Robin Donovan

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Robin Donovan (born 19 December 1955 in Rustington, West Sussex) is a British former racing driver. [1] He is best known for competing in 14 editions of the Le Mans 24 hours race; his best result there being 6th overall, 3rd in class (LMP1) and 1st privateer home driving with 5 x Le Mans winner Derek Bell MBE and Daytona 24 hours winner Jurgen Lassig in 1994 with the Gulf Racing entered and sponsored Kremer Porsche K8.

Contents

Robin Donovan Robintheracingdriver.jpg
Robin Donovan

Career

After a prominent Formula Ford single seater career Donovan first began to establish his name as a sports car driver in the British Thundersports series where he won 5 (class C) rounds of the 8 round series in 1985 driving with Mike O Brien. At the end of 1985 he competed in his first World Endurance Championship race in Selangor Malaysia where he came 5th (C2). He again was Thundersports (class c) series winner in 1986 (the year of his first Le Mans 24 hours) and again in 1987 (class B). In 1988 he drove in Thundersaloons and moved up into the British Touring car Championship in 1989, the year he also competed in the BRDC Sportscar Championship. In 1991 he won the Willhire 24 hours (class A). In 1992 and 1993 he drove for the Star Union team in Interserie European Sportscar Championship and for Kremer Racing in the Le Mans 24 hours. In 1993 he again secured a 3rd place class finish at Le Mans driving for the Augusta Racing GT2 team.

During his international racing career Robin Donovan competed in rounds of the World Sports-Prototype Championship, the World Sportscar Championship, the BPR Global GT Series and the International Sports Racing Series. In 1998, with only one race win but a series of podiums, he led the International Sports Racing Series (CN class) throughout the season until the final round at Kyalami where he eventually finished equal vice Champion. After 1998 he continued to compete at Le Mans and in the ISCS (the international touring car endurance series) taking class podiums at Vallelunga (2), Barcelona and the Nurburgring 24hrs.

Robin Donovan is currently director of Dettaglio, a motorsport events and supercar tours company.

Complete 24 Hours of Le Mans results

YearTeamCo-DriversCarClassLapsPos.Class
Pos.
1986 Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Bartlett/Goodmans Sound Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Richard Jones
Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Nick Adams
Bardon DB1-Ford Cosworth C2211NCNC
1987 Flag of the United Kingdom.svg John Bartlett Racing Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Tim Lee-Davey
Flag of France.svg Raymond Boutinaud
Bardon DB1/2-Ford Cosworth C2172DNFDNF
1988 Flag of Norway.svg Team Lucky Strike Schanche Flag of Norway.svg Martin Schanche
Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Robin Smith
Argo JM19CC127825th16th
1989 Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Tiga Race Team Flag of the United Kingdom.svg John Sheldon
Flag of Morocco.svg Max Cohen-Olivar
Tiga GC289-Ford Cosworth C2126DNFDNF
1990 Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Chamberlain Engineering Flag of France.svg Philippe de Henning
Flag of the Netherlands.svg Charles Zwolsman
Spice SE90C-Ford Cosworth C2255DNFDNF
1991 Flag of the Netherlands.svg Euro Racing
Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Chamberlain Engineering
Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Nick Adams
Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Richard Jones
Spice SE89C-Ford Cosworth C2128DNFDNF
1992 Flag of Germany.svg Kremer Porsche Racing Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Charles Rickett
Flag of Italy.svg Almo Coppelli
Porsche 962CK6 C329711th4th
1993 Flag of Germany.svg Kremer Porsche Racing Flag of the United States.svg Steve Fossett
Flag of Italy.svg Almo Coppelli
Porsche 962CK6 C2204DNFDNF
1994 Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Gulf Oil Racing Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Derek Bell
Flag of Germany.svg Jürgen Lässig
Kremer K8 Spyder-Porsche LMP1
/C90
3166th3rd
1995 Flag of Italy.svg Agusta Racing Team Flag of Italy.svg Riccardo Agusta
Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Eugene O'Brien
Callaway Corvette SuperNatural GT227111th3rd
1996 Flag of Italy.svg Ennea SRL
Flag of Italy.svg Ferrari Club Italia
Flag of Italy.svg Piero Nappi
Flag of Japan.svg Tetsuya Ota
Ferrari F40 GTEGT1129DNFDNF
1998 Flag of France.svg Chereau Sports
Flag of France.svg Larbre Compétition
Flag of France.svg Jean-Pierre Jarier
Flag of Sweden.svg Carl Rosenblad
Porsche 911 GT2 GT2164DNFDNF
1999 Flag of Japan.svg Autoexe Motorsport Flag of Japan.svg Yojiro Terada
Flag of France.svg Franck Fréon
Autoexe LMP99-Ford LMP74DNFDNF
2001 Flag of Spain.svg Racing Engineering Flag of the United States.svg Terry Lingner
Flag of the United States.svg Chris MacAllister
Porsche 911 GT3-RS GT44DNFDNF
Sources: [2] [3]

Results

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References

  1. "Profile". driverdb.com. Retrieved 8 July 2012.
  2. "Robin Donovan". Automobile Club de l'Ouest . Retrieved 10 June 2023.
  3. "Robin Donovan Results". Motorsport Stats. Retrieved 10 June 2023.