Ferrari UK is proud to announce the re-launch of one of the most successful privateer Ferrari GT racing teams in history, the Maranello Concessionaires Racing Team. The historic GT team scored 24 outright victories while contesting 92 international races between 1961 and 1972 and its driver line-up included World Champions Sir Jackie Stewart and Graham Hill. Team founder, Colonel Ronnie Hoare, also established the original Ferrari UK distributor, Maranello Concessionaires Limited, which evolved to become today’s Ferrari UK.
The successfull 2002 car
The new racing team, now named Team Maranello Concessionaires (TMC), will enter two examples of the very latest Ferrari 360GT race cars in all 10 rounds of the 2003 FIA GT Championship. The Team is determined to build on the past successes and to continue its tradition of promoting the very best of British driving talents onto the international racing scene. The team believes that the FIA GT Championship is the world’s most competitive sportscar platform and provides an excellent showcase for Ferrari cars and British talents.
Team Maranello Concessionaires will be managed and operated by Brackley-based Veloqx Motorsport. With its excellent record on and off track during 2002, a title-winning campaign in its debut season in the British GT Championship, and its highly professional approach to racing, TMC will be ready to challenge the best teams in the world in 2003.
Graham Hill was a regular driver for the team. Here he can be seen in action at the Nurburgring and at the Goodwood TT, which he won two year's running.
"Outside of Formula 1, nothing in motor sport can demonstrate the Ferrari brand strengths so effectively as the 360GT race car and participation in the FIA GT Championship,” explained Richard Mackay, Managing Director of Ferrari UK. “By combining the expertise of Veloqx Motorsport with the proven driving talents of four young British race-winning heroes and the backing of Ferrari UK, we are confident that TMC will be a worthy team to carry the Maranello name and colours in this exciting Championship.”
Sam Li, Team Principal of Team Maranello Concessionaires, commented: “Veloqx Motorsport successfully took the British Ferrari challenge to other famous marques to win the British GT crown, after a very close battle in 2002. Now, we are ready to take that same challenge to the international level. The FIA GT Championship is hugely competitive, and packed starting grids of 36 cars are anticipated for 2003. There will be a lot of pressure on us to perform, but we have all the right ingredients to perform strongly. The car is very good, the technical partners are fully supporting the programme, the team has a wealth of engineering skills and undoubtedly the very best of British drivers."
The team has chosen four British drivers with an abundance of talent, experience and promise to continue the fantastic international track record previously created by legendary stars of the past. Jamie Davies, Ferrari’s British GTO Champion of 2002, will head the TMC attack, partnered by youngster Tim Mullen. Driving the other TMC 360GT will be 2001 British GTO Champion, Kelvin Burt and ex-DTM racer, Darren Turner.
“After 10 years involvement with GT racing, I am deeply interested in its heritage – a heritage in which Maranello Concessionaires played such an important part,” commented Stephane Ratel, Chairman of SRO, the organising body for the FIA GT Championships. “Everyone participating in the Championship was extremely impressed by the debut outings of the Veloqx Motorsport team last season – qualifying well at Donington and taking a podium place at Estoril. Now, I am delighted to welcome the team to the Championship for a full season.”
Technical partnerships are hugely important in securing motor racing success, and TMC is delighted to continue its relationship with Dunlop, which will become an exclusive technical development partner for 2003. Most of the Maranello Concessionaires victories from 1961 to modern times were scored using Dunlop tyres.
Photos/text: Ferrari Media, Ferrari UK and Michael Cooper. All strictly copyright. Images from the exclusive Michael Cooper collection (including two of the three shown above) feature on the 2003 Classic Driver Calendar, a few copies of which are still available. Please see our dedicated Calendar website for further details.