Fabian Coulthard
Encyclopedia
Fabian Coulthard is a professional race car driver, currently racing for Walkinshaw Racing
known commercially as Bundaberg Racing Team in the Australian V8 Supercar
series.
Coulthard was born in Burnley
, England but raised in Auckland
, New Zealand
. He started his career in karts before moving into Formula Ford. He competed in the Formula Ford
support races of the 2002 Australian Grand Prix
. In the United Kingdom, Coulthard competed in British Formula Renault, where he was team mates with Formula One
world champion Lewis Hamilton
. With his budget finished, Coulthard returned to race in Australia and joined the Carrera Cup
, finishing third and best rookie in 2004 before returning to finish the job and be crowned champion in 2005.
In 2006 Coulthard signed to drive with Paul Morris Motorsport, he shared a car with Alan Gurr
and Steve Ellery. Coulthard returned to drive the older model VZ Commodore for the same team in 2007, before stepping out after Bathurst to concentrate on his 2008 plans.
Coulthard enjoyed a breakout season in 2008 driving for Paul Cruickshank Racing
. Driving a Ford BF Falcon
, Coulthard finished in the top ten on six separate occasions, including fifth place on home soil in Hamilton, New Zealand and finishing the season in a respectable 13th in the championship.
In 2009
he returned with PCR, driving a brand new Ford FG Falcon
having another consistent year behind the wheel of the Falcon. At Symmons Plains Raceway
Coulthard broke through for his first podium result in V8 Supercars, finishing third at the 2009 Falken Tasmania Challenge
and finished the season in another consistent 16th in the championship.
In 2010
he joined Walkinshaw Racing
, the same operation as the famous Holden Racing Team On the first lap of the 2010 Supercheap Auto Bathurst 1000
, his left-rear tyre blew after earlier contact, spun at 280 km/h through the Chase and rolled six times in the sand-trap before coming to a stop. Coulthard has failed to replicate his 2008/2009 speed with only three respectable results being a seventh in race 5 of the championship, at the 2010 Clipsal 500
an eighth at 2010 Falken Tasmania Challenge and another 5th at the Sydney Telstra 500.
For 2011 Coulthard will continue with Walkinshaw Racing
, driving the #61 Bundaberg Racing Team VE Commodore (WR013). He will depart the team at the season's end to join Brad Jones Racing
.
Coulthard is a second cousin of former Formula One driver David Coulthard
.
Walkinshaw Racing
Walkinshaw Racing, known commercially as Bundaberg Racing Team, is one of two Australian motor racing teams operated by British owned Walkinshaw Performance...
known commercially as Bundaberg Racing Team in the Australian V8 Supercar
V8 Supercar
V8 Supercars is a touring car racing category based in Australia and run as an International Series under Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile regulations...
series.
Coulthard was born in Burnley
Burnley
Burnley is a market town in the Burnley borough of Lancashire, England, with a population of around 73,500. It lies north of Manchester and east of Preston, at the confluence of the River Calder and River Brun....
, England but raised in Auckland
Auckland
The Auckland metropolitan area , in the North Island of New Zealand, is the largest and most populous urban area in the country with residents, percent of the country's population. Auckland also has the largest Polynesian population of any city in the world...
, New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
. He started his career in karts before moving into Formula Ford. He competed in the Formula Ford
Formula Ford
Formula Ford is a single seater, open wheel class in motorsport which exists in some form in many countries around the world. It is an entry-level series to motor racing....
support races of the 2002 Australian Grand Prix
2002 Australian Grand Prix
The 2002 Australian Grand Prix was a Formula One race held on 3 March 2002 at the Melbourne Grand Prix Circuit. It was the first race of the 2002 Formula One season....
. In the United Kingdom, Coulthard competed in British Formula Renault, where he was team mates with Formula One
Formula One
Formula One, also known as Formula 1 or F1 and referred to officially as the FIA Formula One World Championship, is the highest class of single seater auto racing sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile . The "formula" designation in the name refers to a set of rules with which...
world champion Lewis Hamilton
Lewis Hamilton
Lewis Carl Davidson Hamilton, MBE is a British Formula One racing driver from England, currently racing for the McLaren team. He was the Formula One World Champion.Hamilton was born in Stevenage, Hertfordshire...
. With his budget finished, Coulthard returned to race in Australia and joined the Carrera Cup
Australian Carrera Cup Championship
The Australian Carrera Cup Championship is a sports car racing championship open to drivers of Porsche 911 GT3 Cup cars. First held in 2003, it is administered by Porsche Cars Australia and sanctioned by CAMS as an Australian Championship...
, finishing third and best rookie in 2004 before returning to finish the job and be crowned champion in 2005.
In 2006 Coulthard signed to drive with Paul Morris Motorsport, he shared a car with Alan Gurr
Alan Gurr
Alan Gurr is a retired Australian racing driver. Presently without a full-time drive, Gurr was the teammate of Jason Bright at Britek Motorsport in 2007. He has also driven for Team Sirromet Wines in the 2006 V8 Supercar Championship Series.In the 2007 Endurance Races, He was partnered with Warren...
and Steve Ellery. Coulthard returned to drive the older model VZ Commodore for the same team in 2007, before stepping out after Bathurst to concentrate on his 2008 plans.
Coulthard enjoyed a breakout season in 2008 driving for Paul Cruickshank Racing
Paul Cruickshank Racing
Paul Cruickshank Racing was an Australian motor racing team that competed in several Sports Car and Touring Car categories.-V8 Supercar Championship:...
. Driving a Ford BF Falcon
Ford BF Falcon
The Ford BF Falcon was a full-size car that was manufactured by the Ford Motor Company in Victoria, Australia. The BF Falcon started production in October 2005 and a MkII update was released in October 2006...
, Coulthard finished in the top ten on six separate occasions, including fifth place on home soil in Hamilton, New Zealand and finishing the season in a respectable 13th in the championship.
In 2009
2009 V8 Supercar Championship Series
The 2009 V8 Supercar Championship Series was the eleventh V8 Supercar Championship Series and the thirteenth series in which V8 Supercars have contested the premier Australian touring car title...
he returned with PCR, driving a brand new Ford FG Falcon
Ford FG Falcon
The Ford FG Falcon is a full-size car produced by the Ford Motor Company of Australia since 2008. The FG series is the current model of the Ford Falcon and is the seventh generation of the car...
having another consistent year behind the wheel of the Falcon. At Symmons Plains Raceway
Symmons Plains Raceway
Symmons Plains Raceway is a motor racing circuit in Australia, located about 30 kilometres south of Launceston, Tasmania. Since the closure of the Longford circuit in the 1960s it has been Tasmania's premier motor racing facility...
Coulthard broke through for his first podium result in V8 Supercars, finishing third at the 2009 Falken Tasmania Challenge
2009 Falken Tasmania Challenge
The 2009 Falken Tasmania Challenge was the fourth race meeting of the 2009 V8 Supercar Championship Series. It contained Rounds 7 and 8 of the series and was held on the weekend of May 29–31 at Symmons Plains Raceway, near Launceston, in northern Tasmania.-Rule change:The new race formats for...
and finished the season in another consistent 16th in the championship.
In 2010
2010 V8 Supercar Championship Series
The 2010 V8 Supercar Championship Series was an FIA sanctioned international motor racing series for V8 Supercars. It was the twelfth V8 Supercar Championship Series and the fourteenth series in which V8 Supercars have contested the premier Australian touring car title...
he joined Walkinshaw Racing
Walkinshaw Racing
Walkinshaw Racing, known commercially as Bundaberg Racing Team, is one of two Australian motor racing teams operated by British owned Walkinshaw Performance...
, the same operation as the famous Holden Racing Team On the first lap of the 2010 Supercheap Auto Bathurst 1000
2010 Supercheap Auto Bathurst 1000
The 2010 Supercheap Auto Bathurst 1000 was a motor race for V8 Supercars. The race, which was held on Sunday, 10 October 2010 at the Mount Panorama Circuit just outside Bathurst, New South Wales, Australia was Race 18 of the 2010 V8 Supercar Championship Series...
, his left-rear tyre blew after earlier contact, spun at 280 km/h through the Chase and rolled six times in the sand-trap before coming to a stop. Coulthard has failed to replicate his 2008/2009 speed with only three respectable results being a seventh in race 5 of the championship, at the 2010 Clipsal 500
2010 Clipsal 500
The 2010 Clipsal 500 was the third event of the 2010 V8 Supercar Championship Series and the twelfth running of the Adelaide 500. It was held on the weekend of 11–14 March on the streets of Adelaide, in South Australia....
an eighth at 2010 Falken Tasmania Challenge and another 5th at the Sydney Telstra 500.
For 2011 Coulthard will continue with Walkinshaw Racing
Walkinshaw Racing
Walkinshaw Racing, known commercially as Bundaberg Racing Team, is one of two Australian motor racing teams operated by British owned Walkinshaw Performance...
, driving the #61 Bundaberg Racing Team VE Commodore (WR013). He will depart the team at the season's end to join Brad Jones Racing
Brad Jones Racing
Brad Jones Racing is an Australian motor racing team centred around brothers Kim and Brad Jones and is based in Albury, New South Wales. Presently the team compete in the V8 Supercar Series, which they joined in 2000. Recently they have also returned to the Australian Formula Ford Championship...
.
Coulthard is a second cousin of former Formula One driver David Coulthard
David Coulthard
David Marshall Coulthard, MBE, , sometimes known as DC, is a British former Formula One racing driver from Scotland.Coulthard, who was born in Dumfries and raised nearby in Twynholm, made his Formula One debut in 1994 and won 13 Grands Prix in a career spanning 15 seasons...
.
Career results
| Season | Series | Position | Car | Team |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | New Zealand Formula Ford Championship New Zealand Formula Ford Championship The MTA New Zealand Formula Ford Championship has been held annually in New Zealand racing circuits.-History:Formula Ford emerged as a racing class in New Zealand. In 1972, the inaugural New Zealand Formula Ford championship won by David Oxton. The open wheel category rapidly developed into the... |
4th | Van Diemen Van Diemen Van Diemen International, Ltd. is a British race car manufacturer based in Snetterton, Norfolk, England.The company has a reputation for high-volume production runs of its cars, the most well-known of which is its series of Formula Ford chassis, which have been at the forefront of that class of... RF92 |
|
| 2001 | New Zealand Formula Ford Championship | 1st | Van Diemen Van Diemen Van Diemen International, Ltd. is a British race car manufacturer based in Snetterton, Norfolk, England.The company has a reputation for high-volume production runs of its cars, the most well-known of which is its series of Formula Ford chassis, which have been at the forefront of that class of... RF94 |
|
| 2002 | British Formula Renault Championship British Formula Renault Championship The United Kingdom has two Formula Renault championships: Renault Sport UK's Formula Renault UK championship and the British Automobile Racing Club's BARC Formula Renault championship. Generally, the UK series is recognized as the British Formula Renault.-History:The "British Formula Renault... |
36th | Manor Motorsport | |
| 2003 | British Formula Renault Championship | 15th | Manor Motorsport | |
| 2004 2004 Australian Carrera Cup Championship The 2004 Australian Carrera Cup Championship was a CAMS sanctioned motor racing competition open to Porsche 911 GT3 Cup cars. The championship, which was the second Australian Carrera Cup Championship, was contested over a nine round series and was administered by CupCar Australia Pty Ltd... |
Australian Carrera Cup Championship Australian Carrera Cup Championship The Australian Carrera Cup Championship is a sports car racing championship open to drivers of Porsche 911 GT3 Cup cars. First held in 2003, it is administered by Porsche Cars Australia and sanctioned by CAMS as an Australian Championship... |
3rd | Porsche 996 GT3 Cup | Greg Murphy Racing Greg Murphy Racing Greg Murphy Racing is a V8 Supercar team that is competing in the second-tier Australian V8 Supercar series, the Fujitsu V8 Supercar Series. The team have also had wild card entries into the V8 Supercar Championship Series endurance races, specifically the Phillip Island 500 and Bathurst 1000, in... |
| 2004 2004 V8 Supercar Championship Series The 2004 V8 Supercar Championship Series featured the sixth running of the V8 Supercar Championship Series. It began on 21 March 2004 in Adelaide and ended on 5 December at Eastern Creek Raceway after 13 rounds... |
V8Supercar Championship Series V8 Supercar V8 Supercars is a touring car racing category based in Australia and run as an International Series under Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile regulations... |
34th | Holden VX Commodore Holden VX Commodore The Holden VX Commodore, Berlina and Calais range of full-size cars were the eleventh instalment of Holden Commodore, a model manufactured by Holden, the Australian subsidiary of General Motors... |
Tasman Motorsport Tasman Motorsport Tasman Motorsport was a V8 Supercar racing team. It was formed in 2004 out of what was Lansvale Racing Team V8 Supercar team and is associated with Greg Murphy Racing as a satellite operation.... |
| 2005 | Australian Carrera Cup Championship | 1st | Porsche 996 GT3 | Greg Murphy Racing Greg Murphy Racing Greg Murphy Racing is a V8 Supercar team that is competing in the second-tier Australian V8 Supercar series, the Fujitsu V8 Supercar Series. The team have also had wild card entries into the V8 Supercar Championship Series endurance races, specifically the Phillip Island 500 and Bathurst 1000, in... |
| 2005 2005 V8 Supercar Championship Series The 2005 V8 Supercar season was the seventh running of the V8 Supercar Championship Series. It began on 18 March 2005 in Adelaide and ended on 27 November at Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit after 13 rounds.-Teams and drivers:... |
V8Supercar Championship Series V8 Supercar V8 Supercars is a touring car racing category based in Australia and run as an International Series under Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile regulations... |
65th | Holden VY Commodore | Tasman Motorsport Tasman Motorsport Tasman Motorsport was a V8 Supercar racing team. It was formed in 2004 out of what was Lansvale Racing Team V8 Supercar team and is associated with Greg Murphy Racing as a satellite operation.... |
| 2006 2006 V8 Supercar Championship Series The 2006 V8 Supercar season was the 8th running of the V8 Supercar Championship Series. It began on 25 March 2006 in Adelaide and ended on 10 December at Phillip Island after 13 rounds.-Race Calendar:... |
V8Supercar Championship Series V8 Supercar V8 Supercars is a touring car racing category based in Australia and run as an International Series under Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile regulations... |
32nd | Holden VZ Commodore | Team Sirromet Wines Team Kiwi Racing Team Kiwi Racing Team Kiwi Racing was a V8 Supercar team that competed in the Australian V8 Supercar series. The team has since returned at much reduced scale, in New Zealand running in domestic one-make series racing... |
| 2007 2007 V8 Supercar Championship Series The 2007 V8 Supercar season featured the ninth V8 Supercar Championship Series which began on 1 March and finished on 2 December. This championship consisted of 14 rounds covering all states and the Northern Territory of Australia as well as rounds in New Zealand and Bahrain... |
V8Supercar Championship Series V8 Supercar V8 Supercars is a touring car racing category based in Australia and run as an International Series under Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile regulations... |
47th | Holden VZ Commodore | Team Sirromet Wines |
| 2008 | V8Supercar Championship Series V8 Supercar V8 Supercars is a touring car racing category based in Australia and run as an International Series under Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile regulations... |
13th | Ford BF Falcon Ford BF Falcon The Ford BF Falcon was a full-size car that was manufactured by the Ford Motor Company in Victoria, Australia. The BF Falcon started production in October 2005 and a MkII update was released in October 2006... |
Paul Cruickshank Racing Paul Cruickshank Racing Paul Cruickshank Racing was an Australian motor racing team that competed in several Sports Car and Touring Car categories.-V8 Supercar Championship:... |
| 2009 2009 V8 Supercar Championship Series The 2009 V8 Supercar Championship Series was the eleventh V8 Supercar Championship Series and the thirteenth series in which V8 Supercars have contested the premier Australian touring car title... |
V8Supercar Championship Series V8 Supercar V8 Supercars is a touring car racing category based in Australia and run as an International Series under Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile regulations... |
16th | Ford FG Falcon Ford FG Falcon The Ford FG Falcon is a full-size car produced by the Ford Motor Company of Australia since 2008. The FG series is the current model of the Ford Falcon and is the seventh generation of the car... |
Paul Cruickshank Racing Paul Cruickshank Racing Paul Cruickshank Racing was an Australian motor racing team that competed in several Sports Car and Touring Car categories.-V8 Supercar Championship:... |
| 2010 2010 V8 Supercar Championship Series The 2010 V8 Supercar Championship Series was an FIA sanctioned international motor racing series for V8 Supercars. It was the twelfth V8 Supercar Championship Series and the fourteenth series in which V8 Supercars have contested the premier Australian touring car title... |
V8Supercar Championship Series V8 Supercar V8 Supercars is a touring car racing category based in Australia and run as an International Series under Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile regulations... |
23rd | Holden VE Commodore | Walkinshaw Racing Walkinshaw Racing Walkinshaw Racing, known commercially as Bundaberg Racing Team, is one of two Australian motor racing teams operated by British owned Walkinshaw Performance... |