Ken Anderson (motorsport)

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Ken Anderson
Born (1956-01-24) 24 January 1956 (age 69)
Boston, Massachusetts, United States 
NationalityAmerican
OccupationMotorsport engineer

Ken Anderson (born 24 January 1956) is an American motorsport engineer whose career has spanned more than four decades across disciplines including IndyCar, Formula One, NASCAR, and land speed record projects. He has held senior technical positions in multiple teams and has contributed to several championship- and race-winning cars. [1] [2]

Contents

Early Life

Anderson began his career racing motocross. Between 1979 and 1984, he worked as General Manager and Chief Designer at Moto X Fox / Fox Factory, where he developed suspension systems used in championship-winning motorcycles and offroad racing vehicles. [3] His suspension designs were later applied in IndyCar, contributing to the 1982 IndyCar Championship and the 1983 Indianapolis 500.

Career

IndyCar/CART and Formula One

In 1984, Anderson joined Penske Racing as Chief Engineer and later served as race engineer for Rick Mears from 1985 to 1988. During this period, Penske achieved multiple Indianapolis 500 victories and championships. He was also responsible for the design and founding of Penske Racing Shocks, which supplied suspension technology to programs including Porsche North America’s 962 sports cars and the Williams Formula One team. [4] His work with Williams coincided with the team’s 1987 Constructors’ Championship.

In 1989, Anderson became Technical Director at Ligier in Formula One, working with René Arnoux, before moving to Onyx Grand Prix, where he worked with drivers Stefan Johansson and JJ Lehto. Around this time, he also founded Quantum Suspension Technology and Quantum D.A.T.A. [5]

IndyCar and G-Force

From 1991 to 1992, Anderson served as Technical Director at Chip Ganassi Racing, working with drivers Eddie Cheever and Robby Gordon. He later co-founded G-Force Precision Engineering in the United Kingdom. The company produced chassis for the newly formed Indy Racing League (IRL) and built the Thrust SSC land speed record car, which in 1997 became the first and only car to break the sound barrier. [6]

During the mid-1990s, Anderson established technical regulations for the IRL and worked as Technical Director for Bradley Motorsports. He engineered Buzz Calkins to victory in the first IRL race in 1996 and to that year’s championship. His G-Force chassis won the 1997 Indianapolis 500 with Arie Luyendyk [7] and the 1997 IRL Championship with Tony Stewart. Anderson also held technical roles with A.J. Foyt Racing (1993), Bettenhausen Motorsports (1994), PPI / Arciero Wells Racing (1998), and Team Gordon (1999).

NASCAR and Wind Tunnel Development

From 2003 to 2007, Anderson was Technical Director at Haas CNC Racing (later Stewart-Haas Racing) in NASCAR. During this period, he was responsible for engineering development and oversaw the creation of WindShear, a full-scale 180 mph rolling-road wind tunnel in Charlotte, North Carolina. [8]

US F1 Team

In late 2008 it was announced that along with Peter Windsor, Anderson would be founding the Formula One team US F1, which lodged a successful bid for a 2010 season entry. [9] Due to contracted sponsorship money not being paid, [10] the team was forced to withdraw from the championship in March 2010.

Later Work

Through Grand Prix Engineering, LLC (2016–2025), Anderson continued to design and manufacture racing components for various series. His career has included collaborations with teams such as Penske Racing, Williams F1, Ligier F1, Brabham, Chip Ganassi Racing, A.J. Foyt Racing, Haas CNC Racing, and All American Racers.

Career Highlights

References

  1. ↑ "People: Ken Anderson". GrandPrix.com. Inside F1, Inc. 2009-02-27. Retrieved 2009-02-27.
  2. ↑ "WHO ARE KEN ANDERSON AND PETER WINDSOR?". Motor Sport Magazine. 7 July 2014.
  3. ↑ "EP162: Shocks and Fans with the Forest Gump of Racing, Ken Anderson". Crate Insider. 15 August 2023. Retrieved 12 September 2025.
  4. ↑ Lerner, Preston (16 March 2010). "US F1: The Winning Formula". Motor Trend. Retrieved 12 September 2025.
  5. ↑ "Ken Anderson". Grand Prix. Retrieved 12 September 2025.
  6. ↑ "Ken Anderson - Team Principal, CEO/Presiden". Usgpe. Retrieved 12 September 2025.
  7. ↑ Tuttle, Tim (6 August 2009). "Team US F1 lays the foundation for its inaugural season". SI. Retrieved 12 September 2025.
  8. ↑ Knutson, Dan (26 February 2009). "American F1 effort gaining steam". ESPN. Retrieved 12 September 2025.
  9. ↑ Steven English (2009-02-04). "American team planning F1 entry". autosport.com. Haymarket Publishing. Retrieved 2009-02-27.
  10. ↑ Bernstein, Viv (17 February 2010). "Sponsorship Woes Threaten Future of U.S. Formula 1 Team". New York Times. Retrieved 29 September 2024.
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