Mark Blundell

This biography of a living person needs additional citations for verification . Please help by adding reliable sources. Contentious material about living persons that is unsourced or poorly sourced must be removed immediately from the article and its talk page, especially if potentially libelous. Find sources:  "Mark Blundell"  –  news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR (January 2015) ( Learn how and when to remove this message )

Mark Blundell

Blundell in 2011
Born	(1966-04-08) 8 April 1966 (age 58) London, England
Formula One World Championship career
Nationality	British
Active years	1991, 1993–1995
Teams	Brabham, Ligier, Tyrrell and McLaren
Entries	63 (61 starts)
Championships	0
Wins	0
Podiums	3
Career points	32
Pole positions	0
Fastest laps	0
First entry	1991 United States Grand Prix
Last entry	1995 Australian Grand Prix

Mark Blundell (born 8 April 1966) is a British racing driver who competed in Formula One for four seasons, sports cars, and CART. He won the 1992 24 Hours of Le Mans. He was a Formula One presenter for the British broadcaster ITV until the end of the 2008 season when the TV broadcasting rights switched to the BBC. Blundell returned to the track in 2019, driving in the Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship for the Trade Price Cars team. Blundell has returned to the series in a new role for 2020 helping to form the latest name to line the grid - MB Motorsport as Sporting Director working with Laser Tools Racing. He is CEO of Europe wide sports management group, MB Partners.

Contents

• Background
• Formula One
• CART
• From driving to commentating
• Helmet
• Racing record
• Career summary
• Complete International Formula 3000 results
• Complete Japanese Formula 3000 Championship results
• Complete 24 Hours of Le Mans results
• Complete Formula One results
• Complete CART results
• Complete WRC results
• Complete American Le Mans Series results
• Complete British Touring Car Championship results
• References
• External links

Background

Blundell was born in Barnet, London. He first dabbled in motor sport at the age of 14, racing motocross bikes across England. At the age of 17 he made the switch to four wheels, starting his driving career in Formula Ford. In his first season he placed second in both British Junior Formula Ford Championships. The following year, Blundell won both the Esso British and Snetterton Formula Ford 1600 crowns. The next year, he began racing in the more powerful Formula Ford 2000 category, and won the BBC Grandstand series. He returned to FF1600 to compete in the European Championship racing, taking pole,^{[ clarification needed ]} and finishing fourth overall. In 1986, he won another championship in Formula Ford 2000, this time the European title.

In 1987, Blundell moved on to racing in Formula 3000 ^[1] and started a number of Formula Three races for TOM'S-Toyota. ^[1] 1988 brought a switch to the works Lola team in F3000. Blundell completed the season in sixth place. ^[1]

Formula One

Blundell signed with the sports car team at Nissan for 1989, landing a factory seat. He also managed a test drive with Williams F1 Team. By 1990, Blundell left F3000 to concentrate on sports cars. That same year, he earned pole position at the 24 Hours of Le Mans race driving a Nissan R90CK. Blundell became the youngest driver to achieve pole position at the Le Mans 24 Hours, with a 6.040-second margin ahead of second place. ^[2]

1991 marked Blundell's transition into Formula One. His debut season saw a sixth place in Belgium with the Brabham Yamaha team while also maintaining his testing deal with Williams. However, the following season, he was not retained by Brabham, and was left without a race seat in Formula One. He declined Williams' offer to stay on as their test driver for 1992, as he had his eyes solely on a full-time race seat. He told his contemporary Damon Hill about the vacant Williams test seat, which Hill eventually took. Having failed to land a drive for 1992, Blundell eventually signed a testing deal with McLaren. Whilst being a full-time tester for McLaren, he also continued to race sports cars. That year, with the factory Peugeot outfit, he won the Le Mans 24 Hours, adding to his earlier pole.

Blundell returned to Formula One in 1993. A drive with Ligier netted him his first two podium finishes in South Africa and Germany, and tenth in the final World Championship standings. It was a one-year deal with Ligier, however, and in 1994 Blundell signed with Tyrrell. Blundell managed only one podium finish in the 1994 Spanish Grand Prix, which was the last Formula One podium finish for Tyrrell. At the end of the season, owing to lack of sponsorship, Tyrrell released Blundell as the retirement of Nigel Mansell meant a return to McLaren, this time, in a race seat. Teamed with future two-time world champion Mika Häkkinen, Blundell recorded five points finishes and once again took tenth in the final standings. 1995 also saw continued success in sports cars with a fourth place showing in Le Mans, but was Blundell's final year in Formula One, owing to the signing of David Coulthard by McLaren.

Blundell achieved 3 podiums, and scored a total of 32 championship points.

Blundell came close to making a return to Formula One in 2001. He had advanced negotiations with Prost Grand Prix to be the team's test and development driver but the deal was not concluded. ^[3]

CART

Out of Formula One, Blundell moved to the United States and joined the CART racing team PacWest, alongside fellow former Formula One driver Maurício Gugelmin. Early in the season, Blundell crashed head-on into a concrete wall in Rio, resulting in a broken foot and ankle and forcing him to miss three races. Despite this, he was third in the rookie standings with three top six finishes in the U.S. 500, Detroit Grand Prix, and Michigan International Speedway races.

In 1997 Blundell came within one corner of winning the Detroit Belle Isle Grand Prix before running out of fuel, an event he described at the time as the worst disappointment of his career. ^[4] In the next race, he passed Gil de Ferran on the final straight to win the Grand Prix of Portland by 0.027 seconds. Blundell recorded further race victories in Toronto and Fontana en route to sixth in the championship. That year he was also named British Driver of the Year by Autosport magazine.

A crash whilst testing at Gateway in early 1999 left Blundell to miss 8 races in the middle of the 1999 season. He returned to PacWest for a final season in 2000. However, after finishing 21st in the championship with 18 points, he left PacWest racing by mutual agreement.

From driving to commentating

Blundell again crossed the Atlantic to focus on his sports car racing. He failed to finish Le Mans with the MG Lola team, though he and his teammates impressed. Off-track, Blundell joined ITV television in Britain as an analyst for the 2002 Formula One season. This position lasted until the end of the 2008 Formula One season when ITV lost coverage to the BBC.

Since 2001, Blundell's racing involvement has steadily declined, with only the occasional event. He did test a Dale Coyne Champ Car to help prepare Darren Manning for a one-off in the first CART race in Britain at Rockingham, and raced in the British round of the World Rally Championship. In 2003, along with Johnny Herbert and David Brabham, he finished second at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, completing a 1–2 sweep by Bentley. In 2003 he finished third at the 12 Hours of Sebring driving for Bentley alongside Johnny Herbert and David Brabham. ^[5]

From 2004, Blundell ran a management company, 2MB Sports Management, with fellow ex-F1 driver and friend Martin Brundle, until Brundle decided to devote more time to his television career. ^{[6] [7]} The company represent drivers including McLaren test driver Gary Paffett, British Formula 3 champion and IndyCar driver Mike Conway, Ferrari junior Callum Ilott, BMW backed racer Tom Blomqvist, IndyCar driver Jordan King, British F4 champion Kiern Jewiss and British GT driver Patrick Kibble.

Helmet

Blundell's helmet is yellow with three red stripes and two yellow gaps in the middle, a blue stripe in the entire chin area and a blue circle on the top with his golden initials on it. The rear of his helmet bears the motto "The Will To Win" – a quote from his grandfather. ^[8]

Racing record

Career summary

This list is incomplete; you can help by adding missing items. (December 2021)

Season	Series	Team	Races	Wins	Poles	F/Laps	Podiums	Points	Position
1984	Formula Ford 2000		?	?	?	?	?	0	?
1985	Formula Ford 1600		?	6	?	?	?	?	1st
	Formula Ford 2000		?	6	?	?	?	?	?
	Formula Ford Festival		1	0	0	?	0	0	4th
1986	Formula Ford 2000		?	?	?	?	?	125	1st
1987	British Formula 3 Championship	TOM'S GB	6	0	0	0	1	6	13th
	International Formula 3000	Fleetray Racing	5	0	0	0	1	5	15th
		BS Automotive	4	0	0	0	0
1988	International Formula 3000	Lola Motorsport	11	0	0	1	3	18	6th
	Japanese Formula 3000	Footwork Racing International	1	0	0	0	0	0	NC
1989	International Formula 3000	Middlebridge	8	0	0	0	1	8	11th
	World Sportscar Championship	Nissan Motorsports	5	0	0	0	2	27	11th
	24 Hours of Le Mans		1	0	0	0	0	N/A	DNF
1990	World Sportscar Championship	Nissan Motorsports International	8	0	0	0	3	16	11th
	24 Hours of Le Mans		1	0	1	0	0	N/A	DNF
1991	Formula One	Motor Racing Developments Ltd	14	0	0	0	0	1	18th
1992	24 Hours of Le Mans	Peugeot Talbot Sport	1	1	0	0	1	N/A	1st
1993	Formula One	Ligier Gitanes Blondes	16	0	0	0	2	10	10th
1994	Formula One	Tyrrell	16	0	0	0	1	8	12th
1995	Formula One	Marlboro McLaren Mercedes	15	0	0	0	0	13	10th
	24 Hours of Le Mans	GTC Gulf Racing	1	0	0	0	1	N/A	4th
1996	PPG Indy Car World Series	PacWest Racing	13	0	0	0	0	41	16th
1997	PPG CART World Series	PacWest Racing	17	3	0	2	5	115	6th
1998	CART FedEx Championship Series	PacWest Racing	19	0	0	0	0	36	18th
1999	CART FedEx Championship Series	PacWest Racing	12	0	0	0	0	9	23rd
2000	CART FedEx Championship Series	PacWest Racing	20	0	0	0	0	18	21st
2001	24 Hours of Le Mans	MG Sport & Racing	1	0	0	0	0	N/A	DNF
2002	24 Hours of Le Mans	MG Sport & Racing	1	0	0	0	0	N/A	DNF
	World Rally Championship		1	0	0	0	0	0	NC
2003	24 Hours of Le Mans	Team Bentley	1	0	0	0	1	N/A	2nd
	American Le Mans Series		1	0	0	0	1	19	21st
2010	Volkswagen Scirocco R-Cup	—	1	0	0	1	1	0	NC†
2011	Rolex Sports Car Series	United Autosports w/ Michael Shank Racing	4	0	0	0	0	99	17th
	Volkswagen Scirocco R-Cup	—	1	0	0	0	0	0	NC†
	24 Hours of Nürburgring - SP8	Volkswagen Motorsport	1	0	0	0	0	N/A	DNF
2012	Blancpain Endurance Series	United Autosports	4	0	0	0	0	0	NC
	Volkswagen Scirocco R-Cup	—	1	0	0	0	0	0	NC†
2013	British GT Championship	United Autosports	2	0	0	0	0	0	NC
2017	Mini Challenge UK	United Autosports	3	0	0	0	0	0	NC†
2019	British Touring Car Championship	TradePriceCars.com	30	0	0	0	0	5	27th
Sources: [9] [10] [11]

^† As Blundell was a guest driver, he was ineligible for championship points.

Complete 24 Hours of Le Mans results

Year	Team	Co-Drivers	Car	Class	Laps	Pos.	Class Pos.
1989	Nissan Motorsports	Julian Bailey Martin Donnelly	Nissan R89C	C1	5	DNF	DNF
1990	Nissan Motorsports International	Julian Bailey Gianfranco Brancatelli	Nissan R90CK	C1	142	DNF	DNF
1992	Peugeot Talbot Sport	Derek Warwick Yannick Dalmas	Peugeot 905 Evo 1B	C1	352	1st	1st
1995	GTC Gulf Racing	Ray Bellm Maurizio Sandro Sala	McLaren F1 GTR	GT1	291	4th	3rd
2001	MG Sport & Racing Ltd.	Julian Bailey Kevin McGarrity	MG-Lola EX257	LMP675	92	DNF	DNF
2002	MG Sport & Racing Ltd.	Julian Bailey Kevin McGarrity	MG-Lola EX257	LMP675	219	DNF	DNF
2003	Team Bentley	David Brabham Johnny Herbert	Bentley Speed 8	LMGTP	375	2nd	2nd
Sources: [10] [12]

Related Research Articles

Motor Racing Developments Ltd., commonly known as Brabham, was a British racing car manufacturer and Formula One racing team founded in 1960 by Australian driver Jack Brabham and British-Australian designer Ron Tauranac. The team won four FIA Formula One Drivers' and two Constructors' World Championships in its 30-year history, starting out with back-to-back wins of both in 1966 and 1967. Jack Brabham's 1966 Drivers' Championship remains the only such achievement using a car bearing the driver's own name.

Martin John Brundle is a British former racing driver, best known as a Formula One driver and as a commentator for ITV Sport from 1997 to 2008, the BBC from 2009 to 2011, and Sky Sports since 2012.

Franck Montagny is a French former racing driver. He briefly raced for the Super Aguri Formula One team in 2006.

Michael Mario Andretti is an American former racing driver, and current team owner. Statistically one of the most successful drivers in the history of American open-wheel car racing, Andretti won the 1991 CART championship, and amassed 42 race victories, the most in the CART era and fourth-most all time. Since his retirement, Andretti has owned Andretti Autosport, which has won four IndyCar Series championships and five Indianapolis 500 races. He is the son of Mario Andretti, a multi-time champion, and is the father of IndyCar Series driver Marco Andretti.

Derek Stanley Arthur Warwick is a British former professional racing driver from England, who lives in Jersey. He raced for many years in Formula One, collecting four podiums but never winning a Grand Prix. He did, however, win the 1992 24 Hours of Le Mans and 1992 World Sportscar Championship. He was the elder brother of Paul Warwick, who died racing while leading the British Formula 3000 Championship in 1991.

Teodorico Fabi is an Italian former racing driver. He competed in Formula One, IndyCar, and sports car racing. He claimed pole position in his rookie year at the 1983 Indianapolis 500. Teo is the older brother of former Formula One driver Corrado Fabi.

Alexander Georg "Alex" Wurz is an Austrian former professional racing driver, driver training expert and businessman. He competed in Formula One from 1997 until 2007, and is also a two-time winner of the Le Mans 24 Hours.

Bruno Giacomelli is a retired racing driver from Italy.

Eliseo Salazar Valenzuela is a Chilean former racing driver. As of 2024, he is the only Chilean to have participated in a Formula One World Championship. He made his Formula One debut on 15 March 1981, and ultimately contested 37 races scoring a total of three championship points. After Formula One, Salazar has participated in numerous motorsport disciplines, including the Chilean national rally championship, Formula 3000, IndyCar, and the World Sportscar Championship.

Stefan Nils Edwin Johansson is a Swedish racing driver who drove in Formula One for both Ferrari and McLaren, among other teams. Since leaving Formula One he has won the 1997 24 Hours of Le Mans and raced in a number of categories, including CART, various kinds of Sports car racing and Grand Prix Masters.

Roberto Pupo Moreno, usually known as Roberto Moreno and also as Pupo Moreno, is a Brazilian former racing driver. He participated in 75 Formula One Grands Prix, achieved 1 podium, and scored a total of 15 championship points. He raced in CART in 1986, and was Formula 3000 champion before joining Formula One full-time in 1989. He returned to CART in 1996 where he enjoyed an Indian summer in 2000 and 2001, and managed to extend his career in the series until 2008. He also raced in endurance events and GT's in Brazil, but now works as a driver coach and consultant, and although this takes up a lot of his time, he is not officially retired yet, as he appears in historic events. Away from the sport, he enjoys building light aeroplanes.

Allan McNish is a British former racing driver, commentator, and journalist from Scotland. He is a three-time winner of the 24 Hours of Le Mans, most recently in 2013, as well as a three-time winner of the American Le Mans Series, which he last won in 2007. He won the FIA World Endurance Championship in 2013. He has also been a co-commentator and pundit for BBC Formula One coverage on TV, radio and online and was team principal of the Audi Sport ABT Schaeffler Formula E team.

Jan Ellegaard Magnussen is a Danish professional racing driver and was a factory driver for General Motors until the end of the 2020 season. He has competed in Championship Auto Racing Teams (CART), NASCAR, the FIA Formula One World Championship and the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

Gary Thomas Brabham is a former professional racing driver and a convicted child sex offender from Australia.

Darren Manning is a British motor racing driver who has raced in the IRL IndyCar Series for Chip Ganassi Racing and Dreyer & Reinbold Racing.

Davy Jones is an American racing driver. He won the 1996 24 Hours of Le Mans alongside Alexander Wurz and Manuel Reuter.

Michael Robert Conway is a British professional racing driver. He lives in Sevenoaks, Kent and is currently competing in the FIA World Endurance Championship with Toyota Gazoo Racing.

The Brabham BT60 was the final series of Formula One racing cars built for the Brabham Formula One motor racing team. Designed by Sergio Rinland, they raced in the 1991 and 1992 Formula One World Championships. The car brought to a close Brabham's 30 years of construction of purpose-built racing cars, which began with Jack Brabham and Ron Tauranac and the Brabham BT1 Formula Junior design in 1961.

John Marshall Watson, is a British former racing driver and current commentator from Northern Ireland. He competed in Formula One, winning five Grands Prix and was third in the 1982 championship. He also competed in the World Sportscar Championship finishing second in the 1987 championship. After his retirement from motorsport, he became a commentator for Eurosport's coverage of Formula One from 1989 to 1996. He currently commentates on the GT World Challenge Europe and commentated on the 2022 Miami F1 Grand Prix for F1TV.

The Brabham BT59 was a Formula One racing car designed by Sergio Rinland and Hans Fouche for the Brabham team which raced in the 1990 and 1991 Formula One World Championships. It made its debut at the 1990 San Marino Grand Prix and continued until the first two races of 1991.

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Mark Blundell .

• Official Website
• MB Motorsport Website
• Mark Blundell at itv.com
• Mark 'git orf me barra' Blundell at www.planet-f1.com