Rebellion Racing
Rebellion Racing is a Swiss racing team that competes in endurance racing. The team competed in the 2011 Intercontinental Le Mans Cup season and won the LMP1 teams' title in the 2011 Le Mans Series season. The team started as an association between Speedy Racing and Sebah Racing, which began in 2008. Rebellion Racing's team principal is Alexandre Pesci and the team manager is Bart Hayden.[1]
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| Founded | 2010 |
|---|---|
| Team principal(s) | Alexandre Pesci |
| Current series | FIA World Endurance Championship, 2021 Dakar Rally |
| Former series | European Le Mans Series American Le Mans Series WeatherTech SportsCar Championship Intercontinental Le Mans Cup |
| Noted drivers |  André Lotterer Neel Jani Bruno Senna Mathias Beche Thomas Laurent Gustavo Menezes Nathanael Berthon Norman Nato Louis Deletraz Romain Dumas Nicolas Prost |
| Teams' Championships | FIA Endurance LMP1-Trophy FIA Endurance Trophy for LMP2 Teams |
From 2011 to 2016 the team participated in the FIA World Endurance Championship in the LMP1 category as a privateer, with two Lola B12/60 cars from 2011 to 2013, and two Rebellion R-One cars from 2014 to 2016. In 2017 the team moved to the LMP2 category with two Oreca 07 cars.[2]
On 4 December 2019, it was announced that from the 2022-23 Season onwards, the team would be set to become the factory team of Peugeot Sport, and will run Le Mans Hypercars in the FIA World Endurance Championship as Rebellion Peugeot.[3] However, on 13 February 2020, it was announced by the team's parent company, Rebellion Corporation, that following a strategic committee meeting, it was decided that the firm would cease its motorsport business operations after the 2020 24 Hours of Le Mans.[4][5]
2011 season
In 2011, Rebellion Racing and Toyota Motorsport GmbH confirmed their plans for a Le Mans Prototype LMP1 engine supply partnership. Two Rebellion Racing Lola LMP1 cars powered by Toyota engines in LMP1. At the end of October 2010, Rebellion Racing and Toyota Motorsport engineers conducted an evaluation test programme at Portimao, Portugal and Monteblanco, Spain. The team have renewed the contracts of its regular 2010 drivers. Neel Jani / Nicolas Prost and Andrea Belicchi /Jean-Christophe Boullion will again spearhead the Rebellion Racing attack.[1]
24 Hours of Le Mans
At the 2011 24 Hours of Le Mans, the no. 12 car of Nicolas Prost/Neel Jani/Jeroen Bleekemolen qualified 8th and finished 6th overall. It was the first gasoline finisher. The no. 13 car of Andrea Belicchi/Jean-Christophe Boullion and Guy Smith retired after 190 laps.
Le Mans Series
Rebellion won the LMP1 teams' title with 51 points, 1 point more than Pescarolo Team, which came courtesy of Neel Jani's pole position.[6]
Intercontinental Le Mans Cup
In the season finale in Zhuhai, the top gasoline-powered LMP1 car was the Rebellion team's Toyota-engined Lola coupe driven by Neel Jani and Nicolas Prost. It came back from an unscheduled stop to change front and rear bodywork, after Jani ran into the back of Allan McNish's Audi R18, to overhaul the OAK Racing OAK-Pescarolo driven by Alexandre Premat, Olivier Pla and Jacques Nicolet for fourth position and[7] scored the points needed to secure third place in the Team classification in LM P1 of the Intercontinental Le Mans Cup, behind the turbo diesels of the Peugeot and Audi factory teams.[8]
2012 season
World Endurance Championship
On 1 February 2012, it was announced that German driver Nick Heidfeld would drive a Rebellion Lola-Toyota in select rounds of the FIA World Endurance Championship. Heidfeld will share the wheel of the Anglo-Swiss squad's No. 12 LMP1 entry with Neel Jani and Nicolas Prost at the Twelve Hours of Sebring, Six Hours of Spa and 24 Hours of Le Mans. He completes Rebellion's lineup, with Jeroen Bleekemolen having been announced on 31 January as the third driver in the No. 13 Lola-Toyota with Andrea Belicchi and Harold Primat.[9]
Petit Le Mans
Rebellion Racing entered the 2012 Petit Le Mans to attempt to score an overall victory at the race since Audi chose to not enter the race. After early battling with Muscle Milk Pickett Racing, the latter crashed when attempting to pass a GT car, allowing Rebellion to lead the rest of the race and win Petit Le Mans.
2013 season
Rebellion Racing participated in both the 2013 FIA World Endurance Championship season and 2013 American Le Mans Series season. But in July, midway through the season, the team decided to end its ALMS programme and focus on the WEC. After that, it only contested the Petit Le Mans series finale at Road Atlanta in October.[10] Rebellion Racing took their second consecutive overall victory at Petit Le Mans, after Muscle Milk Pickett Racing again retired halfway through the race.[11]
2014 season
On 8 June 2013, Rebellion confirmed they have entered a partnership with Oreca to design and build their own LMP1 car, the Rebellion R-One. The car debuted at the 2014 Spa 6 Hours in the 2014 FIA World Endurance Championship and continues to use Toyota engines.[12]
2015 season
On 3 February 2015, Rebellion Racing announced a new engine partnership for the 2015 FIA World Endurance Championship season. The Rebellion R-One LMP-1 cars will be powered by twin-turbo engines from Advanced Engine Research. Rebellion Racing will use AER P60 V6 GDI twin-turbocharged power units.[13]
On 25 March 2015, it was announced that Alexandre Imperatori and Daniel Abt had signed up with the team to pilot the squad's second car alongside Dominik Kraihamer.[14]
2017 season
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After a four-year hiatus, Rebellion Racing participated in the WeatherTech SportsCar Championship which started at the 24 Hours of Daytona in January. The team also decided to switch to the LMP2-class in the 2017 FIA World Endurance Championship.[15] The team was renamed Vaillante Rebellion, following a partnership with Editions Graton, the publishers of the French comic Vaillante.[16]
2018–2019 season
In 2018 WEC switched to a winter calendar. Rebellion Racing returned to the LMP1 class with Rebellion R13, with two full season entries. They competed in 2018 and 2019 24 Hours of Le Mans. Won their first overall WEC race this season due to a penalty to the Toyota ahead at the Silverstone round. They announced a single full-season entry for the 2019–2020 season, with another entry set to be entered on race-by-race basis depending on sponsorship.
2019–2020 season
Raced with two cars at the season opening round at Silverstone with the remaining races being with one car (minus Spa & Le Mans). Rebellion racing #1 took pole and won its first "on track" race in the 4h of Shanghai on November 10. And another win and pole in the same time in Austin, Texas. Lone Star Le Mans.Becoming the first privateer team in WEC history to get pole and the win. But in Bapco 8h Bahrain at Bahrain. Rebellion #1 got pole but doesn't win the race. Because collision with #5 Team LNT Ginetta at the very 1st lap of the race. So Rebellion #1 finished in 3rd behind the 2 Toyotas #7, #8
Racing record
24 Hours of Le Mans results
Le Mans Series results
| Le Mans Series results[17] | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Class | Car | No. | Drivers | Races | Wins | Poles | Fast laps | Points | T.C. |
| 2007 | GT2 | Spyker C8 Spyder GT2-R | 94 |  Jonny Kane Andrea Chiesa Andrea Belicchi |
5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 14 | 6th |
| 2008 | LMP2 | Lola B08/80-Judd | 33 | Andrea Belicchi Xavier Pompidou Steve Zacchia |
1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 7th |
| GT2 | Spyker C8 Laviolette GT2-R | 94 | Andrea Chiesa Benjamin Leuenberger Iradj Alexander |
5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 7th | |
| 2009 | LMP1 | Lola B08/60-Aston Martin | 13 | Marcel Fässler Andrea Belicchi Nicolas Prost |
5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 14 | 5th |
| LMP2 | Lola B08/80-Judd | 33 | Xavier Pompidou Jonny Kane Benjamin Leuenberger |
5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 24 | 2nd | |
| 2010 | LMP1 | Lola B10/60-Rebellion | 12 | Neel Jani Nicolas Prost |
5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 53 | 3rd |
| 13 | Andrea Belicchi Jean-Christophe Boullion Guy Smith |
5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 44 | 5th | |||
| 2011 | LMP1 | Lola B10/60-Toyota | 12 13 |
Neel Jani Nicolas Prost Andrea Belicchi Jean-Christophe Boullion |
5 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 51 | 1st |
References
- Lola-Toyota for Rebellion Racing in 2011 News & Media - Lola News. Friday, 3 December 2010.
- "Rebellion Racing History". Retrieved 6 October 2017.
- "Rebellion Teams Up With Peugeot For Its WEC Hypercar Programme – dailysportscar.com". www.dailysportscar.com. Retrieved 4 December 2019.
- Lloyd, Daniel. "Rebellion to Withdraw from Motorsport After Le Mans – Sportscar365". sportscar365.com. Retrieved 17 February 2020.
- "Rebellion Racing To Stop Racing Activities After Le Mans – dailysportscar.com". www.dailysportscar.com. Retrieved 17 February 2020.
- Le Mans Series: Pescarolo team claims LMP1 drivers' title in Portugal Autoweek. 26 September 2011.
- Peugeot wins ILMC finale in China Autoweek. 13 November 2011.
- Zhuhai 6 hours: Rebellion in top 3 of ILMC 2011 www.lemans.org. 14 November 2011.
- LE MANS: Heidfeld Confirmed At Rebellion Speedtv.com. 1 February 2012.
- Gary Watkins (23 July 2013). "Rebellion to shelve ALMS challenge". Racer.com.
- Smith, Steven Cole (11 November 2013). "Now It's Over". Autoweek: 76–77.
- R-ONE: Rebellion Racing to build an LMP1 car in partnership with Oreca News & Media - Rebellion News. 8 June 2013.
- "WEC: Rebellion Racing switches to AER turbo engine". Racer.com. 3 February 2015.
- "Rebellion LMP1 WEC squad signs Daniel Abt and Alexandre Imperatori". Autosport.com. 25 March 2015.
- "Rebellion confirms two-car LMP2 effort for 2017 WEC". www.motorsport.com. Retrieved 4 December 2019.
- "MICHEL VAILLANT MAKES A GRAND COMEBACK AT LE MANS 24 HOURS WITH MOTUL AND REBELLION RACING". www.rebellion-timepieces.com. Retrieved 4 December 2019.
- LMS complete results Archived 19 September 2008 at the Wayback Machine wsrp.ic.cz
