Lancia LC1
Encyclopedia
Sports car racing
Sports car racing is a form of circuit auto racing with automobiles that have two seats and enclosed wheels. They may be purpose-built or related to road-going sports cars....
run by Lancia
Lancia
Lancia Automobiles S.p.A. is an Italian automobile manufacturer founded in 1906 by Vincenzo Lancia and which became part of the Fiat Group in 1969. The company has a long history of producing distinctive cars and also has a strong rally heritage. Some modern Lancias are seen as presenting a more...
under the Group 6
Group 6 (racing)
Group 6 was the official designation applied by the FIA to two motor racing classifications, the Prototype-Sports Car category from 1966 to 1971 and the Two-Seater Racing Cars class from 1976 to 1982.-Group 6 Prototype-Sports Cars :...
regulations in the World Sportscar Championship
World Sportscar Championship
The World Sportscar Championship was the world series run for sports car racing by the FIA from 1953 to 1992.The championship evolved from a small collection of the most important sportscar, endurance and road racing events in Europe and North America with dozens of gentleman drivers at the grid,...
and 24 Hours of Le Mans
24 Hours of Le Mans
The 24 Hours of Le Mans is the world's oldest sports car race in endurance racing, held annually since near the town of Le Mans, France. Commonly known as the Grand Prix of Endurance and Efficiency, race teams have to balance speed against the cars' ability to run for 24 hours without sustaining...
from 1982
1982 World Sportscar Championship season
The 1982 World Sportscar Championship season was the 30th season of FIA World Sportscar Championship racing. It featured the 1982 World Endurance Championship for Drivers, which was contested over an eight round series, and the 1982 World Endurance Championship for Manufacturers, which was...
to 1983
1983 World Sportscar Championship season
The 1983 World Sports Championship season was the 31st season of FIA “World Sportscar Championship” motor racing. It featured the 1983 FIA World Endurance Championship which was contested by Group C Sports Cars, Group C Junior Sports Cars and Group B GT Cars in a seven race series which ran from...
. The car was built as an attempt by Lancia to move up from production-based competition with the Montecarlo in Group 5
Group 5 (racing)
Group 5 was an FIA motor racing classification which was applied to four distinct categories during the years 1966 to 1982. Initially Group 5 regulations defined a Special Touring Car category and from 1970 to 1971 the classification was applied to limited production Sports Cars restricted to 5...
.
The LC1 featured a chassis built by Dallara
Dallara
Dallara Automobili is an Italian chassis manufacturer for various motor racing series, being most notable for its near-monopoly in Formula 3 since 1993...
with an open cockpit, while the engine would be a 1425 cc straight-4
Straight-4
The inline-four engine or straight-four engine is an internal combustion engine with all four cylinders mounted in a straight line, or plane along the crankcase. The single bank of cylinders may be oriented in either a vertical or an inclined plane with all the pistons driving a common crankshaft....
Lancia unit with a single turbocharger, as had been used in the previous Montecarlos. Martini Racing
Martini Racing
Martini Racing is the name under which various motor racing teams raced when sponsored by the Martini & Rossi distillery that produces Martini vermouth. Martini's sponsorship program began in 1968...
would run the program, with all cars running the Martini & Rossi
Martini & Rossi
Martini & Rossi is an Italian multinational alcoholic beverage company primarily associated with the Martini brand of vermouth and also with sparkling wine . It also produces the French vermouth, Noilly Prat.-History:...
colors.
However, the car's life was short due to rule changes enacted prior to the LC1's competition debut in 1982
1982 World Sportscar Championship season
The 1982 World Sportscar Championship season was the 30th season of FIA World Sportscar Championship racing. It featured the 1982 World Endurance Championship for Drivers, which was contested over an eight round series, and the 1982 World Endurance Championship for Manufacturers, which was...
. Organisers had decided that Group 6
Group 6
Group 6 may refer to:*Group 6 element, chemical element classification*Group 6 , FIA classification for sports car racing*Group 6 Rugby League, rugby league competition in New South Wales, Australia...
was to be phased out in place of the new Group C
Group C
Group C was a category of motorsport, introduced by the FIA in 1982 for sports car racing, along with Group A for touring cars and Group B for GTs....
. In order to push manufacturers towards Group C, cars competing in other classes would not be allowed to earn points in the Constructors Championship, but would still be eligible in the Drivers Championship. To Lancia's advantage, Group 6 cars were not required to meet the fuel economy standards that Group C cars used, allowing the team to run flat-out throughout a race and compete for overall victories. The LC1s were therefore able to fight for overall race wins, earning three in the 1982 season. The quick pace of the car also earned it three pole positions. Lancia driver Riccardo Patrese
Riccardo Patrese
Riccardo Gabriele Patrese is an Italian former racing driver, who raced in Formula One from to .He became the first Formula One driver to achieve 200 Grand Prix starts when he appeared at the 1990 British Grand Prix, and the first to achieve 250 starts at the 1993 German Grand Prix...
was in contention for the Drivers Championship into the final round, but ended the year eight points behind Porsche
Porsche
Porsche Automobil Holding SE, usually shortened to Porsche SE a Societas Europaea or European Public Company, is a German based holding company with investments in the automotive industry....
's Jacky Ickx
Jacky Ickx
Jacques Bernard "Jacky" Ickx is a Belgian former racing driver who achieved 25 podium finishes in Formula One and six wins in the 24 hours of Le Mans.- Racing career :...
.
With the LC1 already restricted the project was quickly abandoned in 1983, with Lancia building an all-new car to Group C regulations known as the LC2
Lancia LC2
The Lancia LC2 was a series of racing cars built by Italian automobile manufacturer Lancia and powered by engines built by their sister company Ferrari. They were part of Lancia's official factory-backed effort in the World Sportscar Championship from 1983 to 1986, although they continued to be...
. The LC1s still saw some competition in 1983, as Italian squad Sivama Motor modified a pair of LC1s to include a closed cockpit and meet Group C regulations. These cars saw mixed results before they too were abandoned at the end of the 1983 season.
External links
- World Sports Racing Prototypes - Lancia chassis index