Gary Chalandon

Last updated

Gary Chalandon
Nationality French
Born (1986-09-26) 26 September 1986 (age 37)
Décines-Charpieu, France
Previous series
2011
2011
2010
2010–2011
2009
2008
2005		 European GT3
FFSA GT
24 Hours of Le Mans
LMS
FLM
Formul'Academy Euro Series
French Karting Championship
Championship titles
2010 FLM
24 Hours of Le Mans career
Years 2010
Teams Team Bruichladdich
Best finish10th (2010)

Gary Chalandon (born 26 September 1986) is a French racing driver. He is most notable for competing in the 24 Hours of Le Mans, Formula Le Mans Cup and the Le Mans Series. He won the Formula Le Mans class of the Le Mans Series in 2010, whilst driving for DAMS.

Contents

Career

Chalandon was born in Décines-Charpieu, France on 26 September 1986. [1] He competed in the X30 class of the French Karting Championship in 2005, finishing fifth, before making his car racing debut in the Formul'Academy Euro Series in 2008, where he finished twentieth, with one point. [1] He joined the Formula Le Mans Cup in 2009, driving for Boutsen Energy Racing in their LS3-engined Oreca FLM09. Partnering fellow Frenchman Dimitri Enjalbert, he made his debut in the series in the Algarve round, finishing third in race one, and fifth in race two. [2] He drove alongside Enjalbert again for the Nürburgring round, finishing third in race one (having qualified on pole), and fourth in race two. [3] Enjalbert was replaced by the Austrian Dominik Kraihamer for the next round at Silverstone, with the best finish of the weekend being fifth in race one. [4] He was partnered by another Frenchman, Johan-Boris Scheier, in the season finale at Magny-Cours, with their best result being a third place in race two. [5] He finished seventh overall in the championship, with 89 points from 12 races. [1]

In 2010, the Formula Le Mans Cup was incorporated into the Le Mans Series, and Chalandon joined DAMS, partnering Andrea Barlesi and Alessandro Cicognani. [6] In the first round of the season, the 8 Hours of Le Castellet, the trio finished in third place in class, in their first ever Le Mans Series race. [7] The next round, the 1000 km of Spa, was unsuccessful, with the team being forced to retire the car due to steering damage. [8] Following an injury to Team Bruichladdich driver Christian Ebbesvik during the 1000 km of Spa, Chalandon was named as his replacement for the 24 Hours of Le Mans. [9] Chalandon, partnering Bruichladdich's regular drivers Tim Greaves and Karim Ojjeh, entered in the LMP2 category, driving a Ginetta-Zytek GZ09S/2. [10] The team finished fifth in the LMP2 category, with Chalandon drawing praise from Tim Greaves, who said "Gary did extremely well in his first Le Mans practice and qualifying. He is one of the youngest drivers on the grid and we are very please with all aspects of his driving and attitude." [11] Following the 24 Hours of Le Mans, Chalandon returned to the Le Mans Series, finishing second in class at the next round, the 1000 km of Algarve. [12] This was followed by his first class ever victory in the following round, the 1000 km of Hungaroring. [13] The 1000 km of Silverstone was the final race of the season, and fourth in class was enough to take the Formula Le Mans title by two points, with Hope Polevision Racing's Steve Zacchia finishing second. [14] [15]

For 2011, Chalandon rejoined Team Bruichladdich, this time in the LMP2 category of the Le Mans Series. [16] He was partnered by Tom Kimber-Smith and Ojjeh in the new Zytek Z11SN. [17] [18] However, his first race for the team, whom had been renamed to Greaves Motorsport prior to the start of the season, [17] came in the third Sportscars Winter Series event of the season on 6 March 2011, taking a victory, a fourth place, and a sixth-place finish, driving alongside Ojjeh in a Radical. [19] In the Le Mans Series, the team won their class in the first round of the season, the 6 Hours of Castellet, and third overall. [18] For the 24 Hours of Le Mans test session, Chalandon, Ojjeh and Kimber-Smith were partnered by Alex Brundle, with Kimber-Smith setting the third fastest time in the LMP2 class. [20] The second round of the Le Mans Series, which was the 1000 km of Spa, proved to be less successful than the previous two events, with Greaves Motorsport only able to finish eighth in class, after an incident-filled race. [21] This would prove to be the last time Chalandon drove for Greaves Motorsport, as he left the team, and was replaced by Olivier Lombard. [22] His two races were enough for 11th in the LMP2 category, with 20 points. [1] Chalandon switched to the FFSA GT Championship, and entered the Magny-Cours round on 10 July, driving alongside Didier André in a Team WRT-entered Audi R8 LMS. The pair finished fourteenth in the first race, and fifteenth in the second. [23] A week later, André and Chalandon entered the Paul Ricard round of the FIA GT3 European Championship, finishing sixteenth in race one, [24] and twelfth in race two. [25]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gibson Technology</span> English automotive and motorsport company

Gibson Technology is an automotive and motorsport company based at Repton, Derbyshire, England. It was founded by Bill Gibson as Zytek Engineering in 1981.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Radical Sportscars</span> British car manufacturer

Radical Motorsport is a British manufacturer and constructor of racing cars. The company was founded in January 1997 by amateur drivers and engineers Mick Hyde and Phil Abbott, who built open cockpit sportscars which could be registered for road use and run on a track without modification. Radical produce a mix of purpose built race cars as well as road legal sports cars in varying specifications. Their most popular car is the Radical SR3.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Warren Hughes</span> British racing driver (born 1969)

Warren Hughes is a racing driver from Sunderland, England.

Thor–Christian Ebbesvik is a professional racing driver from Norway.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alex Brundle</span> British racing driver

Alexander Brundle is a British racing driver and broadcaster. He was the 2016 European Le Mans Series champion (LMP3) and is the son of Formula One driver-turned-commentator Martin Brundle. He attended Oakham School in Rutland.

The 2010 Le Mans Series was the seventh season of Automobile Club de l'Ouest's Le Mans Series. It featured five events between 11 April and 12 September 2010. For the first time in 2010, Formula Le Mans (FLM) cars were run in a fifth class in the series, running alongside Le Mans Prototype cars and GT cars, rather than as a support series. It was also the final season when GT1 cars were allowed to run in the series.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chris Buncombe</span>

Christopher James Buncombe is a British racing driver who made his last appearance at the Le Mans 24 Hours was in 2011. He joined Aston Martin Racing at the end of the 2009 season when he drove in the Le Mans Series scoring a podium finish on his debut with the team at Nürburgring driving the 008 Aston Martin LMP1 car. Chris won the 2007 24 Hours of Le Mans in the LMP2 class driving for Binnie Motorsports in their Lola B05/40-Zytek.

Karim Ojjeh is a Saudi Arabian businessman and racing driver. He is the younger brother of Mansour Ojjeh and son of Akram Ojjeh. He is a director of TAG Finance S.A. In his spare time he races in the Le Mans Series and the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Strakka Racing</span> Auto racing team based in the United Kingdom

Strakka Racing was a British auto racing team founded by Nick Leventis. The team was based at the Silverstone Circuit in Northamptonshire. The team made history at the 2010 1000 km of Hungaroring when they became the first team in Le Mans Series history to win overall in an LMP2 class car. They also became the first team in LMS history to take overall pole position in an LMP2 class car.

Elton Julian is an American racecar driver and team owner. After driving at the International Formula 3000 and the FIA World Endurance Championship, he has entered DragonSpeed at the FIA WEC, WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, European Le Mans Series and IndyCar Series.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Olivier Lombard</span> French racing driver

Olivier Lombard is a French racing driver, racing in the FIA World Endurance Championship for Signatech-Nissan.

The Ginetta-Zytek GZ09S was a LMP1-class Le Mans Prototype race car, built by Zytek Engineering following their partial merger with Ginetta. It was an evolutionary update of the Zytek 07S, with the bodywork altered for the 2009 LMP regulations. The GZ09S/2 was a LMP2-class version of the same car In 2011, its successor, the Nissan-engined Zytek Z11SN, made its competitive debut, following the latest rule changes to the LMP regulations. The GZ09S was retired at the end of that season, as it was no longer eligible to compete.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Zytek Z11SN</span> Le Mans racing car

The Zytek Z11SN is an LMP2-class racing car built by Zytek Engineering since 2011. Powered by a 4.5-litre Nissan V8 engine, it is an evolution of the Zytek 07S and the Zytek 09SC, updated for the new Le Mans Prototype regulations that were introduced in 2011. It was predominantly used in the European Le Mans Series and the 24 Hours of Le Mans, and a Greaves Motorsport-entered Z11SN won the LMP2 categories of both contests in 2011. In 2014, Jota Sport won the LMP2 category of the 24 Hours of Le Mans with a Z11SN.

Jody Firth is a British racing driver, who most recently competed in the British GT Championship.

Greaves Motorsport is a British racing team, currently competing in the European Le Mans Series and the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

John Timothy Greaves is a British former racing driver and the team principal of Greaves Motorsport. He raced in various Radical series during the 2000s and also drove in the Le Mans Series and 24 Hours of Le Mans between 2004 and 2010.

The 2014 European Le Mans Series season was the eleventh season of the Automobile Club de l'Ouest's European Le Mans Series. The five-event season began at Silverstone Circuit, in conjunction with the FIA World Endurance Championship, from 18–19 April and ended at Autódromo do Estoril on 19 October.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Murphy Prototypes</span> Irish auto racing team

Murphy Prototypes is an Irish auto racing team founded by ex-single seater racer Greg Murphy. The team is based in Dublin and currently, compete in the Le Mans running a Duqueine D-08 in the LMP3 Class.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jota Sport</span> British sports car racing team

Jota Sport is a British sports car racing team. Founded as Team Jota by Sam Hignett and John Stack, Jota Sport is part of the Jota Group which is owned by Sam Hignett and David Clark. The team is based in Tunbridge Wells in England. Jota Sport has finished on the overall podium of 2017 24 Hours of Le Mans with two Oreca in an alliance with Jackie Chan DC Racing. In 2018/2019 Jota competed, in partnership with Arden International, RP Motorsport, Jackie Chan DC Racing and Aston Martin in the FIA World Endurance Championship with two ORECA 07 LMP2 and in the GT World Challenge Europe with Mclaren 720S GT3 cars.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Zytek 07S</span>

The Zytek 07S is a sports prototype race car, designed, developed and built by British manufacturer Zytek, to compete in the LMP1 class in sports car racing, in 2007. It is the successor of the Zytek 04S. The chassis evolved in 2009 and took the name Ginetta-Zytek GZ09S following the merger between Ginetta and Zytek who have a common shareholder in the person of Lawrence Tomlinson.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "Gary Chalandon career statistics". Driver Database. Retrieved 5 July 2013.
  2. ↑ "Formula Le Mans Algarve 2009 – Photo Gallery". Racing Sports Cars. 2 August 2009. Retrieved 5 July 2013.
  3. ↑ "Formula Le Mans Nürburgring 2009 – Photo Gallery". Racing Sports Cars. 22 August 2009. Retrieved 5 July 2013.
  4. ↑ "Formula Le Mans Silverstone 2009 – Photo Gallery". Racing Sports Cars. 12 September 2009. Retrieved 5 July 2013.
  5. ↑ "Formula Le Mans Magny-Cours 2009 – Photo Gallery". Racing Sports Cars. 20 September 2009. Retrieved 5 July 2013.
  6. ↑ DAMS (5 March 2010). "FLMS: DAMS enters Formula Le Mans Championship". Motorsport.com. Archived from the original on 29 October 2013. Retrieved 5 July 2013.
  7. ↑ DAMS (14 April 2010). "Paul Ricard: DAMS race report". Motorsport.com. Archived from the original on 29 October 2013. Retrieved 5 July 2013.
  8. ↑ DAMS (11 May 2010). "FLM: Spa: DAMS event summary". Motorsport.com. Archived from the original on 29 October 2013. Retrieved 5 July 2013.
  9. ↑ Team Bruichladdich (9 June 2010). "Team Bruichladdich preview". Motorsport.com. Archived from the original on 29 October 2013. Retrieved 5 July 2013.
  10. ↑ Zytek (11 June 2010). "Zytek final qualifying report". Motorsport.com. Archived from the original on 29 October 2013. Retrieved 5 July 2013.
  11. ↑ Team Bruichladdich (17 June 2010). "Team Bruichladdich race report". Motorsport.com. Archived from the original on 29 October 2013. Retrieved 5 July 2013.
  12. ↑ "Portimao: Series race report". Motorsport.com. 17 July 2010. Archived from the original on 24 April 2017. Retrieved 5 July 2013.
  13. ↑ Le Mans Series (24 August 2010). "Hungaroring: Series race report". Motorsport.com. Archived from the original on 29 October 2013. Retrieved 5 July 2013.
  14. ↑ "Silverstone 1000 Kilometres 2010 – Race Results". Racing Sports Cars. 12 September 2010. Retrieved 5 July 2013.
  15. ↑ Le Mans Series (13 September 2010). "Silverstone: Series race report". Motorsport.com. Archived from the original on 29 October 2013. Retrieved 5 July 2013.
  16. ↑ Doret, Jean-Philippe (2 December 2010). "Gary Chalandon Joins Team Bruichladdich". 24 Hours of Le Mans. Retrieved 5 July 2013.
  17. 1 2 Greaves Motorsport (26 January 2011). "Thor-Christian Ebbesvik joins Greaves Motorsports". Motorsport.com. Archived from the original on 29 October 2013. Retrieved 5 July 2013.
  18. 1 2 Jalonen, Mikko (3 April 2011). "Pescarolo Team takes victory at Paul Ricard". Motorsport.com. Archived from the original on 29 October 2013. Retrieved 5 July 2013.
  19. ↑ "Sportscars Winter Series Paul Ricard – Race 3 2011". Racing Sports Cars. 6 March 2011. Retrieved 5 July 2013.
  20. ↑ Greaves Motorsport (27 April 2011). "Greaves Motorsport Le Mans Test Report". Motorsport.com. Archived from the original on 29 October 2013. Retrieved 5 July 2013.
  21. ↑ Greaves Motorsport (10 May 2011). "Greaves Motorsport Spa Race Report". Motorsport.com. Archived from the original on 29 October 2013. Retrieved 5 July 2013.
  22. ↑ Greaves Motorsport (28 May 2011). "Olivier Lombard Joins Greaves Motorsport". Motorsport.com. Archived from the original on 29 October 2013. Retrieved 5 July 2013.
  23. ↑ "FFSA GT Championship Magny-Cours 2011 – Photo Gallery". Racing Sports Cars. 10 July 2011. Retrieved 5 July 2013.
  24. ↑ "Results: 2011 Round 4 – Paul Ricard – Race 1". FIA GT3 European Championship. Retrieved 5 July 2013.
  25. ↑ "Results: 2011 Round 4 – Paul Ricard – Race 2". FIA GT3 European Championship. Retrieved 5 July 2013.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.