Peter Hardman
Encyclopedia
Peter Hardman is an English
racing driver.
Peter boasts an extensive motor racing history as a multiple race winner and one of Britain’s most experienced international drivers. He has achieved a huge amount of variety over an impressive career, spanning the divide across historic and modern day racing, and driving a wide array of cars including single-seater, touring and sportscars. While maintaining a highly successful racing career, Peter successfully branched out into the domains of race team owner and driver manager.
Though a keen spectator of rallycross in his school days, Peter did not look set to embark on a racing career until a visit to a Jim Russell driving course at the age of 17. Taking to Mallory Park in a Formula Ford, Peter soon showed his potential by winning his second ever race with Jim Russell.
In 1980, Peter began a season of Formula Ford 1600, but was forced out after just three races with a broken foot. He returned to racing in 1983, once again in Formula Ford
, but was an immediate success, winning the championship outright. Over the following five years, Peter fought the age-old problem of securing budget, but raced whenever he could in Formula Ford 2000 and British Formula Three, in which he raced four meetings during the 1986 and 1987 seasons.
Peter was thrown a lifeline in 1988 when he secured the prestigious “Racing for Britain” scholarship and took a drive in Formula Vauxhall Lotus alongside such names as Mika Hakkinen, Allan McNish and David Brabham. He won two races, finished fourth in the championship, and was honoured with the “Cellnet Award” in 1989. In 1990 and 1991, Peter raced for the Mansell Madgwick Formula 3000 team and following that decided to make the switch to sportscars and touring cars.
Becoming an unprecedented third-successive championship winner of the Pro-Sport 3000 (he secured series victories in 1992, 1993 and 1994), Peter was awarded the BRDC Silver Star in ’94 to credit his unparalleled result in British sportscar history. In 1993 Peter began to branch out into historic racing, and over the coming years he combined that with his modern car racing. In 1995 he added to his trophy cabinet by winning the Formula Classic and then competed in the Super Touring North American in 1996 with Honda. In the same year he became champion of the Ferrari Shell Historic, racing in the 330LMB.
It was in 1995 that Peter met a private collector who owns some of the world’s best historic racing cars, and was entrusted to race items of the precious collection, including the 1959 Le Mans-winning Aston Martin.
In 1997, Peter competed in the Daytona 24hrs, finishing sixth in the WSC Class. He also raced several historic meetings that year. The following season he took to the wheel of the McLaren F1 GTR, and also won two races at the Goodwood Revival Festival in the rare Ferrari 246S Dino sports car. In 1999, he competed in the British and Spanish GT championships with Lister, and combined that with historic racing and the Spa 24hr saloon car race. Over the following years Peter continued to compete in historic, GT racing and endurance meetings, driving a multitude of cars.
It was during this period that Peter began to extend his business interests and launched Elite Driver Management (EDM) to manage the career of emerging star driver Westley Barber in in Formula Ford, Formula 3 and Formula 3000. In 2005, in conjunction with Duller Motorsport, EDM achieved a class win in Group N in the Silverstone 24 Hours.
In late 2004, at the request of his longtime patron and friend, Peter took on the role of mentor/coach to Nick Leventis. Peter formed Strakka Racing from EDM in 2005, building the team from the ground up, with the goal of reaching the pinnacle of modern Sportscar racing—Le Mans 24 Hours—in five years. With Peter as team owner, team manager, driver, and mentor/coach to Nick, the team ran first in Group N with a BMW M3, then an ex-factory BMW M3 GTR in GT2, followed by GT1 in the Aston Martin DBR9 in 2008 Le Mans Series. Finally, Peter negotiated an assisted factory deal with Ginetta-Zytek for the move into LMP1, along with a Michelin tyre contract and an entry to Le Mans 24 Hours, for the 2009 season. In June 2009, Peter achieved his objective for Strakka with the team’s 21st place finish at Le Mans 24 Hours.
During his five-year tenure as team owner-driver, Peter worked with such drivers as Christian Vann, Alan Simonsson, and Darren Turner. He also continued to drive in both modern and historic races himself, competing in the Silverstone 24 Hour race in 2006, scoring a race win in the Le Mans Series
at Donington in 2006, and winning the Gruppo Peroni Silver Cup in both 2006 and 2007. Peter’s historic drives during this period included the 1957 Le Mans-winning Aston-Martin DBR1; and Ferraris 300 LMB, P3, and 246 Dino. In 2008, after 11 years of competition at Goodwood—including various wins—Peter won the Goodwood RAC Tourist Trophy and was awarded Driver of the Meeting.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
racing driver.
Peter boasts an extensive motor racing history as a multiple race winner and one of Britain’s most experienced international drivers. He has achieved a huge amount of variety over an impressive career, spanning the divide across historic and modern day racing, and driving a wide array of cars including single-seater, touring and sportscars. While maintaining a highly successful racing career, Peter successfully branched out into the domains of race team owner and driver manager.
Though a keen spectator of rallycross in his school days, Peter did not look set to embark on a racing career until a visit to a Jim Russell driving course at the age of 17. Taking to Mallory Park in a Formula Ford, Peter soon showed his potential by winning his second ever race with Jim Russell.
In 1980, Peter began a season of Formula Ford 1600, but was forced out after just three races with a broken foot. He returned to racing in 1983, once again in 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....
, but was an immediate success, winning the championship outright. Over the following five years, Peter fought the age-old problem of securing budget, but raced whenever he could in Formula Ford 2000 and British Formula Three, in which he raced four meetings during the 1986 and 1987 seasons.
Peter was thrown a lifeline in 1988 when he secured the prestigious “Racing for Britain” scholarship and took a drive in Formula Vauxhall Lotus alongside such names as Mika Hakkinen, Allan McNish and David Brabham. He won two races, finished fourth in the championship, and was honoured with the “Cellnet Award” in 1989. In 1990 and 1991, Peter raced for the Mansell Madgwick Formula 3000 team and following that decided to make the switch to sportscars and touring cars.
Becoming an unprecedented third-successive championship winner of the Pro-Sport 3000 (he secured series victories in 1992, 1993 and 1994), Peter was awarded the BRDC Silver Star in ’94 to credit his unparalleled result in British sportscar history. In 1993 Peter began to branch out into historic racing, and over the coming years he combined that with his modern car racing. In 1995 he added to his trophy cabinet by winning the Formula Classic and then competed in the Super Touring North American in 1996 with Honda. In the same year he became champion of the Ferrari Shell Historic, racing in the 330LMB.
It was in 1995 that Peter met a private collector who owns some of the world’s best historic racing cars, and was entrusted to race items of the precious collection, including the 1959 Le Mans-winning Aston Martin.
In 1997, Peter competed in the Daytona 24hrs, finishing sixth in the WSC Class. He also raced several historic meetings that year. The following season he took to the wheel of the McLaren F1 GTR, and also won two races at the Goodwood Revival Festival in the rare Ferrari 246S Dino sports car. In 1999, he competed in the British and Spanish GT championships with Lister, and combined that with historic racing and the Spa 24hr saloon car race. Over the following years Peter continued to compete in historic, GT racing and endurance meetings, driving a multitude of cars.
It was during this period that Peter began to extend his business interests and launched Elite Driver Management (EDM) to manage the career of emerging star driver Westley Barber in in Formula Ford, Formula 3 and Formula 3000. In 2005, in conjunction with Duller Motorsport, EDM achieved a class win in Group N in the Silverstone 24 Hours.
In late 2004, at the request of his longtime patron and friend, Peter took on the role of mentor/coach to Nick Leventis. Peter formed Strakka Racing from EDM in 2005, building the team from the ground up, with the goal of reaching the pinnacle of modern Sportscar racing—Le Mans 24 Hours—in five years. With Peter as team owner, team manager, driver, and mentor/coach to Nick, the team ran first in Group N with a BMW M3, then an ex-factory BMW M3 GTR in GT2, followed by GT1 in the Aston Martin DBR9 in 2008 Le Mans Series. Finally, Peter negotiated an assisted factory deal with Ginetta-Zytek for the move into LMP1, along with a Michelin tyre contract and an entry to Le Mans 24 Hours, for the 2009 season. In June 2009, Peter achieved his objective for Strakka with the team’s 21st place finish at Le Mans 24 Hours.
During his five-year tenure as team owner-driver, Peter worked with such drivers as Christian Vann, Alan Simonsson, and Darren Turner. He also continued to drive in both modern and historic races himself, competing in the Silverstone 24 Hour race in 2006, scoring a race win in the Le Mans Series
Le Mans Series
The Le Mans Series is a European sports car racing endurance series based around the 24 Hours of Le Mans race and run by the Automobile Club de l'Ouest . The series was originally named the Le Mans Endurance Series, but changed its name prior to the 2006 season...
at Donington in 2006, and winning the Gruppo Peroni Silver Cup in both 2006 and 2007. Peter’s historic drives during this period included the 1957 Le Mans-winning Aston-Martin DBR1; and Ferraris 300 LMB, P3, and 246 Dino. In 2008, after 11 years of competition at Goodwood—including various wins—Peter won the Goodwood RAC Tourist Trophy and was awarded Driver of the Meeting.
24 Hours of Le Mans results
| Year | Class | No | Tyres | Car | Team | Co-Drivers | Laps | Pos. | Class Pos. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1993 1993 24 Hours of Le Mans The 1993 24 Hours of Le Mans was the 61st Grand Prix of Endurance, and took place on June 19 and 20 1993.A class for Grand Touring style cars was included for the first time since the 1985 race.-Official results:... |
GT | 45 | Lotus Esprit S300 Lotus Lotus Cars Lotus Cars is a British manufacturer of sports and racing cars based at the former site of RAF Hethel, a World War II airfield in Norfolk. The company designs and builds race and production automobiles of light weight and fine handling characteristics... 2.2L Turbo I4 |
 Lotus SportLotus Cars Lotus Cars is a British manufacturer of sports and racing cars based at the former site of RAF Hethel, a World War II airfield in Norfolk. The company designs and builds race and production automobiles of light weight and fine handling characteristics... Chamberlain Engineering |
 Yojiro TeradaYojiro Terada is a Japanese racing driver from Kobe, Hyogo Prefecture. He is known for holding the record for the most participations in the 24 Hours of Le Mans without winning, having run on 29 occasions since . He is also third behind Henri Pescarolo and Bob Wollek for the drivers with the most participations...  Thorkild ThyrringThorkild Thyrring Thorkild Thyrring is a Danish auto racing driver. He drove several times in the Le Mans 24 hour race, most recently in 2005 and 2006 for Sebah Automotive Ltd in a Porsche 911 GT3. His best result in the race was finishing nineteenth overall in 2005. Previously he raced a Lotus in 1993 and 1994,... |
92 | DNF | DNF | |
| 1994 1994 24 Hours of Le Mans The 1994 24 Hours of Le Mans was the 62nd Grand Prix of Endurance, and took place on June 19 and 20, 1994.-Race:The 1994 race was won by a car that had its roots in a 10 year old design... |
GT2 | 62 | Lotus Esprit S300 Lotus Lotus Cars Lotus Cars is a British manufacturer of sports and racing cars based at the former site of RAF Hethel, a World War II airfield in Norfolk. The company designs and builds race and production automobiles of light weight and fine handling characteristics... 2.2L Turbo I4 |
Lotus Sport Lotus Cars Lotus Cars is a British manufacturer of sports and racing cars based at the former site of RAF Hethel, a World War II airfield in Norfolk. The company designs and builds race and production automobiles of light weight and fine handling characteristics... Chamberlain Engineering |
Richard Piper Olindo Iacobelli |
59 | DNF | DNF | |
| 2008 2008 24 Hours of Le Mans The 2008 24 Hours of Le Mans was the 76th Grand Prix of Endurance, taking place on 14–15 June 2008 at the Circuit de la Sarthe, Le Mans, France, organised by the Automobile Club de l'Ouest . The test day was on June 1. The race was attended by 258,000 spectators... |
GT1 | 53 | Aston Martin DBR9 Aston Martin DBR9 The Aston Martin DBR9 is a racing car built by Aston Martin Racing, debuting in 2005. The name DBR9 is derived from the original 24 Hours of Le Mans-winning DBR1 car, named for then-owner David Brown, which not only won the 24 Hour race in 1959 but also the World Sportscar title.-Development:Based... Aston Martin Aston Martin Aston Martin Lagonda Limited is a British manufacturer of luxury sports cars, based in Gaydon, Warwickshire. The company name is derived from the name of one of the company's founders, Lionel Martin, and from the Aston Hill speed hillclimb near Aston Clinton in Buckinghamshire... 6.0L V12 |
 Vitaphone Racing Team Strakka RacingStrakka Racing Strakka Racing is a British auto racing team founded by Nick Leventis. The team is based at the Silverstone Circuit in Northamptonshire. They currently operate a HPD ARX-01C sports car in the Le Mans Series. The team made history at the 2010 1000 km of Hungaroring when they became the first team in... |
Nick Leventis Nick Leventis Nick Leventis is a British professional racing driver and founder of Strakka Racing. In 2010, the Strakka team of Leventis, Danny Watts, and Jonny Kane won the 2010 24 Hours of Le Mans in the LMP2 category...  Alexandre Negrão |
82 | DNF | DNF | |
| 2009 2009 24 Hours of Le Mans The 2009 24 Hours of Le Mans was the 77th Grand Prix of Endurance, an endurance auto race run over 24 hours. It took place at the Circuit de la Sarthe, Le Mans, France, and was organised by the Automobile Club de l'Ouest over June 13–14, 2009 and was started by Fiat and Ferrari chairman Luca... |
LMP1 | 23 | Ginetta-Zytek Zytek Zytek Group Ltd is an automotive and motorsport company founded in 1981 and based in Fradley and Repton, United Kingdom. Zytek Group has two main division: Zytek Automotive, which is based at Fradley, Staffordshire; and Zytek Engineering, which is based at Repton, Derbyshire.-Zytek Automotive:Zytek... GZ09S Zytek Zytek Zytek Group Ltd is an automotive and motorsport company founded in 1981 and based in Fradley and Repton, United Kingdom. Zytek Group has two main division: Zytek Automotive, which is based at Fradley, Staffordshire; and Zytek Engineering, which is based at Repton, Derbyshire.-Zytek Automotive:Zytek... ZJ458 4.5L V8 |
Strakka Racing Strakka Racing Strakka Racing is a British auto racing team founded by Nick Leventis. The team is based at the Silverstone Circuit in Northamptonshire. They currently operate a HPD ARX-01C sports car in the Le Mans Series. The team made history at the 2010 1000 km of Hungaroring when they became the first team in... |
Nick Leventis Nick Leventis Nick Leventis is a British professional racing driver and founder of Strakka Racing. In 2010, the Strakka team of Leventis, Danny Watts, and Jonny Kane won the 2010 24 Hours of Le Mans in the LMP2 category... Danny WattsDanny Watts Danny Watts is a British racing driver.Danny Watts started racing in 1993, when he began karting. After five seasons of karting, he stepped up to single seater racing in 1998 in the UK Formula First championship, in which he dominated with 12 wins... |
325 | 21st | 14th | |
External links
- http://www.peterhardman.com