Difference between revisions of "Life Grand Prix Series"
| Line 4: | Line 4: | ||
|series category = Single-make open-wheeler | |series category = Single-make open-wheeler | ||
|country/region = Worldwide | |country/region = Worldwide | ||
| − | |founder(s) = Finanz-Sichereit Konglomerat | + | |founder(s) = [[Finanz-Sichereit Konglomerat]] |
|inaugural season = [[1991 Life Grand Prix Series season|1991]] | |inaugural season = [[1991 Life Grand Prix Series season|1991]] | ||
|number of drivers at start of season = variable | |number of drivers at start of season = variable | ||
| Line 16: | Line 16: | ||
|}} | |}} | ||
| − | '''Life Grand Prix Series''' was a single-make racing series using an updated version of the Life L190 and its F35 W12 engine, a notoriously slow and unreliable car which took part in the 1990 Formula One season but never even got past pre-qualifying as it was often tens of seconds slower than the next-slowest car. The inaugural season was in [[1991 Life Grand Prix Series season|1991]]. The series was owned and managed by Finanz-Sichereit Konglomerat, a Swiss investment company rumored to have connections to Jean-Pierre van Rossem, famous for his Moneytron fraud scheme. However, most of the names of the people running the series were unknown to the public, Dieter Oktor (Chief Medical Officer), [[Dietrich Anger]] (Chief Safety Officer) and Walther Rench (Chief Technical Officer) being the only exceptions. | + | '''Life Grand Prix Series''' was a single-make racing series using an updated version of the Life L190 and its F35 W12 engine, a notoriously slow and unreliable car which took part in the 1990 Formula One season but never even got past pre-qualifying as it was often tens of seconds slower than the next-slowest car. The inaugural season was in [[1991 Life Grand Prix Series season|1991]]. The series was owned and managed by [[Finanz-Sichereit Konglomerat]], a Swiss investment company rumored to have connections to Jean-Pierre van Rossem, famous for his Moneytron fraud scheme. However, most of the names of the people running the series were unknown to the public, Dieter Oktor (Chief Medical Officer), [[Dietrich Anger]] (Chief Safety Officer) and Walther Rench (Chief Technical Officer) being the only exceptions. |
The series was criticized for it's dangerousness, with the Life chassis being perceived as unsafe and crucial parts such as brakes failing too often, sometimes with serious consequences. Additionally, the capability of some of the drivers was questioned. However, the series management replied to these accusations by constantly researching for new ways to make the chassis more durable and introducing new safety measures, such as speed limits on the pitlane. | The series was criticized for it's dangerousness, with the Life chassis being perceived as unsafe and crucial parts such as brakes failing too often, sometimes with serious consequences. Additionally, the capability of some of the drivers was questioned. However, the series management replied to these accusations by constantly researching for new ways to make the chassis more durable and introducing new safety measures, such as speed limits on the pitlane. | ||
Revision as of 15:42, 23 September 2013
| Life Grand Prix Series | |
|---|---|
| [[{{{logo}}}|200px]] | |
| Category | {{{category}}} |
| Country/Region | {{{locale}}} |
| Founder(s) | {{{founder}}} |
| Inaugural Season | 1991 |
| Engine supplier(s) | Life Racing Engines |
| Tyre supplier(s) | Goodyear |
| Records | |
Life Grand Prix Series was a single-make racing series using an updated version of the Life L190 and its F35 W12 engine, a notoriously slow and unreliable car which took part in the 1990 Formula One season but never even got past pre-qualifying as it was often tens of seconds slower than the next-slowest car. The inaugural season was in 1991. The series was owned and managed by Finanz-Sichereit Konglomerat, a Swiss investment company rumored to have connections to Jean-Pierre van Rossem, famous for his Moneytron fraud scheme. However, most of the names of the people running the series were unknown to the public, Dieter Oktor (Chief Medical Officer), Dietrich Anger (Chief Safety Officer) and Walther Rench (Chief Technical Officer) being the only exceptions.
The series was criticized for it's dangerousness, with the Life chassis being perceived as unsafe and crucial parts such as brakes failing too often, sometimes with serious consequences. Additionally, the capability of some of the drivers was questioned. However, the series management replied to these accusations by constantly researching for new ways to make the chassis more durable and introducing new safety measures, such as speed limits on the pitlane.
During 1991 there was a strict limit of 30 regular entries, although some tracks with additional capacity allowed for non-championship guest drives. Starting from 1992 the entry list was capped at 41 cars, with 28 starting each race.
A majority of the races took place on circuits which were no longer or had never been used by Formula One, and initially only a few races were located outside of Europe to save travel costs. However, this changed in the later seasons as the exuberant fees charged by some of the European circuit owners forced the series to diversify into more international markets. Many of the overseas races were sponsored by state-owned companies as governments seeked new ways to promote tourism in their countries. However, the massive travel costs associated with these races ultimately negated the profits made from cheaper circuit fees and better sponsorship, and FSK ended their funding of the series after the 1993 season to cut back on their losses. As no other organisation was interested in buying the rights, the series collapsed and all remaining equipment was sold to the teams who took part in the championship.
In the late 1990s a thorough investigation into FSK's business deals revealed widespread corruption in the series, such as the use of security guards supplied by Cosa Nostra at the 1992 and 1993 Life Grands Prix of Italy.
