Rob Wilson (racing driver)

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Rob Wilson
NationalityNew Zealand New Zealander
Born (1952-09-06) 6 September 1952 (age 69)
Auckland, New Zealand
Bathurst 12 Hour
Years active2012
2010
Teams
Greg Murphy Racing
Starts2
Wins0
Poles0
Fastest laps0
Best finishDNF in 2012, 2010
Previous series
2008

2007
2005
2004,2006
2002

1999,2005
1996
1995,1997
-

1991,1994
1988-1990
-1987

1978-
-

Dubai 24 Hour
FIA GT3 European Championship
American Le Mans Series
24 Hours of Le Mans
Le Mans Series
American Le Mans Series
British GT Championship
FIA GT Championship
IndyCar Series
NASCAR Busch Series
Busch East Series
IMSA Supercar Championship
Indy Lights
Barber Saab Pro Series
British Formula Three Championship
Formula Pacific
British Formula Three Championship

New Zealand Formula Ford
British Formula Ford
Championship titles
2008
1990		Dubai 24 Hour SP2 class
Barber Saab Pro Series
NASCAR Xfinity Series career
3 races run over 2 years
Car no., team9, Joe Bessey
60,
Best finish15th
First race1995 Meridian Advantage 200
Last race1997 Lysol 200
Statistics current as of 16 March 2014.
24 Hours of Le Mans career
Years1994
2004
2005
TeamsChamberlain Engineering
Best finish19th

Rob Wilson (born 6 September 1952, in Auckland) is a former racing driver from New Zealand. Wilson raced in various formula racing and endurance racing series.

Career history[]

Formula racing[]

Rob Wilson won a scholarship to race in the 1975 British Formula Ford season. The following year he returned to New Zealand to race in the New Zealand Formula Ford Championship where he came in second in the championship. The Kiwi won a race at Mallory Park in 1977, driving a Reynard.[1] When he entered the British Formula Three Championship he won the fifteenth race of the season at Mallory Park. Scoring another two podium finishes the Kiwi ended up sixth in the BARC championship.[2] The following season Wilson raced with year old equipment and could only score four points. The young driver won the 1980 , a non-championship race for Formula 3 cars.[3] In the British championship he scored five podium finishes and secured the fifth place in the standings. In early 1981 the New Zealander returned to his home country. He raced a part-time schedule in the Formula Pacific series. His best result came at , here he finished third out of ten drivers.[4] After obtaining his FIA Super Licence the Kiwi tried his racing luck in Formula One. He was first approached by Fittipaldi Automotive to replace the retiring Emerson Fittipaldi. But after the Brazilian cruzeiro was devaluated he needed to bring a sponsor which he did not have. Before the 1981 Belgian Grand Prix Wilson got into contact with Ken Tyrrell. But as Michele Alboreto offered more sponsor money he got the seat for the remainder of the season.

After a failed try to get into Formula One he returned to the British Formula Three Championship. The 1984 British Formula Three season was no success. Wilson partnered with Eddie Jordan Racing but failed to score a single point. After some low seasons in the British championship Wilson moved to the United States.

When moving to the United States Rob Wilson started to race in the Barber Saab Pro Series. Wilson scored a fifth place in the 1988 season. During the season the New Zealander won two races, at Road America and in the streets of Tamiami Park. The 1989 Barber Saab Pro Series season had more success, the driver won three races. While Robbie Buhl dominated the season Wilson achieved the runner up position in the championship beating Justin Bell. Wilsons big break through came in 1990. The driver won six out of the twelve rounds of the series and won the championship by 55 points. With eleven wins Rob Wilson is the winningest driver in the 18 years of the Barber Pro Series.

After winning the championship Rob Wilson started in the Indy Lights in 1991. His best result came at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course while driving for . Wilson finished ninth in his March Wildcat. Wilson returned in Indy Lights in 1994. While driving for the New Zealander achieved his best result in Indy Lights. At the Milwaukee Mile he finished fifth.[5] Wilson scored 22 points and finished twelfth in the standings. With these results Wilson was the best classified part-time driver even beating some full-time Indy Lights competitors.[6] With the creation of the IndyCar Series Wilson entered the 1996 Indy 500 with Project Indy. The racer was entered in a Ford Cosworth XB powered Lola T93/00 sponsored by gun manufacturer Ruger.[7] Racing in 1993 built equipment Wilson failed to qualify. He was the third fastest non qualifier of a total of ten non qualifiers.[8]

NASCAR[]

Rob Wilson made his stockcar racing debut in the , a NASCAR Busch North Series race at Lime Rock Park. The 41-year-old started 24th but had to retire after a transmission failure.[9] He returned to the series the following year. His best result came at Nazareth Speedway. While racing a Pontiac owned by Joe Bessey he finished fifteenth.[10] Wilson achieved the height of is Busch North career in 1996. Wilson led a lap at the at Watkins Glen International, he eventually finished sixth.[11]

In the Kiwi made his debut in the NASCAR Busch Grand National Series. He was first entered in the at New Hampshire International Speedway but failed to qualify.[12] He qualified 42nd (as last starter) the following race at Nazareth. Racing in the #9 Delco Remy Pontiac he raced his way through the field finishing fifteenth.[13] The New Zealander returned for two races in 1997. He failed to finish both races due to mechanical breakdown.[14]

Sportscar racing[]

Wilson raced a few races in the IMSA Camel Lights. Wilson and his teammate finished seventh in class in the 1990 Grand Prix of Miami.[15] Rob Wilson drove his first 12 Hours of Sebring in 1991. After 140 laps the Mazda MX-6 had an accident which took it out of the race.[16] The Kiwi also raced full-time in the IMSA Supercar Championship. While driving a Consulier GTP his best finish was a fourth place at Road America.[17] Rob Wilson, with teammates , and , raced in the 1991 24 Hours of Daytona. The team raced in the GTU class and finished fifteenth overall, second in class.[18] In the 1992 running of the race the car suffered a fire and was classified 21st overall, seventh in class. While racing a Nissan 240SX in the 1995 24 Hours of Daytona the racing team finished sixth overall, second in class. In 1999 the New Zealander entered two FIA GT rounds. Partnered with , Wilson was entered by Seikel Motorsport in the Donington 500km. After 45 laps the Porsche 911 GT2 suffered gearbox problems and had to retire.[19] Rob Wilson competed in the first ever Rolex Sports Car Series, the 2000 24 Hours of Daytona with . The MP84 suffered gearbox problems after 2 hours and 30 minutes of racing and had to retire.[20] The MP84 was the only car in the SR2 class. The low car count was not surprising, the SR2 cars were not designed for 24 hours of racing.[21] The following season Wilson raced in the British GT Championship for in a Chrysler Viper. The Kiwi won the races at Snetterton, Oulton Park, Knockhill and Brands Hatch. Furthermore, he scored another seven podium finishes.[22] These good results put him in the third place of the championship.[23] In 2004 the New Zealander competed in all the major endurance races. After finishing 18th at Daytona and 28th at Sebring the European season began. His best result in the Le Mans Series came at the 2004 1000 km of Monza where he finished 17th. At Le Mans the team finished 19th overall, seventh in class. Wilson ended the season at Petit Le Mans where he failed to finish.[24] Wilson continued to race with Cirtek Motorsport in 2005. In 2006 and 2007 the New Zealander raced in various GT races. Wilson competed in the 2007 24 Hours of Daytona racing an Infiniti G35. The team had to retire eight hours into the race.[25] The Kiwi also continued to race in Britcar and British GT scoring various top ten finishes in a works Marcos Mantis. With Red Bull Racing designer Adrian Newey as one of his teammates, Wilson achieved a class victory in the 2008 Dubai 24 Hour.

Outside racing[]

Besides racing itself he was a racing instructor at the Skip Barber Racing School. Rob Wilson is a driver coach for many aspiring drivers.[26] Juan Pablo Montoya, Kimi Räikkönen, David Coulthard, Marco Andretti, Lance Stroll, Valtteri Bottas, Nikita Mazepin, and Valentino Rossi are among the drivers Wilson has trained over the years. He was also one of the key people involved in the out of which Tio Ellinas came forth.[27] Most of his driving coaching takes place at Bruntingthorpe Proving Ground.[28]

Rob Wilson is also an avid musician. The Kiwi played bass guitar during his time with 1970's pop band Edison Lighthouse. He played bass guitar on the band's number one record "Love Grows (Where My Rosemary Goes)". The song was number one for five weeks in the UK Singles Chart. Wilson is currently part of country/rock/blues formation .[29]

Racing record[]

American open–wheel racing results[]

(key)

Indy Lights[]

Year Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Rank Points
1991 LBH
10 		PHX
11 		MIL
10 		DET
 POR
 CLE
 MEA
 TOR
 DEN
 MDO
6 		NZR
 LS
16 		15th 15
1994 PHX
10 		LBH
Ret 		MIL
5 		DET
9 		POR
9 		CLE
 TOR
 MDO
 NHS
 VAN
 NZR
12 		LS
 12th 22

IndyCar[]

Year Team 1 2 3 Rank Points
1996 Project Indy WDW
 PHX
 INDY
DNQ 		NC -

NASCAR[]

(key) (Bold – Pole position awarded by qualifying time. Italics – Pole position earned by points standings or practice time. * – Most laps led.)

Busch Series[]

NASCAR Busch Series results
Year Team No. Make 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 NBSC Pts
1995 Chevy DAY CAR
DNQ 		RCH ATL NSV DAR BRI HCY NHA
DNQ 		N/A 0
Joe Bessey Motorsports 9 Pontiac NZH
15 		CLT DOV MYB GLN MLW TAL SBO IRP MCH BRI DAR RCH DOV CLT CAR HOM
1997 60 Ford DAY CAR RCH ATL LVS DAR HCY TEX BRI NSV TAL NHA
32 		NZH CLT DOV SBO 88th 107
Chevy GLN
41 		MLW MYB GTY IRP MCH BRI DAR RCH DOV CLT CAL CAR HOM

Busch North Series[]

NASCAR Busch North Series results
Year Team No. Make 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 NBNSC Pts
64 Chevy NHA NHA MND NZH SPE GLN JEN EPP GLN NHA STA TMP MND RPS NHA LRP
29 		81st 76
65 DAY NHA
35 		JEN NHA GLN
33 		EPP RPS STA BEE NHA TMP
26 		LRP 50th 361
Joe Bessey Motorsports 9 Pontiac NZH
15 		BEE TMP GLN NHA MND
97 Chevy DAY JEN NZH NHA
14 		BEE TMP NZH NHA STA GLN
6 		EPP RPS NHA NHA BEE TMP 49th 332
1 LRP
34

Complete 24 Hours of Le Mans results[]

Year Team Co-Drivers Car Class Laps Pos. Class
Pos.
1994 United Kingdom Chamberlain Engineering United Kingdom David Brodie
United Kingdom 		GT2 45 DNF DNF
2004 United Kingdom Netherlands Hans Hugenholtz
United Kingdom 		Ferrari 360 Modena GT LM 311 19th 7th
2005 United Kingdom
Russia 		Sweden Stefan Eriksson
United Kingdom 		Ferrari 360 Modena GTC GT2 218 DNF DNF

Complete 12 Hours of Sebring results[]

Year Result Team Car Class
1991 DNF Mazda MX-6 GTU
1992 DNF Mazda MX-6 GTU
1993 DNF Porsche 944 Turbo GT INV
1995 13th Nissan 240SX GTS-2
1996 14th Nissan 240SX GTS-2
2002 DNF Porsche 911 GT3-R GT
2004 DNF Porsche 911 GT3-R GT
2007 20th JMB Racing Ferrari F430GT GT2

References[]

  1. ^ "British Formula Ford 2000 Championship (1975-1989)". Motorsport Winners. Retrieved 18 March 2014.
  2. ^ "Formula 3 Britain BARC 1978". DriverDB.com. Retrieved 17 March 2014.
  3. ^ "Wendy Wools Formula 3 Race 1980". DriverDB.com. Retrieved 17 March 2014.
  4. ^ "New Zealand Formula Pacific Race Mansfeild, 18 Jan 1981". Old Racing Cars. Retrieved 17 March 2014.
  5. ^ "Rob Wilson". ChampCar Stats. Retrieved 16 March 2014.
  6. ^ "1994 PPG/Firestone Indy Lights Championship". ChampCar Stats. Retrieved 16 March 2014.
  7. ^ "Rob Wilson". ChampCar Stats. Retrieved 16 March 2014.
  8. ^ "1996 Indianapolis 500 Daily Trackside Report". The Auto Channel. Retrieved 18 March 2014.
  9. ^ "1994 GMC Trucks 200K". Racing-Reference.info. Retrieved 17 March 2014.
  10. ^ "1995 NASCAR Busch North Series Results". Racing-Reference.info. Retrieved 17 March 2014.
  11. ^ "1996 Burnham Boilers 150". Racing-Reference.info. Retrieved 17 March 2014.
  12. ^ "1995 NE Chevy Dealers 250". Racing-Reference.info.
  13. ^ "1995 Meridian Advantage 200". Racing-Reference.info. Retrieved 17 March 2014.
  14. ^ "1997 NASCAR Busch Grand National Series Results". Racing-Reference.info. Retrieved 17 March 2014.
  15. ^ "International Motor Sport Association 1990". World Sports Racing Prototypes. Archived from the original on 1 February 2014. Retrieved 17 March 2014.
  16. ^ "Sebring 12 Hours 1991". Racing Sports Cars. Retrieved 17 March 2014.
  17. ^ "IMSA Bridgestone Potenza Supercar Championship 1991". World Sports Racing Prototypes. Archived from the original on 18 March 2014. Retrieved 17 March 2014.
  18. ^ "Daytona 24 Hours 1991". Racing Sports Cars. Retrieved 17 March 2014.
  19. ^ "FIA GT Championship Donington". Racing Sports Cars. Retrieved 17 March 2014.
  20. ^ "Daytona 24 Hours 2000". Racing Sports Cars. Retrieved 17 March 2014.
  21. ^ "Retrospective>>2000 Rolex 24 Hours Part 1". Speedhunters. Retrieved 17 March 2014.
  22. ^ "BRDC GT Championship 2001". World Sports Racing Prototypes. Archived from the original on 30 October 2013. Retrieved 17 March 2014.
  23. ^ "British GT Championship". World Sports Racing Prototypes. Archived from the original on 18 March 2014. Retrieved 17 March 2014.
  24. ^ "All Results of Rob Wilson". Racing Sports Cars. Retrieved 17 March 2014.
  25. ^ "Daytona 24 Hours 2007". Racing Sports Cars. Retrieved 18 March 2014.
  26. ^ "Coach Party" (PDF). Autosport. Retrieved 18 March 2014.
  27. ^ "Rob Wilson". Euro Race Scholarschip Challenge. Retrieved 18 March 2014.
  28. ^ "Doing lines..." motoring.com.au. Retrieved 18 March 2014.
  29. ^ "The band". Grand Prairie. Retrieved 18 March 2014.
Sporting positions
Preceded by Barber Saab Pro Series Champion
1990 		Succeeded by
Retrieved from ""