry. Fan reaction was negative to the break in tradition despite the fact that Fittipaldi did drink milk shortly after. As a result of drinking the juice, Fittipaldi forfeited $ 5,000 from the winner's purse and publicly apologized to the American Dairy Association. Fan reaction to the milk snub was highly negative, and he was booed a week later at Milwaukee , a center of the American dairy industry. In
8475-641: The class and the whole of the marathon powerboat series. With the crew of Marcus Hendricks, Eric Smillie and Tim Grimshaw. Then in 2010 it was re-rigged with the new range of MV10-725 engines. Shortly after the re-rig the boat was raced in the Around Ireland 2010 powerboat race, which it won overall and won its class. It was then raced in the Cowes-Torquay-Cowes powerboat race of 2010. With the crew of Marcus Hendricks, Eric Smille and Simon Woodpower. In 2006, Ilmor announced that they would enter
8588-471: The constructor's championship in 1998. Although they did not win another championship until 2008 the Ilmor-Mercedes engines won several races. In 2001 Paul Morgan was killed while landing one of his vintage airplanes, a Hawker Sea Fury at Sywell Aerodrome , Northamptonshire . In 2002 DaimlerChrysler increased its share to 55% and renamed the company Mercedes-Ilmor. In 2005 DaimlerChrysler became
8701-482: The event first aroused significant American interest in the automobile. The Targa Florio was an open road endurance automobile race held in the mountains of Sicily , Italy near the island's capital of Palermo . Founded in 1906 , it was the oldest sports car racing event, part of the World Sportscar Championship between 1955 and 1973. The oldest surviving sports car racing event is
8814-452: The expanded facility (over 44,000 square feet) houses more than 100 people, and produces high performance products in multiple powertrain related arenas including auto racing, boat racing, high-performance road cars, high performance offshore powerboats and custom V-twin motorcycles. As part of a broader desire to diversify the U.S. company's business base, Ilmor, Inc., entered the high-performance marine world in 2002, building race engines for
8927-660: The first year of competition for the engines, a pair of Ilmor Marine MV10-625 engines powered the #99 Fountain Worldwide “King of Shaves” powerboat to the coveted 2007 Powerboat P1 Evolution Class World Championship. The successful first year of competition was backed up with two additional European based Powerboat P1 World Championships in 2008 and 2009 and World Championship success in the US in 2008. The success validated Ilmor's belief that its production based high-performance marine engine could race and win against any competition throughout
9040-512: The highly efficient McLaren M23 , he had three victories in 1974, reached the podium four other times, and beat out Clay Regazzoni in a close battle for his second championship. The following season, he notched two more victories and four other podiums, but was second to a dominant Niki Lauda . However, at the height of his F1 success, Fittipaldi shocked everyone by leaving McLaren to race for older brother Wilson Fittipaldi 's Copersucar -sponsored Fittipaldi Automotive team. He remained with
9153-410: The infield as Fittipaldi passed by on the final lap. Roger Penske hired Fittipaldi for his racing team in 1990 and he continued to be among the top drivers in CART, winning at least one race with Penske for six straight years. But for bad luck he might have won three consecutive Indianapolis 500s, suffering blistered tires in 1990 and a gearbox failure in 1991, both while leading. In 1993 he added
9266-783: The last step up to premier GT-class racing. Other major GT championships include the GT World Challenge America , GT World Challenge Asia , Super GT , and the International GT Open . There are minor regional and national GT series using mainly GT4 and GT3 cars featuring both amateur and professional drivers. Sports prototypes, unlike GT cars, do not rely on road-legal cars as a base. They are closed-wheel and often closed-cockpit purpose-built race cars intended mainly for endurance racing. They have much lower weight, more horsepower and more downforce compared to GT cars, making them much faster. They are raced in
9379-447: The lead on lap 196. Three laps later, Fittipaldi used lapped traffic to his advantage to pull alongside Unser on the backstretch. Neither driver would give way, and the two cars touched wheels as they went through turn three side by side. Unser's car spun out of control to hit the outside wall, while Fittipaldi was able to maintain sufficient control to keep his car moving straight. In spite of the altercation, Unser applauded Fittipaldi from
9492-442: The most popular class of GT cars, with premier racing series such as the FIA World Endurance Championship and IMSA both using GT3 as their top class of GT car. GT3 cars have more significant aero than a GT2 car, but also have less horsepower, typically falling in between 500 and 550 horsepower. GT4 class cars have very little aerodynamics and less horsepower than GT3 machinery, typically around 450 horsepower. GT4 typically serves as
9605-465: The old 1993 spec customer engines. In 32 attempts, the Pacific cars qualified seven times. After Pacific GP Lotus lost its Ilmor customer supply deal to Ford Zetec in 1995, Ilmor decided to reposition its Formula One involvement. The 265D V8s ran the entire 1994 Indy Car season badged as "Ilmor Indy V8", with Team Penske headlining the program, which included free engines. In 1994, Ilmor produced
9718-464: The oldest car racing series still active in the world. The first TC competition took place in 1931 with 12 races, each in a different province. Future Formula One star Juan Manuel Fangio (Chevrolet) won the 1940 and 1941 editions of the TC. It was during this time that the series' Chevrolet-Ford rivalry began, with Ford acquiring most of its historical victories. Over the last few years, auto racing has seen
9831-511: The oldest existing purpose-built and still in use automobile race course in the United States is the 2.5-mile-long (4.0 km) Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana . It is the largest capacity sports venue of any variety worldwide, with a top capacity of some 257,000+ seated spectators. NASCAR was founded by Bill France Sr. on February 21, 1948, with the help of several other drivers. The first NASCAR " Strictly Stock " race ever
9944-464: The option crate engine based on the LSX, and many teams have switched to the option engine. Ilmor was heavily criticized when four of its NT1 engines failed during the 2019 World of Westgate 200 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway , effectively eliminating ThorSport Racing drivers Grant Enfinger and Johnny Sauter from the playoffs. Matt Crafton also experienced an engine failure during the race, but survived
10057-417: The overall standings. In 1989 Fittipaldi had five wins, finished in the top five in every race he completed, and was the CART champion. Among his wins was a dominant performance in the 1989 Indianapolis 500 where he led 158 of 200 laps and won by two laps, but only after a dramatic duel with Al Unser Jr. in the closing laps of the race. Unser ran down Fittipaldi after a late-race restart and passed him for
10170-473: The playoffs due to his points standings. The manufacturer took responsibility for the engines that suffered from severe detonation due to the combination of the high engine load condition combined with the extreme weather conditions in Las Vegas. Despite Ilmor's announcement, NASCAR denied ThorSport's request to reinstate Enfinger and Sauter into the playoffs. In 2021 Ilmor partnered with Edelbrock to supply
10283-476: The project and the cars had "Concept by Mercedes-Benz" written in the engine cover. After scoring 12 points in 1993, Mercedes entered officially in 1994 using an updated version of the 1993 engine, and now "Powered by Mercedes-Benz" was seen on the Sauber engine-cover. The same year Mercedes-Benz acquired Chevrolet 's 25% share of Ilmor. In 1994 Ilmor also supplied the new Pacific GP team of Keith Wiggins with
10396-590: The pure racing engines. For several years Buick V6 units had been extremely fast but fragile; the restrictions were relaxed with the intent of permitting Buick-like engines to use stronger but still production-like blocks – the Menard engine based on the Buick took this approach, as did the unsuccessful Greenfield V8. Ilmor realized that this provided scope for a completely new pure-bred racing engine – it would need to retain pushrods, but could be designed specifically for
10509-569: The reduction of the schedule from 56 to 34 races a year, established 1972 as the beginning of NASCAR's "modern era". The IMSA GT Series evolved into the American Le Mans Series , which ran its first season in 1998. The European races eventually became the closely related European Le Mans Series , both of which mix prototypes and GTs. Turismo Carretera (TC) is a popular touring car racing series in Argentina, and one of
10622-532: The requirements of the Indianapolis 500, and in strict secrecy schemed a completely new V8 engine which was approximately 200 bhp (150 kW) more powerful than the Cosworth XB and Ilmor 265D opposition. Team Penske's cars were by far the fastest at the 1994 Indianapolis 500 , and Al Unser Jr. won the race, with Emerson Fittipaldi also figuring strongly until an accident on lap 184. The loophole
10735-532: The sole owner of Ilmor and renamed the company Mercedes-Benz High Performance Engines Ltd . Ilmor Engineering, Inc., a sister company to Ilmor U.K., was incorporated in 1990 (President – Paul Ray) with the primary goal of providing engineering support to customers using the Ilmor Ltd.-manufactured Chevrolet 265A Indy Car engine. In 1998, the headquarters moved from its original facility in Redford, Michigan, into
10848-759: The sport, former Formula 2 champion Jonathan Palmer reopened the F2 category again; most drivers have graduated from the Formula Palmer Audi series. The category is officially registered as the FIA Formula Two championship. Most rounds have two races and are support races to the FIA World Touring Car Championship . Touring car racing is a style of road racing that is run with production-derived four-seat race cars. The lesser use of aerodynamics means following cars have
10961-411: The team for five seasons but only managed a best finish of second. Fittipaldi decided to retire from racing at the end of 1980. He has since said that his last two years in Formula One were very unhappy: "I was too involved in the problems of trying to make the team work, and I neglected my marriage and my personal life", although at the time he cited the deaths of many of his colleagues as his reason. He
11074-484: The teammates. Fittipaldi proved up to the task and won this first post-Rindt race for Lotus. In his first full year as Lotus's lead driver in 1971, Fittipaldi finished sixth in the Drivers' Championship as the team further developed the previous season's Lotus 72 . Armed with what was arguably the greatest Formula one design of all time, the Lotus 72D, Fittipaldi proved dominant in 1972 as he won five of 11 races and claimed
11187-567: The testing ground for younger drivers. This was in contrast to the team's tradition to use non-championship F1 events for the purpose. The third seat was given to Alex Soler-Roig in early 1970, and then to Fittipaldi starting with the British GP in July, with Jochen Rindt and John Miles as the regular seat holders. Fittipaldi scored a fourth place as the No. 3 driver at the next German GP where
11300-464: The world. There has also been great success for the “Cinzano Bianco” race team in the UK marathon powerboat racing world championships. This boat was first raced in 2008 in the Cowes-Torquay-Cowes powerboat race with the MV10-625 engine. With the crew of Tim Grimshaw, Eric Smillie and Nik Keyser. It came fifth overall and second in marathon class B. It was then raced again in 2009 in the marathon class B series and came first in class and first overall for
11413-517: The years that followed, many fans continued to hold the action against him. In interviews since, Fittipaldi explained his action, and apologised for the wave of negativity that followed. Fittipaldi returned to Indianapolis to drive the Chevrolet Corvette Pace Car for the 2008 Indianapolis 500 . Despite the passage of 15 years, he was again booed and heckled by some fans during the parade laps. In May 1994, Fittipaldi skipped
11526-561: Was closed for 1995, and Penske, a year behind on development for Indy, failed to qualify their 265D-powered cars for that year's 500. For 1995 the 265D V8s were rebadged Mercedes and continued to be highly competitive, with Al Unser Jr. finishing runner-up with four wins. Rahal-Hogan Racing joined Penske as major teams, as Bobby Rahal collected five podiums to finish third in the overall standings. In 1996, Penske's Unser Jr. finished fourth, Rahal seventh and his teammate Bryan Herta eighth, with neither collecting wins. In 1997, Unser Jr. had
11639-630: Was confirmed as the rider for the Michelin -shod bike in its 2006 appearances, scoring points both in the 2006 Portuguese Grand Prix at the Autódromo do Estoril and the 2006 Gran Premio de la Comunitat Valenciana , becoming the first rider to score points on an 800cc MotoGP machine, though McCoy finished last on both occasions, four and seven laps down respectively. On 18 December 2006, Ilmor Engineering confirmed via their website that Jeremy McWilliams and Andrew Pitt had been selected as riders for
11752-463: Was created in 2006. The group was an assemblage of drivers from different racing disciplines and formed for an MTV reality pilot, which was shot at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca . In December 2005, the FIA gave approval to Superleague Formula racing, which debuted in 2008, whereby the racing teams are owned and run by prominent sports clubs such as A.C. Milan and Liverpool F.C. After 25 years away from
11865-425: Was fielded singly by Penske Racing ( Rick Mears and Emerson Fittipaldi ) in 1992 and won four CART series races. All other Ilmor teams remained with the venerable "Chevy-A" for 1992. Bobby Rahal , driving a "Chevy-A" won the 1992 CART championship, the fifth consecutive (and final) for the 265-A. Al Unser Jr. won the 1992 Indianapolis 500 driving a "Chevy-A", also the fifth consecutive (and final) Indy 500 win for
11978-732: Was first trained and then subsequently engaged by the Jim Russell Driving School Formula Three team. He won nine F3 races on the Jim Russell Lotus 59 in the MCD Lombard Championship to become the 1969 champion. For 1970 , Fittipaldi moved up to F2 by joining the Lotus semi-works Team Bardahl campaigning Lotus 59B . With six finishes in the points and four on the podium, he ended the eight-race season in third place behind Clay Regazzoni and Derek Bell . While this result
12091-744: Was held on June 19, 1949, at Daytona Beach, Florida , U.S.. From 1962, sports cars temporarily took a back seat to GT cars , with the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA) replacing the World Championship for Sports Cars with the International Championship for GT Manufacturers. From 1962 through 2003, NASCAR's premier series was called the Winston Cup Series, sponsored by R. J. Reynolds Tobacco Company cigarette brand Winston . The changes that resulted from RJR's involvement, as well as
12204-481: Was named after American author and philosopher, Ralph Waldo Emerson . Both his parents had raced production cars shortly after the Second World War and Wilson Sr was also responsible for the first Mil Milhas race in 1956, in São Paulo, having been inspired by the 1949 Italian Mille Miglia . Emerson, along with his brother Wilson, became motorsports enthusiasts as young children. At age 14, Fittipaldi
12317-503: Was only 33, but had been racing in Formula One for a decade. He had failed to finish seven of the last ten races that year and had several times been outpaced by his Finnish teammate Keke Rosberg (a future champion himself). He moved into the management of the team alongside his brother. The team struggled on for another two years with minimal sponsorship, going into receivership at the end of 1982. After leaving F1 in 1980, Fittipaldi took time out from major racing for four years. In 1984,
12430-417: Was racing motorcycles , and at 16, hydroplanes . While racing one day, his brother Wilson blew over at 70 mph (110 km/h) and landed upside down. Wilson was uninjured in the accident, but it prompted both Fittipaldi brothers to stop competing in boat racing and focus solely on racing land vehicles. In 1967, Fittipaldi won the 6 Hours of Interlagos in a Volkswagen Karmann Ghia at the age of 20, and
12543-578: Was the world's first purpose-built motor racing circuit , opening in January 1906. The pear-shaped track was close to a mile in length, with slightly banked curves and a gravel surface of crushed cement. Brooklands , in Surrey, England, was the first purpose-built 'banked' motor racing venue, opening in June 1907. It featured a 4.43 km (2.75 mi) concrete track with high-speed banked corners. One of
12656-419: Was used widespread, and produced continued success for Ilmor. Some backmarker teams continued to utilize the "A" and "B" engines during the 1993 season, but neither the "A" nor the "B" would win another Indy car race. Chevrolet dropped its badging support after the 1993 season. For the 1994 season , two new engines were introduced. The 265-D engine replaced the 265-C, although some of the smaller teams still ran
12769-529: Was very impressive for the newcomer to the series, the spotlight was on Fittipaldi that year because of his activities in Formula One instead. Based on the success of the Cosworth DFV engine and Lotus 49 / 49B cars in 1968, Team Lotus was enjoying the reputation as one of the top F1 teams with the inflow of sponsorship money, and Colin Chapman used the third seat on the team for championship races as
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