Reynard 94I

Last updated

Reynard 94I
ArieLuyendyk1996recordcar.jpg
Category CART IndyCar
Constructor Reynard Racing Cars
Designer(s) Malcolm Oastler
Predecessornone
Successor Reynard 95I
Technical specifications
Engine Ilmor Indy V8/D
Ford/Cosworth XB
Mercedes-Benz IC108 2.65  L (2,650  cc; 162  cu in) V8 mid-engined
Transmission 6-speed Manual
Fuel Methanol
Tyres Goodyear Eagle
Competition history
Debut 1994 Australian FAI Indycar Grand Prix
Surfers Paradise, Australia
RacesWins Poles
3242

The Reynard 94I is an open-wheel racing car designed and built by Reynard Racing Cars that competed in the 1994 and 1995 IndyCar seasons, notable for winning the first CART race it entered. The car continued to be raced in the 1996 and 1996-97 Indy Racing League seasons, and holds the unofficial and official lap records at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. [1] [2] [3]

Contents

Development

The 94I project began in November 1992 with designer Malcolm Oastler. [4] The car was intended to be "simple but soundly engineered, easy to tune and maintain, and with a highly developed aerodynamic package." [5] An unused design for the Galmer G93 had been sold to Reynard and used as a basis for the 94I. [6] Bruce Ashmore, a former designer at Lola Cars, arrived late in the design process as the technical director, and provided input based on his experience with Indy cars. [7]

The car featured elements from the company's F3000 cars, such as dynamic suspension shocks and a longitudinal gearbox (as opposed to the transverse gearbox seen on the rival Lola and Penske cars). [4] Reynard also differentiated themselves by opening a technical base in Indianapolis and making its office and service staff accessible to customers, whereas the other manufacturers were still predominately located in England. [4]

A total of 14 cars were built for the 1994 season at the company's location in Bicester, England. [5]

Racing history

During the 1994 season, the 94I was raced by Chip Ganassi Racing, Hayhoe Racing, Hall Racing, Galles Racing and Forsythe-Green Racing, and powered by the Ford-Cosworth XB and Ilmor/D engines. An additional 94I was raced at the 1994 Indianapolis 500 by Hemelgarn Racing. The car proved immediately competitive as Ganassi driver Michael Andretti won the first race of the season, held at Surfers Paradise, having started from 2nd place on the grid. Andretti would win again at Toronto later that year. Jacques Villeneuve, in his rookie season, also took his first win for Forsythe-Green at Road America. Despite these results, the teams noted that the 94I was too pitch-sensitive, which would be rectified in the following year's 95I. [5]

The 94I continued to be used by smaller teams in 1995, one of its appeal being that the tub is the same as the 95I and the chassis could be updated to 1995 specifications. [8] [9] During the 1995 season, the 94I were used by Project Indy, Arciero-Wells, Pagan Racing and occasionally by Ganassi Racing. The 94I was also used by Stefan Johansson to qualify for the 1995 Indianapolis 500, when it became evident that his primary Penske chassis had trouble getting up to speed. [10]

For 1996, the car saw competition in the first year of the Indy Racing League (comprising the 1996 season and the first portion of the 1996-97 season) as the league allowed all Indy cars that complied with the 1995 technical regulations. [11] Hence, the grid featured multiple examples of the 94I chassis, mostly from Hemelgarn, Pagan and Treadway Racing (which was formed in conjunction with Project Indy). [1] With engineer Tim Wardrop, Treadway Racing set up Arie Luyendyk's 94I [1] to great effect; Luyendyk went on to set an all-time unofficial lap record of 239.260 mph at Indianapolis, a 1-lap record of 237.498 mph and a 4-lap record of 236.986 mph, all of which still stand as of the present day. [1] The 94I ended the year with a pole and win at Phoenix and pole position at Las Vegas, both achieved by Luyendyk. [12]

Complete Indy Car World Series results

(key) (Results in bold indicate pole position; results in italics indicate fastest lap)

YearEntrantEngineTyresDriverNo.1234567891011121314151617PtsD.C.
1994 SUR PHX LBH INDY MIL DET POR CLE TOR MIC MDO LOU VAN ROA NAZ LAG
Chip Ganassi Racing Ford/Cosworth XB G Flag of the United States.svg Michael Andretti 81*20664531181*22553179281184th
Flag of Brazil.svg Maurício Gugelmin 886157111583082015251451910223916th
Forsythe/Green Racing Ford/Cosworth XB G Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg Jacques Villeneuve 121725152976492092624173946th
Hall Racing Ilmor Indy/D G Flag of Italy.svg Teo Fabi 117269717427984212018465799th
Galles Racing Ilmor Indy/D G Flag of Mexico.svg Adrián Fernández 7131082816231071323682252174613th
Hayhoe Racing Ford/Cosworth XB G Flag of the United States.svg Jimmy Vasser 1845244112032312525147152813264215th
Hemelgarn Racing Ford/Cosworth XB G Flag of the United States.svg Stan Fox 9113037th
1995 MIA SUR PHX LBH NAZ INDY MIL DET POR ROA TOR CLE MIC MDO LOU VAN LAG
Arciero-Wells Racing Ford/Cosworth XB F Flag of Japan.svg Hiro Matsushita 2526112219DNQ5128th1
Pagan Racing Mercedes-Benz IC108 G Flag of the United States.svg Dennis Vitolo 2118041st
Flag of Colombia.svg Roberto Guerrero 1612133rd
Bettenhausen Motorsports Ford/Cosworth XB G Flag of Sweden.svg Stefan Johansson 161660213th2
Chip Ganassi Racing Ford/Cosworth XB G Flag of the United States.svg Bryan Herta 4152430320th3
Project Indy Ford/Cosworth XB G Flag of the United States.svg Buddy Lazier 642115035th
Flag of France.svg Franck Fréon 15036th
Flag of the United States.svg Johnny Parsons, Jr. DNQ0NC
Flag of Germany.svg Christian Danner 226425th4
Flag of the United States.svg Jeff Wood Wth0NC
Flag of Austria.svg Hubert Stromberger 16WthDNQ038th
Flag of Italy.svg Domenico Schiattarella 1821040th

1 2 points were scored with the Reynard 94I. The remaining points were scored with a Reynard 95I.
2 No points were scored with the Reynard 94I, which only ran at Indy. All points were scored with a Penske PC23
3 No points were scored with the Reynard 94I. All points were scored with a Reynard 95I.
4 No points were scored with the Reynard 94I. Danner scored 6 points with a Lola T93/00.

Complete Indy Racing League results

(key) (Results in bold indicate pole position; results in italics indicate fastest lap)

YearEntrantEngineTyresDriverNo.12345678910PtsD.C.
1996 WDW
PHX
INDY
Pagan Racing Ford/Cosworth XB G Flag of Colombia.svg Roberto Guerrero 2151623714th1
Treadway Racing Ford/Cosworth XB F Flag of the Netherlands.svg Arie Luyendyk 51*1622517th1
Hemelgarn Ford/Cosworth XB F Flag of the United States.svg Brad Murphey 10231234th
1996-97 NH1 LV1 WDW PHX INDY TXS PIK CMS NH2 LV2
Treadway Racing Ford/Cosworth XB F Flag of the Netherlands.svg Arie Luyendyk 52022316th1
Flag of the United States.svg Johnny O'Connell 35122340th
Hemelgarn Ford/Cosworth XB F Flag of the United States.svg Brad Murphey 918272538th

1 Points include results scored with another chassis.

Related Research Articles

Teodorico Fabi is an Italian former racing driver. He competed in Formula One, IndyCar, and sports car racing. He claimed pole position in his rookie year at the 1983 Indianapolis 500. Teo is the older brother of former Formula One driver Corrado Fabi.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roberto Guerrero</span> Colombian-American racing driver (born 1958)

Roberto José Guerrero Isaza is a Colombian-American former race driver. He participated in 29 Formula One Grands Prix, debuting on 23 January 1982, becoming the first Colombian to start a Formula One Grand Prix.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jimmy Vasser</span> American racecar driver and team owner

James "Jimmy" Vasser Jr. is an American former racing driver who competed primarily in the CART series and Champ Car. Vasser won ten CART series races and won the 1996 CART championship with Chip Ganassi Racing. Vasser was the last American to win the CART title. Vasser won the 1996 U.S. 500, and had a best finish of 4th at the Indianapolis 500 twice.

Chip Ganassi Racing, LLC (CGR), also sometimes branded as Chip Ganassi Racing Teams, is an American auto racing organization with teams competing in the NTT IndyCar Series, IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship and the FIA World Endurance Championship. They have formerly competed in the NASCAR Cup and Xfinity Series, Global Rallycross Championship, Extreme E and the Rolex Sports Car Series. It was founded in 1990 by businessman and former racecar driver Chip Ganassi from the assets of Patrick Racing to compete in the CART IndyCar World Series.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Buddy Lazier</span> American racecar driver

Robert Buddy Lazier is an American auto racing driver, best known for winning the 1996 Indianapolis 500 and the 2000 Indy Racing League season championship.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Patrick Racing</span> American automobile racing team

Patrick Racing was an auto racing team in USAC, CART, Champ Car and the Indy Racing League. Patrick Racing was started by U.E. "Pat" Patrick in the 1970s. The team is best known for winning the Indianapolis 500 on three occasions, and the Indy car title twice. Patrick Racing achieved 45 Indy car wins.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1996 Indy Racing League</span> Sports season

The 1996 Indy Racing League was the first season in the history of the series, which was created and announced on March 11, 1994 by the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, as a supplementary series to the established Indy Car World Series sanctioned by Championship Auto Racing Teams (CART) since 1979. It consisted of only three races, as the season concluded with the 80th Indianapolis 500 in May. Walt Disney World Speedway was completed in time to host the first ever event of the Indy Racing League (IRL), and Phoenix International Raceway switched alliances from CART to the IRL, in order to host the second event of the season. At the conclusion of the three-race schedule, Scott Sharp and Buzz Calkins ended up tied for first place in the season championship. With no tiebreaker rule in place, the two drivers were declared co-champions. Its creation, and the opposition of CART's teams and drivers to take part in it, marked the start of 'the Split', a 12-year period of competition between rival series at the top level of American open-wheel racing that had lasting negative effects in the sport.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1996–97 Indy Racing League</span> Sports season

The 1996–97 Indy Racing League was the second season contested by the Indy Racing League. Tony Stewart was the champion, while Arie Luyendyk won the Indianapolis 500. The lengthy season was a result of the league abandoning the concept of ending each season with the Indianapolis 500. The 1996–97 season would ultimately consist of the two races that followed the Indy 500 in the calendar year of 1996, and all events contested in the calendar year of 1997. It also saw the introduction of a new chassis and engine package.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hemelgarn Racing</span> American auto racing team

Hemelgarn Racing was an American auto racing team owned by Ron Hemelgarn. The team debuted in 1985, and competed in the CART and Indy Racing League ranks until the team originally shut down in 2010. The team returned to competition in 2015, and currently competes full-time in the USAC Silver Crown Series with driver Justin Grant. Grant won the 2020 championship for the team.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1996 Indianapolis 500</span> 80th running of the Indianapolis 500

The 80th Indianapolis 500 was held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana on Sunday, May 26, 1996. This was the first Indy 500 contested as part of the new Indy Racing League, under the overall sanctioning umbrella of USAC. It was the third and final race of the 1996 IRL season. Veteran driver and former AIS champion Buddy Lazier won the race, his first career win in top-level Indy car competition, just over two months after he suffered a broken back in a crash at Phoenix. Lazier's victory marks the last Indy victory for Ford, the second of two all-time victories for Reynard, and the first victory for Firestone since 1971.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1995 Indianapolis 500</span> 79th running of the Indianapolis 500

The 79th Indianapolis 500 was held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana on Sunday, May 28, 1995. Sanctioned by USAC, it was part of the 1995 CART PPG Indy Car World Series season. Jacques Villeneuve was victorious in his second start, the first Canadian to the "500". Villeneuve would go on to win the 1995 CART Championship, before moving to Williams for 1996.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1994 Indianapolis 500</span> 78th running of the Indianapolis 500

The 78th Indianapolis 500 was held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana on Sunday, May 29, 1994. The race was sanctioned by United States Auto Club (USAC), and was included as race number 4 of 16 of the 1994 PPG IndyCar World Series. For the second year in a row, weather was not a factor during the month. Only one practice day was lost to rain, and pole day was only partially halted due to scattered showers. Warm, sunny skies greeted race day.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1990 Indianapolis 500</span> 74th running of the Indianapolis 500

The 74th Indianapolis 500 was held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana on Sunday, May 27, 1990. Dutchman Arie Luyendyk took the lead with 32 laps to go, and earned his first-ever victory in championship-level competition. It was the second consecutive year the Indy 500 was won by a foreign-born competitor, the first time that had occurred since 1965–1966. Luyendyk completed the 500 miles at an average speed of 185.981 mph (299.307 km/h), a record that stood for 23 years until 2013. In reference to the long-standing speed record, for many years the 1990 race was often referred to as "The Fastest 500".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Newman/Haas Racing</span> CART and IndyCar race team

Newman/Haas Racing was an auto racing team that competed in CART, Champ Car, and the IndyCar Series from 1983 to 2011. The team operations were based in Lincolnshire, Illinois. Newman/Haas Racing was formed as a partnership between actor, automotive enthusiast and semi-professional racer Paul Newman and long-time auto racing owner/driver Carl Haas. The duo were competitors in sports car racing during the 1970s and early 1980s. In 1983, they joined forces to enter the ranks of Indy car racing. Newman/Haas was one of the most successful teams in Indy car racing during the 1980s, 1990s, and 2000s. The team won 105 CART/Champ Car races and eight season championships, followed by two race wins in the IRL/IndyCar Series.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1995 PPG Indy Car World Series</span> Sports season

The 1995 PPG Indy Car World Series season was the seventeenth in the Championship Auto Racing Teams (CART) era of U.S. American open-wheel car racing. It consisted of 17 races, beginning in Miami, Florida on March 5 and concluding in Monterey, California on September 10. The PPG Indy Car World Series Drivers' Champion and Indianapolis 500 winner was Jacques Villeneuve, and the Rookie of the Year was Gil de Ferran. This was the last season before the formation of the Indy Racing League (IRL) by Indianapolis Motor Speedway president Tony George and the last time the United States Auto Club-sanctioned Indianapolis 500 would appear in the Series, while Villeneuve became the last driver to win both the Indianapolis 500 and the IndyCar drivers' championship in the same season until Dan Wheldon in 2005.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1994 PPG Indy Car World Series</span> 16th national championship season of American open wheel racing

The 1994 PPG Indy Car World Series season was the 16th national championship season of American open wheel racing sanctioned by CART under the name "IndyCar". The season consisted of 16 races. Al Unser Jr. was the national champion, his second CART title, and the rookie of the year was Jacques Villeneuve. The 1994 Indianapolis 500 was sanctioned by USAC, but counted towards the CART points championship. Al Unser Jr. won the Indy 500 from the pole position, his second career victory in that event.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Penske PC-23</span> CART racing car

The Penske PC-23 was a highly successful CART racing car that competed in the 1994 IndyCar season with Penske Racing, and in the 1995 IndyCar season with Bettenhausen Motorsports. It was designed by Nigel Bennett, who based its design on the 1993 car, the PC-22, which was a radical departure from the basic concept of the previous Penske cars. The PC-23 was one of the most dominant open-wheel race cars ever developed. It won both the 1994 CART season, and the 1994 Indianapolis 500 with Al Unser Jr., together with Emerson Fittipaldi and Paul Tracy scoring 12 wins out of 16 in total, collecting 10 pole positions and 28 podium finishes, in a season that saw Penske also take the Constructor's Cup, and the Manufacturer's Cup with the Ilmor-Mercedes-Benz engine. Nevertheless, the car is mostly known for the controversial pushrod Mercedes-Benz 500I engine, designed and developed for the single race of Indianapolis, exploiting a loophole in different technical rules between the Indy 500 and CART sanctioning bodies at that time.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Penske PC-20</span> Racing car model

The Penske PC-20 was a CART Penske Racing car which competed in the 1991 and 1992 seasons. In 1991, it raced in all seventeen events, scoring 3 wins, two with Rick Mears, and one with Emerson Fittipaldi, placed 4th and 5th at the season's end respectively. The most remarkable success of the PC-20 was the 1991 Indianapolis 500 win by Mears, his 4th win at the Brickyard. The car was designed by Nigel Bennett, his 4th for Penske Racing. In 1992, it also raced alongside the Penske PC-21.

Hogan Racing was a racing team owned by Carl G. Hogan, owner of Hogan Trucking.

The Mercedes-Benz Indy V8 engine, known as the Ilmor 265-D (1994), and later the Mercedes-Benz IC108 (1995-2000), is a powerful, turbocharged, 2.65-liter, Indy car racing V-8 engine, specially designed, developed, and built by Ilmor, in partnership and collaboration with Mercedes-Benz, to compete in the CART series; between 1994 and 2000.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "8W - When? - 1996 Indy 500". www.forix.com. Retrieved 28 December 2018.
  2. ↑ "Reynard 94I-Illmor". www.dlg.speedfreaks.org. Retrieved 9 November 2024.
  3. ↑ "The cars of the 1996 Indy 500 Part 2".
  4. 1 2 3 Carl., Hungness (1994). Indianapolis 500 Yearbook - 1994. Speedway, IN: Carl Hungness Pub. ISBN   0915088630. OCLC   948309998.
  5. 1 2 3 Autocourse Indy car, 1994-95. Richmond, Surrey, Eng.: Hazleton Pub. 1994. ISBN   1874557853. OCLC   31910173.
  6. ↑ "Fifteen minutes of fame: Junior formula | Motor Sport Magazine Archive". Motor Sport Magazine. 7 July 2014. Retrieved 28 December 2018.
  7. ↑ Bennett, Nigel (15 October 2013). Inspired to design : F1 cars, Indycars & racing tyres : the autobiography of Nigel Bennett. Mears, Rick,, Ashmore, Bruce,, Beresford, N. W. (Nigel W.),, Sprague, Chuck. ISBN   9781845845360. OCLC   873875317.
  8. ↑ Mandel, Leon (1995). "AutoWeek Official PPG Indy Car World Series Fan Guide". AutoWeek.
  9. ↑ Pagan, Allan (3 September 1999). "Seeking Mr. Pagan's thoughts on the '96 and '99 Indy 500s". groups.google.com. Retrieved 31 December 2018.
  10. ↑ "8W - What? - Penske-Mercedes PC23 500i". forix.autosport.com. Retrieved 31 December 2018.
  11. ↑ Jasbir., Jain (1996). 1996 indianapolis 500 yearbook. [Place of publication not identified]: Carl Hungness Pub. ISBN   0915088762. OCLC   795383707.
  12. ↑ "straight line speeds at indy - Page 4". www.trackforum.com. Retrieved 31 December 2018.
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.