Ni Amorim
Encyclopedia
Nuno Amorim, better known as Ni Amorim, is a racecar driver born in Porto
, Portugal
on March 1, 1962.
in 1982, but in the mid-1980s he was almost exclusively a touring car racing
driver, becoming a mainstay in various one-make cups and the Portuguese Touring Car Championship.
He was Group N Champion in 1987, and later won the Group A Championship in 1989 and 1990 driving the Poligrupo Ford Sierra RS500
, and 1993 with the works Opel Astra
(this one in the Supertouring
regulations).
He returned to the Portuguese Touring Car Championship in 2007 in a semi-works BMW 320si
, his first full season in Portugal since 1994.
driver in the Macau Grand Prix
's Guia Race
, he began an international career in 1995, first in the International Touring Car Championship
and in the following year in the Spanish Touring Car Championship.
In 1997 he lost Opel
backing and moved to endurance racing, competing on-and-off in the FIA GT Championship
and the American Le Mans Series
, as well as the 24 Hours of Le Mans
. The high point of his career was at the wheel of the Oreca
-run works Chrysler
team, with the Chrysler Viper GTS-R
and the Chrysler LMP, in 1999 and 2000.
He has also driven in the Spanish
and British GT Championship
, where he was class champion in 2004. For 2005, he moved to the Le Mans Endurance Series, where he drove a Courage C65
.
In 2006, he partnered Manuel Gião
to second place in the Spanish GT Championship, in a Ferrari 360 Modena. In 2007, while maintaining a fulltime national schedule, he drove a Ferrari 430 in the Spanish GT Championship and the International GT Open
.
Porto
Porto , also known as Oporto in English, is the second largest city in Portugal and one of the major urban areas in the Iberian Peninsula. Its administrative limits include a population of 237,559 inhabitants distributed within 15 civil parishes...
, Portugal
Portugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
on March 1, 1962.
National career
Amorim started competing in circuit racing and rallyingRallying
Rallying, also known as rally racing, is a form of auto racing that takes place on public or private roads with modified production or specially built road-legal cars...
in 1982, but in the mid-1980s he was almost exclusively a touring car racing
Touring car racing
Touring car racing is a general term for a number of distinct auto racing competitions in heavily-modified street cars. It is notably popular in Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Germany, Japan, Scandinavia and Britain.-Characteristics of a touring car:...
driver, becoming a mainstay in various one-make cups and the Portuguese Touring Car Championship.
He was Group N Champion in 1987, and later won the Group A Championship in 1989 and 1990 driving the Poligrupo Ford Sierra RS500
Ford Sierra
The Ford Sierra is a large family car that was built by Ford Europe from 1982 until 1993. It was designed by Uwe Bahnsen, Robert Lutz and Patrick le Quément. The code used during development was "Project Toni"....
, and 1993 with the works Opel Astra
Opel Astra
The Opel Astra is a small family car engineered and manufactured by the German automaker Opel since 1991.It is branded as Vauxhall Astra in the United Kingdom, the Buick Excelle XT in China and the Chevrolet Astra/Vectra in Latin America...
(this one in the Supertouring
Supertouring
Super Touring, Class 2 or Class II was a motor racing Touring Cars category defined by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile for national touring car racing in 1993. It was based on the "2 litre Touring Car Formula" created for the British Touring Car Championship in 1990...
regulations).
He returned to the Portuguese Touring Car Championship in 2007 in a semi-works BMW 320si
BMW E90
The saloon model was the first model sold of the 5th generation BMW 3 series. Debuting in the US in 2006, the E90 came in two trims, the 325i/xi and 330i/xi models...
, his first full season in Portugal since 1994.
International career
After a few outings as a Mercedes-AMGMercedes-AMG
Mercedes-AMG GmbH, commonly known as AMG, is a subsidiary of the Mercedes-Benz car company specializing in high-performance luxury cars....
driver in the Macau Grand Prix
Macau Grand Prix
The Macau Grand Prix is a motor-racing event held annually in Macau, one of China's Special Administrative Regions. It is known for being the only street circuit racing event in which both car and motorcycle races are held...
's Guia Race
Guia Race
The Guia Race of Macau is an international touring car race, and currently a round of the World Touring Car Championship. It is held on the temporary Guia Circuit on the steets of Macau, the Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China as part of the Macau Grand Prix weekend...
, he began an international career in 1995, first in the International Touring Car Championship
Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters
The Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters is a touring car racing series based in Germany, but also with rounds elsewhere in Europe....
and in the following year in the Spanish Touring Car Championship.
In 1997 he lost Opel
Opel
Adam Opel AG, generally shortened to Opel, is a German automobile company founded by Adam Opel in 1862. Opel has been building automobiles since 1899, and became an Aktiengesellschaft in 1929...
backing and moved to endurance racing, competing on-and-off in the FIA GT Championship
FIA GT Championship
The FIA GT Championship was a sports car racing series organized by the Stéphane Ratel Organisation at the behest of the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile . The championship was mostly concentrated in Europe, but throughout the years has visited other continents including Asia and South...
and the American Le Mans Series
American Le Mans Series
The American Le Mans Series presented by Tequila Patrón is a sports car racing series based in the United States and Canada. It consists of a series of endurance and sprint races, and was created in the spirit of the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Teams compete in one of five classes: LMP1, LMP2 and LMPC...
, as well as the 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...
. The high point of his career was at the wheel of the Oreca
Oreca
Oreca is a French racing team, founded and run by Hugues de Chaunac, former team manager of F1 team AGS. Oreca has had success in many areas of motorsport including Formula Three where drivers including Alain Prost, Jacques Laffite and Jean Alesi have won the French Formula Three Championship for...
-run works Chrysler
Chrysler
Chrysler Group LLC is a multinational automaker headquartered in Auburn Hills, Michigan, USA. Chrysler was first organized as the Chrysler Corporation in 1925....
team, with the Chrysler Viper GTS-R
Chrysler Viper GTS-R
The Chrysler Viper GTS-R was a successful racing variant of the Dodge Viper developed in conjunction with Chrysler of North America, Oreca of France, and Reynard Motorsport of the United Kingdom. Officially unveiled at the 1995 Pebble Beach Concours, it has won numerous championships and famous...
and the Chrysler LMP, in 1999 and 2000.
He has also driven in the Spanish
Spanish GT Championship
The Spanish GT Championship is a Spanish auto racing series founded in 1999 and organised by the GT Sport Organización. The series runs multiple classes of grand tourer cars in events around Spain and Portugal...
and British GT Championship
British GT Championship
The Avon Tyres British GT Championship is a sports car racing series currently based in the United Kingdom, although they have had select races outside of Britain in the past few years. The series was created by the British Racing Drivers' Club in 1993 and for its first two seasons was called the...
, where he was class champion in 2004. For 2005, he moved to the Le Mans Endurance Series, where he drove a Courage C65
Courage Compétition
Courage Compétition was a racing team and chassis constructor company now owned by Oreca, based in Le Mans, France near the Circuit de la Sarthe. It was founded by Yves Courage, a French race driver who ran hillclimbs before founding the company...
.
In 2006, he partnered Manuel Gião
Manuel Gião
Manuel Gião is a Portuguese racing driver. He has competed in such series as Euro Open by Nissan, Italian Formula 3000, International GT Open and the German Formula Three Championship. He represented Portugal many times in the EFDA Nations Cup.-External links:*...
to second place in the Spanish GT Championship, in a Ferrari 360 Modena. In 2007, while maintaining a fulltime national schedule, he drove a Ferrari 430 in the Spanish GT Championship and the International GT Open
International GT Open
The International GT Open is a grand tourer-style sports car racing founded in 2006 by the Spanish GT Sport Organización. It is a spin-off of the Spanish GT Championship, and uses a similar format, except its races are held internationally.-Format:...
.