Durango Automotive SRL was an Italian

auto racing Auto racing (also known as car racing, motor racing, or automobile racing) is a motorsport involving the racing of automobiles for competition. In North America, the term is commonly used to describe all forms of automobile sport including non ...

team founded in 1980 by Ivone Pinton and Enrico Magro, which competed in

Formula 3000 Formula 3000 (F3000) was a type of open wheel, single seater formula racing, occupying the tier immediately below Formula One and above Formula Three. It was so named because the cars were powered by 3.0 L engines. Formula 3000 championship ...

, the

24 Hours of Le Mans The 24 Hours of Le Mans () is an endurance-focused Sports car racing, sports car race held annually near the city of Le Mans, France. It is widely considered to be one of the world's most prestigious races, and is one of the races—along with ...

and the

GP2 Series The GP2 Series was a form of open wheel motor racing introduced in 2005 following the discontinuation of the long-term Formula One feeder series, Formula 3000. The GP2 format was conceived by Bernie Ecclestone and Flavio Briatore, while Ecc ...

. The team finished racing after withdrawing from the Italian round of the 2009 GP2 Series season, although it was linked to

Jacques Villeneuve Jacques Joseph Charles Villeneuve (; born 9 April 1971) is a Canadian former racing driver, who competed in IndyCar from 1994 PPG Indy Car World Series, 1994 to 1995 PPG Indy Car World Series, 1995, and Formula One from to . Villeneuve won t ...

and his bid to return to

Formula One Formula One (F1) is the highest class of worldwide racing for open-wheel single-seater formula Auto racing, racing cars sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). The FIA Formula One World Championship has been one ...

for the

2011 The year marked the start of a Arab Spring, series of protests and revolutions throughout the Arab world advocating for democracy, reform, and economic recovery, later leading to the depositions of world leaders in Tunisia, Egypt, and Yemen ...

season.

History

The Durango team took part in the

Italian Formula Three Championship The Italian Formula Three Championship was the Formula Three racing competition in Italy. History Formula Three has traditionally been regarded as the first major stepping stone for F1 hopefuls - it is typically the first point in a driver's care ...

from 1987 to 1992. They expanded to compete in the International Formula 3000 Championship and the British Formula Two Championship in 1991, and entered a Lancia LC2 in the

1991 24 Hours of Le Mans The 1991 24 Hours of Le Mans was the 59th Grand Prix of Endurance, taking place at the Circuit de la Sarthe, France, on the 22 and 23 June 1991. It was also the fourth round of the 1991 World Sportscar Championship season, 1991 FIA Sportscar W ...

, under the banner of Veneto Equipe. Durango took part in the Renault

Formula Two Formula Two (F2) is a type of Open-wheel car, open-wheel formula racing category first codified in 1948. It was replaced in 1985 by Formula 3000, but revived by the FIA from 2009 FIA Formula Two Championship season, 2009 to 2012 FIA Formula Two C ...

championship and Euroseries in 1994 and continued to race in

Formula Three Formula Three (F3) is a third-tier class of open-wheel formula racing. The various championships held in Europe, Australia, South America and Asia form an important step for many prospective Formula One drivers. History Formula Three (adop ...

until 1999. In 2003, Durango designed and built a

Le Mans Prototype A Le Mans Prototype (LMP) is a type of sports prototype race car used in various races and championships, including the 24 Hours of Le Mans, FIA World Endurance Championship, IMSA SportsCar Championship, European Le Mans Series, and Asian Le M ...

car, the PM02, to compete in the

FIA Sportscar championship The FIA Sportscar Championship was a sports car racing series created by John Mangoletsi and got the approval of the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA) in 2001. It was a series similar to the FIA GT Championship, concentrating on tw ...

and the Le Mans 24 Hours. The car was powered by a Judd GV4

V10 engine A V10 engine is a ten- cylinder piston engine where two banks of five cylinders are arranged in a V configuration around a common crankshaft. V10 engines are much less common than V8 and V12 engines. Several V10 diesel engines have been pro ...

. The team participated for the 2nd time in the 24 Hours of Le Mans and finished in 24th position, after qualifying 18th. The car's best result was a 4th place at the

Estoril Estoril () is a town in the civil parish of Cascais e Estoril of the Portuguese Municipality of Cascais, on the Portuguese Riviera. It is a popular tourist destination, with hotels, beaches, and the Casino Estoril. It has been home to numero ...

round of the FIA sportscar championship. The car was never raced again after the 2003 season. In 2005, Durango became part of the

, a new series designed to help young drivers enter into

. In 2006, the team participated in Formula Azzurra, a series supported by the Italian Karting Federation. Due to financial problems the team was forced to withdraw from the final races of the 2009 GP2 Series season, and pulled out of competing in the 2009-10 GP2 Asia Series season.

Formula One entry bid

Durango attempted to enter

in 2010, when the

Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile The Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA; ) is an international organisation with two primary functions surrounding use of the automobile. Its mobility division advocacy, advocates the interests of motoring organisations, the automot ...

opened an entry process for an additional thirteenth team. The team principal Ivone Pinton stated there were investors only interested with competing in F1, and announced a partnership with 1997 Formula One champion

. The team would compete as Villeneuve Racing and Villeneuve would initially be one of the two drivers. The FIA did not accept any of the applications for the 2011 season.

Results

GP2 Series

In detail

( key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in ''italics'' indicate fastest lap)

GP2 Asia Series

( key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in ''italics'' indicate fastest lap)

Formula 3000

In detail

( key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in ''italics'' indicate fastest lap)

Sports car

Other Series History

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Durango (Racing Team) Italian auto racing teams GP2 Series teams GP3 Series teams International Formula 3000 teams 24 Hours of Le Mans teams Formula Renault Eurocup teams 1980 establishments in Italy 2016 disestablishments in Italy Auto racing teams established in 1980 Auto racing teams disestablished in 2016 Auto GP teams World Series Formula V8 3.5 teams FIA Sportscar Championship entrants