Highcroft Racing was an American

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 based out of

Danbury, Connecticut Danbury ( ) is a city in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States, located approximately northeast of New York City. Danbury's population as of 2020 was 86,518. It is the third-largest city in Western Connecticut, and the seventh-largest ...

and founded by driver Duncan Dayton in 1989. Initially founded for Dayton's involvement in

historic motorsport Historic motorsport or vintage motorsport, is motorsport with vehicles limited to a particular era. Only safety precautions are modernized in these hobbyist races. A historical event can be of various types of motorsport disciplines, from road ...

, specifically the restoration and preparation of classic automobiles, the team was expanded for Dayton's entry into the USAC

Formula Ford Formula Ford, also known as F1600 and Formula F, is an entry-level class of single-seater, open-wheel formula racing. The various championships held across the world have historically been an important step for many prospective Formula One dri ...

2000 series in 1994. The team entered a partnership with

Intersport Racing Intersport Racing is a former United States, American auto racing team founded by Jon Field. The team was based in Dublin, Ohio. They previously operated two Oreca FLM09 sports cars in the American Le Mans Series. At current, the company has tra ...

in 2003 and entered the

American Le Mans Series The American Le Mans Series (ALMS) was a sports car racing series based in the United States and Canada. It consisted of a series of Endurance racing (motorsport), endurance and sprint races, and was created in the spirit of the 24 Hours of Le M ...

(ALMS). Highcroft Racing last competed in 2012, and has since ceased operations. In the spring of 2015, the building that housed their headquarters near the Danbury, CT Airport was sold for $8.2 million.

Racing History

Nissan Deltawing Highcroft Racing Le Mans 2012

2006 (Lola)

In 2006 Highcroft purchased an

MG-Lola EX257 The MG-Lola EX257 (sometimes referred to as simply MG EX257) is a Le Mans Prototype racing car built by Lola for the MG car company for their attempt to compete again at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in . The car has had many years of mixed success s ...

from

Dyson Racing Dyson Racing is a professional sports car racing team based in Poughkeepsie, New York in the United States. Founded by Rob Dyson in 1974, the team competed successfully in North American sports car racing series, including the IMSA GT Championsh ...

and started their own ALMS team. They entered four races including

Petit Le Mans Petit Le Mans (French language, French for ''Little Le Mans'') is a sports car racing, sports car Endurance racing (motorsport), endurance race held annually at Road Atlanta in Braselton, Georgia, United States. The race has been held for a durat ...

where the team scored a third-place finish. The team ended the season 4th in the LMP1 Team Championship.

2007-11 (HPD)

For 2007, the team was chosen by

Honda commonly known as just Honda, is a Japanese multinational corporation, multinational Conglomerate (company), conglomerate automotive manufacturer headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan. Founded in October 1946 by Soichiro Honda, Honda has bee ...

Performance Development (HPD) to run one of three

Acura ARX-01 The Acura ARX-01, later known as the HPD ARX-01, is a series of Le Mans Prototypes built for sports car racing, specifically in the American Le Mans Series, Le Mans Series, and at the 24 Hours of Le Mans. It is the first purpose-built race car b ...

s for

Acura Acura is the luxury and performance division of Japanese automaker Honda, based primarily in North America. The brand was launched on March 27, 1986, marketing luxury and performance automobiles. Acura sells cars in the United States, Canada, M ...

's debut in the ALMS. Drivers

David Brabham David Philip Brabham (born 5 September 1965) is an Australian racing driver and one of the most successful and experienced specialists in sports car racing. He has won three international Sports Car series and is one of four Australians to have ...

and

Stefan Johansson Stefan Nils Edwin Johansson (born 8 September 1956) is a Swedish former racing driver and motorsport executive, who competed in Formula One between and . In endurance racing (motorsport), endurance racing, Johansson won the 24 Hours of Le Mans ...

would compete for the full season. The team's best result came at

Road America Road America is a motorsport Road racing, road course located near Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin on Wisconsin Highway 67. It has hosted races since the 1950s and currently hosts races in the IndyCar Series, IMSA SportsCar Championship, Sports Car Club ...

where they finished third in class. Highcroft Racing finished the season 3rd in the LMP2 Championship behind the two

Porsche Dr. Ing. h.c. F. Porsche AG, usually shortened to Porsche (; see below), is a German automobile manufacturer specializing in luxury, high-performance sports cars, SUVs and sedans, headquartered in Stuttgart, Baden-Württemberg, Germany. Th ...

teams of

Penske Racing Team Penske (formerly Penske Racing) is an American professional auto racing organization, competing in the IndyCar Series, NASCAR Cup Series, IMSA SportsCar Championship and FIA World Endurance Championship. Debuting at the 1966 24 Hours of Da ...

and Dyson Racing but the most successful of the

teams.

and

finished 5th in the Drivers Championship. For 2008, the team continued their campaign of the

. The team also earned title sponsorship from

Patrón Tequila Patrón is a brand of tequila products founded by John Paul Dejoria and Martin Crowley. Patrón Tequilas, like all tequilas, are produced in Mexico from the "corazón" (heart or core) of the blue agave plant. Everything including the barrel ...

for a three-year contract.

Scott Sharp Scott Sharp (born February 14, 1968) is an American professional racing driver in the United SportsCar Championship. He is the son of six-time SCCA champion Bob Sharp. Sharp is best known for his years as a competitor in the Indy Racing Leagu ...

joined the team to replace

s co-driver. Over the season, the team gained 3 class finishes as well as an overall finish at Lime Rock Park, giving

its first overall victory. The team finished the season 2nd in the LMP2 championship behind Penske Racing, but was, once again, the most successful of the

teams. Drivers

and

also finished 2nd in the Team Championship. Highcroft was one of two teams chosen to campaign Acura's new LMP1 car. Highcroft and

De Ferran Motorsports De Ferran Motorsports was a motor racing team that competed in the American Le Mans Series. The team was owned by the 2003 Indianapolis 500 winner Gil de Ferran. On August 7, 2009 de Ferran announced that he would retire from racing at the end of ...

would compete with the

Acura ARX-02a The Acura ARX-02a was a Le Mans Prototype constructed by Acura for competition in the LMP1 category of the American Le Mans Series. It was Acura's second Le Mans Prototype, following their ARX-01 which competed in the LMP2 category. Development ...

during the

2009 American Le Mans Series season The 2009 American Le Mans Series season was the 39th season for the IMSA GT Championship, with it being the eleventh season with the American Le Mans Series moniker. It began on March 21, 2009, and ended on October 10, 2009 after ten events. Th ...

. Due to the absence of Audi Sport North America, the team's main competition was

. The team claimed victories at St. Petersburg, Road America and Mosport. Although winning fewer races throughout the season, Highcroft Racing scored more season long points than De Ferran Motorsports and claimed the LMP1 Championship.

and

also claimed the LMP1 Drivers Championship. The 2010 season saw the LMP1 and LMP2 classes combine to form a new, performance balanced, LMP class. Scott Sharp left Highcroft Racing at the end of the 2009 season in order to start his own team with Patrón CEO, Ed Brown. De Ferran Motorsport's

Simon Pagenaud Simon Pierre Michel Pagenaud (; born 18 May 1984) is a French professional racing driver, who last drove the No. 60 Honda for Meyer Shank Racing in the NTT IndyCar Series. After a successful career in sports car racing that saw him taking the ...

was signed to be Brabham's co-driver. The team returned to the LMP2-spec Acura, now rebadged HPD after having season long troubles with the

. Highcroft earned four race victories and a podium finish at every other race of the season. The team's consistent performance won Highcroft its second consecutive Team and Drivers Championship. In 2010, Highcroft Racing made their debut in 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 ...

using the HPD ARX-01c they competed with in the

. Due to French Liquor Laws, the team were unable to display their primary sponsor,

, on the car. They instead chose to represent their charitable partner,

Malaria No More Malaria No More is a nonprofit organization that seeks to eradicate malaria. The organization has offices in the United States, as well as affiliates in India, Japan and the United Kingdom, and is known for its participation in the Idol Gives B ...

. Drivers

Marino Franchitti Marino Alessandro Cesare Franchitti (born 7 July 1978) is a British racing driver, and the younger brother of Dario Franchitti. He has spent the majority of his career racing in sports cars and grand tourers, with a career highlight of winning t ...

, and

Marco Werner Marco Werner (born April 27, 1966) is a professional racer from Germany. Born in Dortmund, he was the eighth driver to complete the informal triple crown in endurance racing. In his early career, Werner finished runner-up in the Formula Opel Eur ...

qualified 2nd in class, behind

Strakka Racing Strakka Racing was a British auto racing team founded by Nick Leventis. The team was based at the Silverstone Circuit in Northamptonshire. The team made history at the 2010 1000 km of Hungaroring when they became the first team in Le Mans Serie ...

, the second HPD team. The team completed 296 laps and finished 9th in the LMP2 class. For 2011, Highcroft Racing intended to compete in the full

season as well as the

with the new HPD ARX-01e LMP1 car. The team started the year at the

Mobil 1 Mobil 1 is a brand of synthetic motor oil and other automotive lubrication products. Originally developed by the Mobil oil company, it is now globally marketed and sold by ExxonMobil. Mobil 1 engine oil was introduced in 1973. The brand range no ...

12 Hours of Sebring The 12 Hours of Sebring is an annual motorsport Endurance racing (motorsport), endurance race for Sports car racing, sports cars held at Sebring International Raceway, on the site of the former Hendricks Army Airfield World War II air base in S ...

where they took delivery of their new car only a week before the race.

and

qualified 7th in class but were able to finish 2nd overall, completing 332 laps. On May 16, Highcroft Racing and HPD announced that its partnership would come to an end. Due to the impact of the tsunami on Japan and on

, the team withdrew its entry in the

2011 24 Hours of Le Mans The 79th 24 Hours of Le Mans (French: ''79e 24 Heures du Mans'') was a 24-hour Endurance racing (motorsport), automobile endurance race for 56 teams of three drivers in Le Mans Prototype (LMP) and LM GTE, Le Mans Grand Touring Endurance (LMGTE) ...

and would not compete in the rest of the

season due to lack of funding.

2012 (DeltaWing)

In 2012, Highcroft Racing teamed with Ben Bowlby and

All American Racers All American Racers is an American-licensed auto racing team and constructor based in Santa Ana, California. Founded by Dan Gurney and Carroll Shelby in 1964, All American Racers initially participated in American sports car and Champ Car races ...

to build, develop and race the new

DeltaWing The DeltaWing is a racing car designed by British race car designer and engineer Ben Bowlby and debuted at the 2012 24 Hours of Le Mans. The entry was run under the Project 56 name, composed of Ben Bowlby (design), Dan Gurney's All American ...

, an experimental racing car. The car was designed to reduce aerodynamic drag dramatically allowing for quicker straight and cornering speeds while using half as much power and half as much weight. Despite skepticism over the project, the DeltaWing made its debut in the

2012 24 Hours of Le Mans 1 (one, unit, unity) is a number, numeral, and glyph. It is the first and smallest positive integer of the infinite sequence of natural numbers. This fundamental property has led to its unique uses in other fields, ranging from science to sp ...

, filling the 56th garage reserved for experimental vehicles.

Michael Krumm Michael Krumm (born 19 March 1970) is a German former professional racing driver and current team manager at TOM'S in Super GT. Krumm is best-known for his successes in the All-Japan GT Championship, where he triumphed in the GT500 class in 1997 a ...

and

Satoshi Motoyama Satoshi Motoyama (本山哲 - Motoyama Satoshi; born March 4, 1971) is a Japanese professional racing driver and team manager. He is best known for racing in the Super GT Series, formerly known as the All Japan Grand Touring Car Championship, All- ...

qualified 29th with a time of 3:42.612, which was 18.825 behind the lead car. The car was retired after 75 laps following an accident in which the DeltaWing ran into a concrete barrier at the Porsche Curves after a collision with

Kazuki Nakajima is a Japanese former racing driver and motorsport executive, who competed in Formula One from to . In Japanese motorsport, Nakajima won the Super Formula Championship in 2012 and 2014 with TOM'S. In endurance racing, Nakajima won the 2018� ...

Toyota TS030 Hybrid The Toyota TS030 Hybrid is a Le Mans Prototype#LMP1, Le Mans Prototype 1 (LMP1) sports car built by Toyota Gazoo Racing Europe, Toyota Motorsport GmbH and used by the manufacturer in the FIA World Endurance Championship in 2012 and 2013. It was ...

. The DeltaWing recorded a best race lap time of 3:45.737, rivaling some of the LMP2 teams.24 Hours of Le Mans 2012 - Classification (See Lotus-Lola B12/80)
Nakajima later apologized for the incident. The team also competed at

, the final round of the ALMS season, as an unclassified entry. The team set out to finish the race, something they hadn't done at Le Mans earlier in the year. After rebuilding the car from a collision in practice, the team went on to finish 5th overall, completing 388 laps; just 6 laps behind the overall leader.

Drivers

ALMS (2006-2011)

(2007–11)
Duncan Dayton (2006, 2007 Sebring)

Dario Franchitti George Dario Marino Franchitti (born 19 May 1973) is a British motorsport commentator and retired motor racing driver from Scotland. Franchitti won the IndyCar Series Drivers' Championship in 2007, 2009, 2010 and 2011; the Indianapolis 500 in ...

(2009 Sebring,

)

(2010 Sebring,

)

Memo Gidley José Guillermo "Memo" Gidley (born September 29, 1970) is a Mexican and American racing driver, who competed in IndyCar from 1999 to 2004. He worked at the Jim Russell racing school as a mechanic to fund his career for some time, eventually get ...

( 2006 Petit Le Mans)

(2007, 2008 Sebring)
Robbie Kerr (

2007 Petit Le Mans The 2007 Petit Le Mans was the eleventh round of the 2007 American Le Mans Series season and tenth running of the Petit Le Mans. It took place at Road Atlanta, Georgia on October 6, 2007. This race also marked the closest finish in Petit Le ...

)

Vítor Meira Vítor Meira (born March 27, 1977) is a Brazilian former auto racing driver. He formerly competed in the IndyCar Series and has twice finished second in the Indianapolis 500. IndyCar Series 2002 After participating in an open test for Panthe ...

( 2006 Petit Le Mans)

(2010–11)

(2008–09)
Andy Wallace (2006)

DeltaWing (2012)

References

External links

{{commons category
Highcroft Racing official website
American Le Mans Series teams American auto racing teams 24 Hours of Le Mans teams