| Mark Blundell | |
|---|---|
| Nationality |
|
| Formula One World Championship career | |
| Active years | 1991, 1993 — 1995 |
| Teams | Brabham, Ligier, Tyrrell and McLaren |
| Races | 63 (61 starts) |
| Championships | 0 |
| Wins | 0 |
| Podium finishes | 3 |
| Career points | 32 |
| Pole positions | 0 |
| Fastest laps | 0 |
| First race | 1991 United States Grand Prix |
| Last race | 1995 Australian Grand Prix |
Mark Blundell (born Barnet, Hertfordshire, April 8, 1966) is a former Formula One, sports car, and CART racing driver. The FIA Super Licence is a qualification allowing the Licence holder to take part in Formula One Grands Prix as a driver The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located The 1991 Formula One season was the 42nd FIA Formula One World Championship season The 1993 Formula One season was the 44th FIA Formula One World Championship season "F1 1995" redirects here For the video games based on the 1995 Formula One season see F1 95. Origins The Brabham team was founded by Jack Brabham and Ron Tauranac, who met in 1951 while both were successfully building and racing cars in their native Ligier is a French Automobile maker created by former racing driver and rugby player Guy Ligier. Lower Formulae (1958 - 1967 Tyrrell Racing first came into being in 1958 running Formula Three cars for Ken Tyrrell and local stars McLaren, founded in 1963 by New Zealander Bruce McLaren (1937&ndash1970 is a Formula One team based in Woking, Surrey, UK The Formula One World Drivers' Championship (WDC is awarded by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile ( FIA) to the most successful Formula One The term " pole position " comes from the Horse racing term where the number one starter starts on the inside next to the inside pole In motorsport, the fastest lap is the quickest lap run during a race The 1991 United States Grand Prix was a Formula One race held on March 10, 1991 in Phoenix Arizona. The 1995 Australian Grand Prix (officially known as the LX EDS Australian Grand Prix) was a Formula One Motor race held on November 12 1995 High Barnet or Chipping Barnet is a place in the London Borough of Barnet in North London, England. Hertfordshire (ˈhɑːtfədʃə(r, abbreviated Herts) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of Events 217 - Roman Emperor Caracalla is Assassinated (and succeeded by his Praetorian Year 1966 ( MCMLXVI) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link will display full calendar of the 1966 Gregorian calendar. A sports car is a term used to describe a class of Automobile. Champ Car, was the name for a class and specification of cars used in American Championship Car Racing for many decades primarily for use in the Indianapolis He is currently a Formula One commentator for the British broadcaster ITV. Independent Television (generally known as ITV) is a public service network of British commercial television broadcasters set up under the Independent Blundell is married and the father of two children.
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He first dabbled in motor racing at the age of 14, racing motocross bikes across England. He garnered immediate success, eventually becoming one of the top-ranked riders in Britain, winning a few championships. At the age of 17 he made the switch to four wheels in Britain's Formula Ford. Formula Ford is a single seater open wheel class in Motorsport which exists in some form in many countries around the world Again, he was rewarded with instant success, and in his first season he placed second in both British Junior Formula Ford Championships (despite 25 wins and 24 poles). The following year, Mark won both the Esso British and Snetterton FF1600 crowns. The next year, he upgraded his ride to the more powerful FF2000 category, and promptly won the BBC Grandstand series. He even returned to FF1600 for the European Championship racing, taking pole, and finishing fourth overall. With 1986 came another championship in FF2000, this time the European title.
At this point in his career, Blundell decided it was time to take his continuing success, and move on to international racing. He bypassed the traditional stepping stone of Formula 3 and joined TOMS-Toyota in Formula 3000. Formula Three, also called Formula 3 or F3, is a class of open-wheel formula racing. Despite having to cope with an under-funded and under-powered car, he showed incredible talent and strung together a series of promising results, including a number of race wins. He even started a few races at F3, showing ability there as well. 1987 meant a switch to the works Lola team in F3000, at that time one of the biggest teams in the series. In a closely contested season, Blundell managed a very respectable sixth place in the final standings.
The following year, he made a deal with the crack sports car team at Nissan, landing a factory seat. He also managed a test drive with one of the top teams in Formula One — Williams. Not to be confused with Frank Williams Racing Cars, formed by Frank Williams 1967 By 1990, Blundell had abandoned F3000 to concentrate on sports cars. That same year, he set a new lap record and earned pole position at the prestigious Le Mans 24 Hours race — the youngest driver ever to do so. The 24 Hours of Le Mans ( 24 Heures du Mans) is a sports car endurance race held annually since near the town of Le Mans, Sarthe,
1991 marked the biggest step forward in Mark Blundell's racing career — his Formula One debut. His debut season saw a sixth place in Belgium with the Brabham Yamaha team. Origins The Brabham team was founded by Jack Brabham and Ron Tauranac, who met in 1951 while both were successfully building and racing cars in their native He also maintained his testing deal with Williams. The following season however, he was not hired by a cash-strapped Brabham team, and was left out of racing. He did, however, sign a testing deal with McLaren. McLaren, founded in 1963 by New Zealander Bruce McLaren (1937&ndash1970 is a Formula One team based in Woking, Surrey, UK Whilst being a full-time tester for McLaren, he also continued to race sports cars. That year, with the factory Peugeot outfit, he won the Le Mans 24 Hours, adding to his earlier pole. For the article about the bicycle manufacturer see Cycles Peugeot.
1993 saw the return of Mark Blundell to the pinnacle of motorsports. A drive with Ligier netted him his first two podium finishes in South Africa and Germany. He finished tenth in the final World Championship standings. It was a one-year deal with Ligier, however, and in 1994 he signed with Tyrrell. Lower Formulae (1958 - 1967 Tyrrell Racing first came into being in 1958 running Formula Three cars for Ken Tyrrell and local stars It was not as successful a year as '93, and Blundell managed only one podium finish. At the end of the season, due to lack of sponsorship, Tyrrell released him. This would prove to be a blessing in disguise, as the retirement of great Nigel Mansell meant a return to McLaren for Blundell, this time, in a race seat. Biography Mansell was born in Upton-upon-Severn, a small Town in the English county of Worcestershire. Teamed with future two-time world champion Mika Häkkinen, Blundell recorded five points finishes and once again took tenth in the final standings. Mika Pauli Häkkinen ( (born September 28, 1968 in Helsingin maalaiskunta) is a Finnish racing driver and two-time Formula 1995 also saw continued success in sports cars with a fourth place showing in Le Mans. 1995 was Mark Blundell's final year in Formula One, as the signing of David Coulthard by McLaren meant that Mark would have to find a job somewhere else. David Marshall Coulthard, often called DC, (born 27 March 1971 in Twynholm, Kirkcudbrightshire) is a British Formula One racing driver
Blundell achieved 3 podiums, and scored a total of 32 championship points.
| CART World Series | |
| Years active | 1996-2000 |
| Teams | PacWest Racing |
| Starts | 81 |
| Wins | 3 |
| Poles | 0 |
| Best finish | 6th in 1997 |
| Awards | |
| 1997 | Autosport British Driver of the Year |
Out of Formula One, Blundell moved to the U.S. and joined the CART racing team PacWest Racing, with fellow former F1 driver with Mauricio Gugelmin of Brazil alongside. Champ Car, was the name for a class and specification of cars used in American Championship Car Racing for many decades primarily for use in the Indianapolis PacWest Racing was a Champ Car racing team owned by Bruce McCaw founded in 1993. The 1997 CART World Series Season was the nineteenth CART World Series. Autosport is the title of a weekly Magazine covering Motorsport, published in the United The United States of America —commonly referred to as the Champ Car, was the name for a class and specification of cars used in American Championship Car Racing for many decades primarily for use in the Indianapolis PacWest Racing was a Champ Car racing team owned by Bruce McCaw founded in 1993. Mauricio Gugelmin (born April 20, 1963 in Joinville) is a former racing driver from Brazil. |utc_offset = -2 to -4 |time_zone_DST = BRST |utc_offset_DST = -2 to -5 |cctld Mark was third in the rookie standings with three top six finishes in the U.S. 500, Detroit Grand Prix, and Michigan International Speedway races. The US 500 was an automobile race sanctioned by CART on May 26, 1996 at the Michigan International Speedway as an alternative to the Michigan International Speedway is a two-mile (322-km moderate-banked D-shaped Superspeedway located off U 1997 was a breakout year, and Blundell recorded race victories in Portland, Toronto, and Fontana en route to sixth in the championship. Portland International Raceway (PIR is located in Portland Oregon 's Delta Park complex on the former site of Vanport, just south of the Columbia River The Grand Prix of Toronto was a Champ Car World Series race held annually from 1986 to 2007, in Toronto, Ontario, Canada The Auto Club Speedway of Southern California (formerly California Speedway) is a two-mile low-banked D-shaped oval Superspeedway in Fontana California That year he was also named British Driver of the Year by Autosport magazine. Autosport is the title of a weekly Magazine covering Motorsport, published in the United 1998 was not a year for the books, and a massive crash early in 1999 left him to languish at the bottom of the table. He returned to PacWest for a final season in 2000. However, another disappointing season — 18 pts, 21st overall — lead to a mutual split with PacWest racing.
Blundell again crossed the Atlantic to focus on his sports car racing. He failed to finish Le Mans with the MG Lola team, though both his teammates and he impressed. Off-track, Blundell joined ITV television in Britain, where he is currently an analyst during the Formula One season. Independent Television (generally known as ITV) is a public service network of British commercial television broadcasters set up under the Independent
Since 2001, Blundell's racing involvement has steadily declined, with only the occasional event. He did test a Dale Coyne Champ Car to help prepare Darren Manning for a one-off in the first CART race in Britain at Rockingham, and raced in the British round of the World Rally Championship. Dale Coyne (born July 8, 1954 in Minooka, Illinois) is an IndyCar Series team owner and former Champ Car auto racing team Champ Car, was the name for a class and specification of cars used in American Championship Car Racing for many decades primarily for use in the Indianapolis Darren Manning (born April 30, 1975 in Knaresborough, North Yorkshire, England) is a Motor racing driver currently racing
2003 saw great success in sports cars. Along with Johnny Herbert and David Brabham, he finished second at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, completing a 1-2 sweep by Bentley. Complete Formula One results ( key) (Races in bold indicate pole position David Brabham (born 5 September 1965 in Wimbledon, London) is an Australian former Formula One driver who raced for the Brabham Bentley Motors Limited is an English manufacturer of luxury Automobiles and Grand Tourers Bentley Motors was founded in England He also finished third at the 12 Hours of Sebring, finishing top among the Bentleys.
Along with ex-racer Martin Brundle, Blundell also spends time running a management company, 2MB Sports Management, who handle the contracts of such people as McLaren test driver Gary Paffett and British Formula Three champion Mike Conway. Career Early Formula One career His Formula One career began with Tyrrell in 1984 McLaren, founded in 1963 by New Zealander Bruce McLaren (1937&ndash1970 is a Formula One team based in Woking, Surrey, UK Gary Paffett (born March 24 1981 in Bromley) is a British Racing driver and a test driver for Formula One team The British Formula Three Championship is a national motor racing championship that takes place primarily in the United Kingdom with a small number of events in mainland Mike Conway (born 19 August 1983, in Bromley, Kent, England) is a British Racing driver who currently resides
Mark's unique style of TV presentation and commentary is drawing ever-increasing attention from the F1 community, particularly on the internet. Known as 'Blundellisms' (an apparently affectionate throw-back to Murray Walker's now legendary 'Murrayisms'), Mark's curious turn of phrase is sometimes humorous, occasionally baffling, and often linguistically unsound. Graeme Murray Walker OBE (known as Murray Walker; born 10 October 1923 Hall Green, Birmingham, England) is a Formula 1 Graeme Murray Walker OBE (known as Murray Walker; born 10 October 1923 Hall Green, Birmingham, England) is a Formula 1 He has received some criticism for his colloquial grammar, such as frequently using 'what' when 'which' or 'that' would be more suited. [1]
Some examples of 'Blundellisms' include:
(key)
| Year | Entrant | Chassis | Engine | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | WDC | Pts. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1991 | Motor Racing Developments Ltd | Brabham BT59Y | Yamaha V12 | USA Ret |
BRA Ret |
18th | 1 | |||||||||||||||
| Brabham BT60Y | Yamaha V12 | SMR 8 |
MON Ret |
CAN DNQ |
MEX Ret |
FRA Ret |
GBR Ret |
GER 12 |
HUN Ret |
BEL 6 |
ITA 12 |
POR Ret |
ESP Ret |
JPN DNPQ |
AUS 17 |
|||||||
| 1993 | Ligier Gitanes Blondes | Ligier JS39 | Renault V10 | RSA 3 |
BRA 5 |
EUR Ret |
SMR Ret |
ESP 7 |
MON Ret |
CAN Ret |
FRA Ret |
GBR 7 |
GER 3 |
HUN 7 |
BEL 11 |
ITA Ret |
POR Ret |
JPN 7 |
AUS 9 |
10th | 10 | |
| 1994 | Tyrrell | Tyrrell 022 | Yamaha V10 | BRA Ret |
PAC Ret |
SMR 9 |
MON Ret |
ESP 3 |
CAN 10 |
FRA 10 |
GBR Ret |
GER Ret |
HUN 5 |
BEL 5 |
ITA Ret |
POR Ret |
EUR 13 |
JPN Ret |
AUS Ret |
12th | 8 | |
| 1995 | Marlboro McLaren Mercedes | McLaren MP4/10 | Mercedes V10 | BRA 6 |
ARG Ret |
SMR |
ESP |
10th | 13 | |||||||||||||
| McLaren MP4/10B | MON 5 |
CAN Ret |
FRA 11 |
GBR 5 |
GER Ret |
HUN Ret |
BEL 5 |
ITA 4 |
PAC 9 |
JPN 7 |
AUS 4 |
|||||||||||
| McLaren MP4/10C | POR 9 |
EUR Ret |
| Sporting positions | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Volker Weidler Johnny Herbert Bertrand Gachot |
Winner of the 24 Hours of Le Mans 1992 with: Derek Warwick Yannick Dalmas |
Succeeded by Geoff Brabham Christophe Bouchut Eric Hélary |