Shadow Racing Cars

United States[1] / United Kingdom[2] Shadow
Full name Shadow Racing Cars Inc.
Base United KingdomNorthampton, United Kingdom
Founder(s) United States Don Nichols
Noted staff United Kingdom Jackie Oliver
United Kingdom Alan Rees
Mexico Jo Ramírez
Noted drivers France Jean-Pierre Jarier
Australia Alan Jones
United Kingdom Tom Pryce
United States Peter Revson
United States George Follmer
Formula One World Championship career
First entry 1973 South African Grand Prix
Races entered 112
Constructors'
Championships
0 (Best finish: 6th in 1975)
Drivers'
Championships
0 (Best finish: Jones 7th in 1977)
Race victories 1
Pole positions 3
Fastest laps 2
Final entry 1980 French Grand Prix

Shadow Racing Cars was a Formula One and sports car racing team, founded and initially based in the United States although later Formula One operations were run from Britain. The team held an American licence from 1973 to 1975 and a British licence from 1976 to 1980, thus becoming the first constructor to officially change its nationality. Their only F1 victory was achieved as a British team.[3]

History

1970–1972: Early years in CanAm series

The company was founded by Don Nichols in 1968 as Advanced Vehicle Systems; the cars were called Shadows, designed by Trevor Harris and entered under the Shadow Racing Inc. banner. The first Shadow, the Mk.I, was entered in the CanAm series with George Follmer and Vic Elford driving them. The Mk.1 featured an innovative design, using very small wheels for low drag and although the car was quick, it was not the most reliable car in the field

The team became more competitive the following year, replacing the Harris car with a Peter Bryant design owing some elements to his Ti22 'titanium car' with Jackie Oliver also arriving from this effort and finishing eighth in the CanAm championship. The team also found some financial backing in Universal Oil Products (UOP).

Shadow came to dominate the shortened 1974 series, although by this point they were competing largely against privateers, the works McLaren and Porsche efforts having left the series.

1973–1974: Entry into Formula One

The Embassy Hill Shadow DN1 from 1973 being demonstrated at the 2008 Goodwood Festival of Speed.

Towards the end of 1972, Nichols announced that he was entering his team into Formula One with UOP sponsored cars designed by Tony Southgate, who had designed the BRM that gave Jean-Pierre Beltoise victory at the Monaco Grand Prix the previous year.

The team debuted in Formula One at the 1973 South African Grand Prix with the Shadow DN1 chassis. Two cars were available for drivers Jackie Oliver and George Follmer, as well as a private entry for Graham Hill who ran his car under the Embassy Hill banner.

For 1974, the team hired two of the most promising drivers of the time: American Peter Revson and Frenchman Jean-Pierre Jarier. During a practice run for the South African Grand Prix, Revson was killed by a suspension failure on his DN3. He was replaced by Tom Pryce.

1975–1977: Peak of success

Matra-powered DN7 was driven by Jean-Pierre Jarier as a one-off during the 1975 Austrian Grand Prix.
The DN9 was copied by Arrows before a court order banned Arrows from racing their version, the FA/1.

The new DN5 driven by Jean-Pierre Jarier gained pole position in the two first Grands Prix of the 1975 season but suffered mechanical failure in both races. The DN5 and most other Shadow Formula One cars used Ford Cosworth DFV engines, which produced around 490 bhp. However, later in 1975 another car was driven by Jarier, the DN7, and was fitted with a Matra V12 engine producing around 550 bhp. The wheelbase was substantially lengthened to accommodate the much larger and more expensive French powerplant, although due to budgetary issues, the Matra-powered DN7 was doomed as a one-off. Jarier's new teammate, Tom Pryce, showed his talent by winning the non-championship Race of Champions that same year. Pryce died in an accident involving a marshal at the 1977 South African Grand Prix.

The team replaced Pryce with Alan Jones, who won the team's only Grand Prix at the Austrian Grand Prix the same year.

1978–1980: Decline

After the 1977 season Shadow entered into a sharp decline. Alan Jones left to join Williams for 1978. In the same period a majority of their staff and their sponsor Franco Ambrosio left to form their own team, Arrows, taking the talented young Riccardo Patrese. Despite sponsorship from Villiger tobacco and the signing of experienced drivers Clay Regazzoni and Hans Stuck for the 1978 season, results were poor. In 1980 they were absorbed into Theodore Racing, but Shadow's first ground effect chassis was desperately uncompetitive, only once qualifying a car in seven races. Sponsorship dried up and after the seventh of the year's 14 races Teddy Yip wound up the Shadow team.

Complete Formula One results

Works team entries

(key) (Results in bold indicate pole position; results in italics indicate fastest lap.)

Year Chassis Engine(s) Tyres Drivers No. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 Points WCC
1973 Shadow DN1 Ford V8 G ARG BRA RSA ESP BEL MON SWE FRA GBR NED GER AUT ITA CAN USA 9 8th
United Kingdom Jackie Oliver Ret Ret Ret 10 Ret Ret Ret Ret 8 Ret 11 3 15
United States George Follmer 6 3 Ret DNS 14 Ret Ret 10 Ret Ret 10 17 14
United Kingdom Brian Redman DSQ
1974 Shadow DN1
Shadow DN3
Ford V8 G ARG BRA RSA ESP BEL MON SWE NED FRA GBR GER AUT ITA CAN USA 7 8th
United States Peter Revson 16 Ret Ret DNP
United Kingdom Brian Redman 7 18 Ret
Sweden Bertil Roos Ret
United Kingdom Tom Pryce Ret Ret 8 6 Ret 10 Ret NC
France Jean-Pierre Jarier 17 Ret Ret DNP NC 13 3 5 Ret 12 Ret 8 8 Ret Ret 10
1975 Shadow DN3
Shadow DN5
Ford V8 G ARG BRA RSA ESP MON BEL SWE NED FRA GBR GER AUT ITA USA 9.5 6th
United Kingdom Tom Pryce 16 12 Ret 9 Ret Ret 6 Ret 6 Ret Ret 4 3 6 NC
France Jean-Pierre Jarier 17 DNS Ret Ret 4 Ret Ret Ret Ret 8 14 Ret Ret
Shadow DN7 Matra V12 Ret Ret
1976 Shadow DN5
Shadow DN5B
Shadow DN8
Ford V8 G BRA RSA USW ESP BEL MON SWE FRA GBR GER AUT NED ITA CAN USA JPN 10 8th
United Kingdom Tom Pryce 16 3 7 Ret 8 10 7 9 8 4 8 Ret 4 8 11 Ret Ret
France Jean-Pierre Jarier 17 Ret Ret 7 Ret 9 8 12 12 9 11 Ret 10 19 18 10 10
1977 Shadow DN5B
Shadow DN8
Ford V8 G ARG BRA RSA USW ESP MON BEL SWE FRA GBR GER AUT NED ITA USA CAN JPN 23 7th
United Kingdom Tom Pryce 16 NC Ret Ret
Italy Riccardo Patrese 9 Ret Ret Ret 10 13 Ret 10 6
United Kingdom Jackie Oliver 9
Italy Arturo Merzario Ret
France Jean-Pierre Jarier 9
Italy Renzo Zorzi Ret Ret
17 Ret 6 Ret
Australia Alan Jones Ret Ret 6 5 17 Ret 7 Ret 1 Ret 3 Ret 4 4
1978 Shadow DN8
Shadow DN9
Ford V8 G ARG BRA RSA USW MON BEL ESP SWE FRA GBR GER AUT NED ITA USA CAN 6 11th
Germany Hans-Joachim Stuck 16 17 Ret DNQ DNS Ret Ret Ret 11 11 5 Ret Ret Ret Ret Ret Ret
Switzerland Clay Regazzoni 17 15 5 DNQ 10 DNQ Ret 15 5 Ret Ret DNQ NC DNQ NC 14 DNQ
1979 Shadow DN9 Ford V8 G ARG BRA RSA USW ESP BEL MON FRA GBR GER AUT NED ITA CAN USA 3 10th
Netherlands Jan Lammers 17 Ret 14 Ret Ret 12 10 DNQ 18 11 10 Ret Ret DNQ 9 DNQ
Italy Elio de Angelis 18 7 12 Ret 7 Ret Ret DNQ 16 12 11 Ret Ret Ret Ret 4
1980 Shadow DN11
Shadow DN12
Ford V8 G ARG BRA RSA USW BEL MON FRA GBR GER AUT NED ITA CAN USA 0 NC
Sweden Stefan Johansson 17 DNQ DNQ
United Kingdom Geoff Lees 13 DNQ DNQ DNQ DNQ
Republic of Ireland David Kennedy 18 DNQ DNQ DNQ DNQ DNQ DNQ DNQ

Results of other Shadow cars

(key) (Results in bold indicate pole position; results in italics indicate fastest lap.)

Year Entrant/s Chassis Engine Tyres Driver/s 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16
1973 ARG BRA RSA ESP BEL MON SWE FRA GBR NED GER AUT ITA CAN USA
Embassy Racing Shadow DN1 Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 G United Kingdom Graham Hill Ret 9 Ret Ret 10 Ret NC 13 Ret 14 16 13
1976 BRA RSA USW ESP BEL MON SWE FRA GBR GER AUT NED ITA CAN USA JPN
Team P R Reilly Shadow DN3 Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 G United Kingdom Mike Wilds DNQ
1978 ARG BRA RSA USW MON BEL ESP SWE FRA GBR GER AUT NED ITA USA CAN
Interscope Racing Shadow DN9 Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 G United States Danny Ongais DNPQ DNPQ

References


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