Group C was a category of sports car racing introduced by the FIA in 1982 and continuing until 1993, with Group A for touring cars and Group B for GTs .
59-458: The Cougar C12 was a Group C sports car prototype race car , designed, developed and built by French constructor Cougar in 1985, and used in sports car racing from 1985 to 1988. Its best result was an 18th-place finish at the 1986 24 Hours of Le Mans , being driven by Yves Courage , Alain de Cadenet , and Pierre-Henri Raphanel . The Cougar C12 is a closed Group C prototype, was developed and built by Yves Courage in 1985 and prepared for
118-437: A cigarette while driving a race car. Initially, all cars were identified with a category tag, stating which category they competed in, but from the middle of the 1975 season on, all cars within the series had to have a rectangular IMSA GT decal, which incorporated its logo on the left, followed by a large GT tag, as well as a Joe Camel decal. Starting fields of 30 or more competitors were not unusual during this era. One of
177-507: A few manufacturers (especially Porsche and Lancia ) had dominated sports car racing by simply increasing turbocharger boost pressure, especially in qualifying trim — the 3.2 L Porsche 935 was capable of more than 800 hp. Engines had to be from a recognized manufacturer which had cars homologated in the FIA's Group A Touring Car or Group B GT Car categories. While the consumption requirement meant that cars needed to conserve fuel early in
236-571: A popular competitor to the more international ALMS, attracting some pro drivers and teams, featuring large fields, and producing close competition. Much like the split from 1996 to 2008 between Champ Car and the IRL , critics say this split was detrimental to the sport as a whole. Grand AM and ALMS merged in 2014 under IMSA sanction and France family ownership to create the WeatherTech SportsCar Championship . The WeatherTech Championship
295-552: A recognized manufacturer which had cars homologated in Group A or Group B. Although it was originally expected that C Junior cars would use two-litre normally aspirated engines, in practice most cars used either the 3.5l BMW M1 engine or the new 3.3l Cosworth DFL , but, like in the main class, a variety of solutions was employed by each individual manufacturer. Alba with a small, lightweight turbo, Tiga , Spice and Ecurie Ecosse with Austin-Rover and later Cosworth-powered cars were among
354-408: A row, starting in 1982. It also won eight IMSA GTU championships in a row from 1980 through 1987. The car went on to win more IMSA races in its class than any other model of automobile, with its one hundredth victory on September 2, 1990. In 1981, purpose-built GTP cars (Grand Touring Prototypes) appeared in the championship, and were similar to the new FIA Group C cars which would be introduced to
413-463: A successful heart surgery in 1987, Bishop began to rethink his priorities. He was approached by Mike Cone and Jeff Parker, owners of Tampa Race Circuit . In January 1989, Bishop and France sold the series to Cone and Parker. The new owners relocated the IMSA headquarters from Connecticut to Tampa Bay . Bishop would stand down as president in favor of Mark Raffauf, who was his deputy, and its representative on
472-543: The IMSA championship, as its GTP class had similar regulations. With costs increasing, the FIA introduced a new Group C Junior class for 1983. This was intended for privateer teams and small manufacturers and it limited cars to a minimum weight of 700 kg and a maximum fuel capacity of 55 liters. With competitors limited to five refueling stops within a 1000 kilometer distance, the cars were effectively allowed 330 liters per 1000 kilometers. As in Group C, engines had to be from
531-560: The Miami Grand Prix with the sole entry of Brent O'Neill. The car finished last among the cars that were still running. After skipping the 12 Hours of Sebring , the category would compete for the remainder of the season in non-Championship rounds, with no more than four cars entering each race. In 1994 Camel was replaced by Exxon as the title sponsor. However, as the WSC cars took over as the leading category, their reliability would be tested at
590-663: The Porsche 911 Carrera RSR , and the Chevrolet Corvette . Camel became the title sponsor during the second season, with the series becoming known as the Camel GT Challenge Series. The sponsor's corporate decal had to be displayed and clearly visible on the left and right sides of all racecars, and Camel's corporate logo patch was also required to be on the Nomex driver suit's breast area, featuring Joe Camel smiling and smoking
649-555: The Tiga , Royale , Alba , Fabcar, and Kudzu. Starting with the 1986 season, the GTP category had their own decal, which was similar to the IMSA GT side decal, with a P being added to denote their category. Camel Lights cars also used the same decal There were many other manufacturers in the GTP class, such as URD Rennsport, Spice, Intrepid or Gebhardt , and in the early 1990s, Mazda. Following
SECTION 10
#1732869742244708-573: The WM - Peugeot recorded the highest 405 km/h (252 mph) during the 1988 event — the FIA revolutionized the class by attempting to turn it into a formula series to replace the C2 category (after they proved to be unreliable at endurance races) . The new formula restricted the performance of cars built to the original rules (such as the Porsche 962 used by many privateers) and benefited teams using F1-sourced 3.5 L engines — these latter teams being effectively
767-471: The World Endurance Championship from 1982. The main difference between the two categories was that the former had no emphasis on fuel consumption which was highlighted by Derek Bell saying "Race fans do not come to races to watch an economy run." Brian Redman was the first GTP champion, driving a Lola T600 with a Chevrolet engine. March also fielded prototypes, with Al Holbert winning
826-482: The "endurance" aspect of the competition as well. Ford (with the C100 ) and Porsche (with the 956 ) were the first constructors to join the series. The traditional turbocharged boxer engine in the 956 was already tested in the 1981 version of the Group 6 936. Eventually, several other makes joined the series, including Lancia, Jaguar , Mercedes , Nissan , Toyota , Mazda and Aston Martin . Many of these also took part in
885-700: The 1982 season until 1985, when the series was reformed as the ADAC Supercup . Under the new Supercup series, only Group C cars would be allowed to compete. This series lasted until 1989. In Great Britain, the Thundersports championship combined a variety of cars with the C Junior (later C2) class of cars. This too was later replaced with a C2 only series known as the BRDC C2 Championship, and lasted until 1990. The European Interserie championship also allowed Group C cars to compete, although they did not use
944-425: The 1983 championship with a Chevrolet powered car, changing to Porsche power later in the season; and Randy Lanier a year later with Chevrolet power. 1984 also saw the introduction of the Porsche 962 , which dominated the series from '85 to '87. Nissan then took control of the series in 1988, but faced challenges from Jaguar, Porsche, and Toyota throughout the next three years. Toyota was quickest in 1992 and 1993, at
1003-530: The 962 was beginning to feel dated. He proposed a follow-up open-top Porsche powered racer which would also be sold to customer teams. That project never got off the ground due to Holbert's death in an aircraft accident later in the year. For some, much of the blame was on the organization for allowing the Japanese "works" teams to dominate the series. Under Bishop's original vision, privateers and "works teams" were able to race equally. Privateer teams walked away, while
1062-467: The AAGT cars. Engine sizes were determined by IMSA officials, who had devised a set of rules to determine fair competition, using a displacement versus minimum weight formula. Turbochargers were taken into account as well as rotary power, fuel injection, and many other engine features. As a result, the new premier class known as GTX (Grand Touring Experimental, which was based on FIA 's Group 5 ), brought on
1121-522: The ACCUS board. Cone and Parker sold it to businessman Charles Slater. Both lost millions attempting to revive the sagging TV ratings. By 1992, there were a number of factors that led to the decline of the GTP category. Porsche concentrated on its IndyCar ( Porsche 2708 ) program when critics stated that the Zuffenhausen marque should have built a followup to its 962 . Back in 1988, Al Holbert realized that
1180-776: The American Le Mans Series, the Star Mazda series, and the Panoz GT Pro series. The ALMS uses regulations based on those of the 24 Hours of Le Mans , but in 2005 the relationship between Panoz and the Le Mans organizers, ACO , became problematic. A breakaway series formed in 1998 involving the Sports Car Club of America , and was running under the name of the United States Road Racing Championship . It
1239-603: The Automobile Club de l'Ouest and adopt the sanctioning body's rule book, renaming the series the American Le Mans Series . Despite having various official names, the GT series was known commonly as the "IMSA series", as it was the sanctioning body. For legal reasons, both the 1999-2013 ALMS and the current WeatherTech SportsCar Championship are regarded as a continuation of the original IMSA GT Championship. The 1971 season
SECTION 20
#17328697422441298-705: The GT1 category, the Dauer 962 Le Mans , and won the race after transmission problems by a leading Toyota 94C-V . The 962 was subsequently banned; the Toyota was later given a special dispensation to race in the Suzuka 1000km , and a few C1 racers were allowed to compete in the newly formed Japanese GT Championship — this would be its final year of competition. Many of the modified open top Group C cars continued to compete until they wrecked, broke, or retired out of competitiveness; notable among these
1357-524: The Japanese economy started to go downhill. These factors led Nissan and Mazda to leave the series. Critics predicted that the decreased variety of cars would disappoint race fans, and in fact, it did finally kill the series in 1993. GTP cars ran their last race on October 2, 1993, at Phoenix International Raceway . The GTP category was credited for many innovations in the U.S., including antilock brakes , traction control , and active suspension . Dave Cowart and Kemper Miller's Red Lobster sponsored team of
1416-537: The North American IMSA Grand Touring Prototype series ( GTP ). The roots of the Group C category lie in both FIA Group 6 and particularly in the GTP category introduced by the ACO at Le Mans in the mid-1970s. GTP was a class for roofed prototypes with certain dimensional restrictions, but instead of the more usual limits on engine capacity, it placed limits on fuel consumption. The FIA applied
1475-445: The absolute dominance of the Porsche 935 . The 935 became the most successful car in the series. The most successful driver of the 1970s was Peter Gregg, who won championships in 1971, 1973, 1974, 1975, 1978, and 1979. Twin turbos were outlawed at the end of the 1982 season after John Paul Sr. and John Paul Jr. dominated in a modified 935. In 1984, all GT cars were required to display a large square decal to identify which category
1534-480: The car competed in. A GTU car, for instance, would have a black U on white, and a GTO car, a white O on black. All others had standard IMSA GT decals. One significant change to the rules during the 1980s was the 2.5 liter limit being increased to 3.0 liters, with the maximum 6.0 liter limit still in place. 3.0L cars were required to weigh 1,900 lb (860 kg), whereas 6.0L cars had to weigh no less than 2,700 lb (1,200 kg). In an effort to equalize
1593-445: The competition, two-valve turbocharged cars were required to weigh 15% more, and four-valve turbocharged cars 20% more. Electronic fuel injection became common, while ground effects were still prohibited. Steering, braking, transmission, and suspension were left up to the constructor. Bigger, more powerful engines were permitted under homologation rules. The number of valves, ports, and spark plugs were not allowed to be modified from
1652-541: The earlier years. With a full spaceframe chassis, they became serious race cars. By 1987, the category became dominated by factory teams, with testing sessions becoming common, and rules tailored to welcome them in rather than turn them away. Otherwise, the cars were required to closely resemble their showroom counterparts, though fenders could be widened, increasing the track up to 79 inches (2,000 mm). There were no restrictions on body materials, as most teams favored removable, easy to repair fiberglass (meaning one of
1711-527: The early 1980s would innovate race team hospitality, practices which were subsequently adopted by virtually every other team. For those that competed, GTP was recognized for its camaraderie among drivers, especially rivals. But Hans Stuck , commenting in the foreword of the book "Prototypes: The History of the IMSA GTP Series" , sarcastically compared the series' camaraderie to Formula One's lack of such. With rising costs and factory teams walking away from
1770-535: The early season endurance classics (Daytona and Sebring), and had two cars drop out of the race in two different rounds, thereby costing them both the manufacturer's and driver's titles, Hans-Joachim Stuck driving. Another manufacturer to experience a run of wins was Mazda. After some success by the Mazda RX-2 and Mazda RX-3 , the Mazda RX-7 won its class in the IMSA 24 Hours of Daytona race an amazing ten years in
1829-487: The eleventh lap due to engine failure. Ferrari would help the category score an overall win at the 12 Hours of Sebring , and would take the manufacturer's title. The Ferrari 333 SP and the R&;S cars (Oldsmobile / Ford) were the dominant entries in the series from 1995 until the demise of IMSA at the end of 1998. In 1996, Slater sold the organization to Roberto Muller (ex-CEO of Reebok) and Wall Street financier Andy Evans, who
Cougar C12 - Misplaced Pages Continue
1888-543: The end of the GTP era, as Dan Gurney 's All American Racers team campaigned the Eagle Mk III , a car so dominant that it has been blamed for the demise of the class. Along with the GTP cars, the Camel Lights cars, a smaller capacity, non-turbocharged, lower powered prototype category was introduced in 1985. Argo Racing Cars was the first 'Lights' Champions, followed by Spice Engineering. Other well known participants were
1947-497: The first time, as well as introducing a new category: GTX, based on Group 5 rules. In 1981, after Bishop decided to not follow FIA's newly introduced Group C rules, he introduced the GTP class for sports prototypes . In 1989, Bishop sold off his organization. After a period of decline in the early 1990s, the Sports Racer Prototype category was introduced in 1993 to replace the top IMSA GTP category in 1994. In deference to
2006-485: The inaugural round for WSC cars at Road Atlanta , the new Ferrari 333 SP would make its debut amongst mass media fanfare, and win its debut race. The car brand regularly achieving podium finishes every round after that, Oldsmobile, won the manufacturer's title over Ferrari by four points. In 1995, a new rival for Ferrari appeared in the Riley & Scott Mk III. The car would make its debut at Daytona, but would retire after
2065-531: The large manufacturers alone, as the new formula cars were more expensive than the C1 cars. What followed was the quick downfall of Group C, as the new engines were unaffordable for privateer teams like Spice and ADA . A lack of entries meant the 1993 Championship was canceled before the start of the first race. However, the ACO still allowed the Group C cars to compete (albeit with restrictions) at 24 Hours of Le Mans. Nevertheless,
2124-657: The likes of Chris Cord , Willy T. Ribbs , and Dennis Aase , the car was dominant in its class right up until the team's move to GTP. Utilizing the same engine, it became dominant once again. Other teams would follow this example, with notable cars such as the Chevrolet Beretta (in the Trans-Am series) and the Mazda MX-6 (in IMSA GTU). The Celica was one of just a few cars that had broken away from its production GT derivatives of
2183-431: The most competitive in this class. The low cost of these cars even led to the notion of their use in national championships, such as the short-lived British BRDC C2 Championship . Group C Junior was formally renamed Group C2 for 1984. By 1989, the Group C series popularity was nearly as great as Formula One . When C1 cars were found to be breaking over the 400 kilometres per hour mark at Le Mans ' Mulsanne Straight —
2242-610: The only remaining panels from a car's production counterpart was the steel roof structure). Another car that exploited the rules was the Audi 90 . With its advanced Quattro four-wheel-drive system, the car had the potential to dominate during the 1989 season. The car performed well, but faced heavy competitions from two factory teams; the Roush Racing Mercury Cougar XR7, and Clayton Cunningham Racing's Nissan 300ZX , which took seven wins out of fifteen. Audi stayed away from
2301-465: The opening round at the 24 Hours of Daytona. Two cars started on the front row, with eight WSC cars competing. Two cars finished the race, with the leading WSC car finishing ninth behind GT cars. A WSC car would score its first podium finish at Sebring with a second, and third place behind a Daytona winning GTS class Nissan 300ZX. That led to a rule change for the latter category, as they would be barred from using engines that were originally for GTP cars. At
2360-496: The original configuration. The AAR Toyota team suddenly encountered a daunting problem with the rules when, with Toyota's introduction of the new, fourth generation, Celica for the US market, and the team's first entry into the top-flight GTO category (despite not having won a single GTU title ), the team faced the distinct possibility that they would be required to race a front-wheel-drive car, until they managed to persuade IMSA to change
2419-681: The premiere race events was the Paul Revere 250, which started at midnight of the Fourth of July. The race was conducted entirely at night. In 1975 a new category, All American Grand Touring (AAGT), was introduced to counteract the Porsche dominance in GTO. In 1981, the Bob Sharp Racing team used a loophole in the rules to build a Datsun 280ZX inside the U.S. with a V8 engine from a Nissan President . The car
Cougar C12 - Misplaced Pages Continue
2478-403: The race still witnessed protests against the new state of affairs, as spectators placed cloth banners in fences expressing their feelings . The 1994 24 Hours of Le Mans was the last one in which Group C cars were permitted. A new category formed especially by race organizers also saw modified Group C cars without roofs. In fact, a former C1 car disguised as a road-legal GT car which was entered in
2537-401: The race, manufacturer support for the new regulations grew steadily with each make adding to the diversity of the series. With the new rules, it was theoretically possible for large naturally aspirated engines to compete with small forced induction engines. In addition, all races were to be contested over at least 1000 km — usually lasting more than six hours — so it was possible to emphasize
2596-518: The respective races by his own racing team, Cougar . Powered by a 3-liter Porsche 6-cylinder turbocharged engine, and made its debut at the 1985 24 Hours of Le Mans , with drivers Henri Pescarolo and Yves Courage . It was later succeeded by the more successful C20 , in 1987. Group C It was designed to replace both Group 5 special production cars (closed top touring prototypes like Porsche 935 ) and Group 6 two-seat racing cars (open-top sportscar prototypes like Porsche 936 ). Group C
2655-402: The rules, thereby permitting cars to race with something other than their original drivetrain, and therefore with a redesigned chassis. To AAR's delight, IMSA did change the rules, and the car was converted to rear wheel drive. One outstanding feature of the car was the 4T-GT E engine, from its Safari Rally -winning, Group B predecessor, producing around 475 hp (354 kW). Piloted by
2714-654: The same class structure. In Japan, the All Japan Sports Prototype Championship was created in 1983, while the Fuji Long Distance Series also began allowing Group C cars for the first time. It was not until 1989 however that the series concentrated solely on the Group C formula. Both championships lasted until 1992, when they were cancelled along with the World Sportscar Championship. IMSA GT Championship IMSA GT
2773-399: The same concept in its Group C rules. It limited cars to a minimum weight of 800 kg and a maximum fuel capacity of 100 litres. With competitors restricted to five refueling stops within a 1000 kilometer distance, the cars were effectively allowed 600 litres per 1000 kilometers. The FIA hoped this would prevent manufacturers from concentrating solely on engine development; in the late 1970s,
2832-544: The series deviating from the FIA's naming of the class to Sports Racers and Le Mans Prototypes by the French Automobile Club de l'Ouest (ACO) in Europe for their then separate series, the new class was designated IMSA World Sports Car. After a period of multiple ownerships, the organization, by then owned by Don Panoz , was eventually renamed Professional Sports Car Racing (PSCR). In 1999, PSCR decided to affiliate with
2891-519: The series named after its sub-brand of fuel. In 1995, in a bid to move closer to the European BPR Global GT Series , the GT category would undergo another major reformatting. GTS became known as GTS-1, and GTU became known as GTS-2. In 1997, there was another category addition: GTS-2 became GTS-3. The new GTS-2 category was introduced to allow for the existing GT2 cars. Under tremendous pressure from team owners and management, Evans sold
2950-412: The series to PST Holdings, Inc., a group led by Raymond Smith, formerly the chief financial officer of Sports Car. Other owners included Dough Robinson and Tom Milner. In 2001 Don Panoz purchased PSCR to solidify the sanction for Panoz's American Le Mans Series (ALMS) which had been sanctioned by PSCR since 1999. Panoz renamed the sanctioning organization IMSA, and it was the official sanctioning body of
3009-406: The series, which meant diminishing entries and diminishing profit, IMSA introduced a new prototype category for in 1993: World Sport Car (WSC). WSC replaced GTP and Camel Lights' closed-top cars for the following year. The WSC cars were open-top, flat-bottomed sports-prototypes with production engines, as opposed to racing versions of production engines from GTP cars. The WSC cars made their debut at
SECTION 50
#17328697422443068-598: Was a sports car racing series organized by International Motor Sports Association . Races took place primarily in the United States and occasionally in Canada. The series was founded in 1969 by John and Peggy Bishop, and Bill France, Sr. Racing began in 1971, and was originally aimed at two of FIA 's stock car categories, running two classes each; the GT ( Groups 3 and 4 ) and touring ( Group 1 and 2 ) classes. The first race
3127-474: Was also an IndyCar owner, and owner-driver of the Scandia WSC team. Evans and VP of marketing Kurtis Eide were responsible for the name change to Professional Sports Car Racing. In 1992, the long running category American Challenge stepped into the GT series. It became known as the GTO category when the former GTO category was renamed GTS (Grand Touring Supreme). The move was prompted by sponsor Exxon, who wanted
3186-551: Was headed by a group of competitors that wanted to keep the rules within the United States. After failing by 1999, a new U.S.-based series was started with the full support of NASCAR 's France family named the Grand American Road Racing Association , operating the headlining Rolex Sports Car Series . The series struggled early on, but after the introduction of the Daytona Prototype class, proved to be
3245-402: Was held at Virginia International Raceway ; it was an unexpected success, with both the drivers and the handful of spectators who attended. For the following year, John Bishop brought in sponsor R. J. Reynolds , and in 1975 introduced a new category: All American Grand Touring (AAGT). In 1977, the series went through a series of major changes. IMSA permitted turbocharged cars to compete for
3304-463: Was not a success, however, and it became obsolete when the new GTP category was created. TU would be phased out in 1976, TO the following year. Turbochargers were not permitted until the middle of the 1977 season. They were allowed following protests by Porsche's motorsport department, after inspecting Al Holbert 's AAGT winning Chevrolet Monza , which had won two titles. Prior to 1977, Porsche privateers struggled with obsolete 911 Carrera RSRs against
3363-599: Was the Porsche WSC-95 which won the 1996 and 1997 Le Mans races, using the monocoque of the Jaguar XJR-14 and Porsche 962 mechanicals (engine, transmission, etc.). The FIA's Group C formula was designed primarily for the World Endurance Championship which included the 24 Hours of Le Mans. However, several smaller series also adapted the Group C regulations. The Deutsche Rennsport Meisterschaft allowed Group C cars to compete alongside various other types of cars from
3422-567: Was the first racing season, and lasted six races. The early years of the series featured GT cars, similar to the European Group 2 and Group 4 classes, divided into four groups: In essence, these groups had been absorbed from the Trans Am Series . Trans Am would quickly become a support series for IMSA GT. The first champions were Peter H. Gregg and Hurley Haywood , in a Porsche 914-6 GTU. Common winners in these early years of IMSA were
3481-501: Was used in the FIA's World Endurance Championship (1982–1985), World Sports-Prototype Championship (1986–1990), World Sportscar Championship (1991–1992) and in the European Endurance Championship (1983 only). It was also used for other sports car racing series around the globe ( All Japan Sports Prototype Championship , Supercup, Interserie). The final year for the class came in 1993. Broadly similar rules were used in
#243756