Champion Motors

Champion Racing

Company type	Private
Industry	Motorsport
Founded	1994
Founder	Dave Maraj
Defunct	2008
Headquarters	Pompano Beach, Florida , United States
Area served	North America
Key people	Dave Maraj (founder)
Products	Sports car racing teams and entries

This article is about the sports car racing organization. For the 1970s NASCAR outfit, see Bill Champion (racing driver).

Champion Racing's Audi R8 competing at the 2005 Petit Le Mans.

Champion Racing was a sports car racing outfit located in Pompano Beach, Florida, USA. Established in 1994 by Trinidadian ex-rally driver Dave Maraj as the motorsport division of the Champion Motors dealership, the squad campaigned numerous Porsche and Audi models across North American road racing championships. Their notable achievements include victory at the renowned 24 Hours of Le Mans in 2005 and securing five consecutive LMP1 titles in the American Le Mans Series, initially as a privateer and later as Audi Sport North America’s factory team.

Porsche years

Champion Racing made its competitive debut at the 1993 12 Hours of Sebring, where their entry—a Porsche 911 Carrera 2 (993 chassis)—piloted by Justin Bell, Mike Peters, and Oliver Kuttner finished 21st overall and seventh in the Invitational GT category. Subsequently, Mike Peters transitioned from driving duties to managing the team.

In 1994, the team campaigned a Porsche 911 Turbo in several IMSA GT events, including endurance races such as the 24 Hours of Daytona and Sebring.

The following year, Champion joined forces with Michael Colucci Racing (MCR), expanding to a two-car operation featuring a pair of Porsche 911 GT2 vehicles—Champion running car #72 (964 chassis) and MCR with #74 (993 chassis). After missing Daytona due to a crash, drivers Hans-Joachim Stuck and Bill Adam secured second place in GTS-1 at Sebring. The #74 also earned podium finishes at both Watkins Glen and Sears Point. The team adopted a distinctive white livery adorned with colorful streaks in 1995, which became their signature design for all entries except for a special Stars & Stripes edition paying homage to the victims of the September 11 attacks using red, white, and blue hues.

In 1996, Stuck and Adam achieved Champion Racing’s inaugural major victory by winning the GTS-1 class at Sebring in the #74 Porsche.

By 1997, Champion scaled back to a single-car effort with the #74 Porsche, where Stuck, Adam, and Thierry Boutsen finished runner-up in class at the Daytona 24 Hours.

For the 1998 campaign, Champion acquired a Porsche 911 GT1 Evo and competed full-time in the United States Road Racing Championship’s GT1 division. The team won the six-hour race at Watkins Glen and claimed three additional podiums en route to securing both manufacturers’ (Porsche) and drivers’ (Boutsen) championships. They also participated in three Professional Sportscar Racing events: Boutsen, Bob Wollek, and Andy Pilgrim finished second in GT1 and third overall at Sebring; Boutsen and Wollek took first in GT1 (third overall) at Road Atlanta; and Boutsen, Wollek, and Ralf Kelleners won their class while finishing third overall during the inaugural Petit Le Mans—earning automatic qualification for the 1999 24 Hours of Le Mans.

In 1999, Champion campaigned their GT1 Porsche within the newly formed American Le Mans Series but were compelled by regulations to compete against faster prototype cars. Their best result was fourth place overall (and in class) at Sebring. Additionally, they ran a Porsche 911 GT3-R at Le Mans, finishing second in their GT category.

With no suitable class for the GT1 in 2000, Champion switched to a Lola B2K/10 chassis powered by a Porsche engine. The team entered only two ALMS events (Sebring and Sears Point), failing to finish either. They also contested the six-hour race at Watkins Glen, finishing seventh in class and twenty-first overall. Much of that year was devoted to developing this vehicle ahead of targeting a strong performance at the 2001 Daytona 24 Hours.

At Daytona in 2001, qualifying sixth showed promise; however, an oil pressure failure after seven-and-a-half hours forced retirement. The team rebounded later that year with a runner-up finish at Daytona’s season finale. In 2002, they achieved fourth place overall at Daytona before ceasing development on the Lola project—after which Oliver Kuttner’s Pegasus Racing took over running duties for the remainder of that season.

World Challenge GT with Audi

In 2000, Champion Racing teamed up with Audi to create and campaign the Audi S4 Competition in the GT division of the SCCA Speedvision World Challenge. For their inaugural season, the duo fielded two vehicles driven by the defending Touring Car champion Michael Galati and Le Mans winner Derek Bell. Bell secured 9th place in the opening event at Charlotte, while Galati finished second overall in the championship, capturing victory at Las Vegas and achieving two additional podium finishes. The 2001 season saw Galati clinch the GT drivers' title with four wins, helping Audi narrowly win the manufacturers' championship by a single point over Acura. In 2002, Galati successfully defended his championship, Bell placed seventh, and Audi finished second in the manufacturers' standings.

Champion introduced the new Audi RS6 Competition in 2003. Driver Randy Pobst consistently reached the podium in the first five races and secured victories in the final two rounds, earning both the Drivers' championship and manufacturers' title for Audi.

American Le Mans Series

2005 Petit Le Mans

Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca

Miller Motorsports Park

2001–05 (Audi R8)

Champion Racing acquired an Audi R8 in 2001 to compete in the American Le Mans Series. Over a 10-race season, the team completed eight events and achieved third-place finishes at both the 12 Hours of Sebring and Petit Le Mans, along with a runner-up result at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca. This performance earned them third place in the LMP900 class championship.

Continuing with their Audi R8 in 2002, Champion Racing completed the full American Le Mans Series schedule. The team secured second place finishes at both the 12 Hours of Sebring and Petit Le Mans, ultimately finishing as runners-up in the LMP900 class behind the factory-supported Joest Audi squad.

The 2003 season brought further achievements for Champion Racing. After opening with a second-place result at the 12 Hours of Sebring, they went on to claim four overall wins, including triumph at Petit Le Mans. The team concluded the year second in the championship standings, just seven points shy of the factory Audi team.

In 2004, with factory Audi and Panoz entries absent, Champion Racing faced its primary competition from Dyson Racing. Following a runner-up finish at the season-opening 12 Hours of Sebring, they captured seven overall victories and secured both the LMP1 team and drivers championships.

For their fifth consecutive year campaigning the Audi R8 in 2005, Champion Racing continued to contend fiercely against Dyson Racing. An overall win at the 12 Hours of Sebring was complemented by six additional victories throughout the season. Ultimately, they earned their second LMP1 team and drivers titles.

2006–08 (Audi R10)

In 2006, Champion Racing secured comprehensive factory backing from Audi, assuming the Audi Sport North America mantle from Joest Racing. The season commenced with an overall triumph at the 12 Hours of Sebring behind the wheel of the newly introduced Audi R10 TDI. Due to the R10 requiring additional refinement and testing, the squad reverted to using the Audi R8 for three events. The R10 reappeared in competition at Lime Rock Park. Throughout the season, Champion Racing dominated by winning nine out of ten races overall, effortlessly capturing both the LMP1 team and drivers championships.

The 2007 season brought increased competition from Porsche and Acura LMP2 entries. Regulatory adjustments by the ACO enabled LMP2 cars to vie for outright wins, especially on the smaller, more technical circuits featured in the ALMS calendar. Despite achieving twelve consecutive class wins, the Penske Racing Porsche RS Spyders managed to secure eight overall victories over the Audi R10s. Nonetheless, Champion Racing concluded the year by securing both LMP1 team and drivers championship titles.

In 2008, Champion Racing countered the challenge posed by LMP2 competitors. Although they missed out on victory at the 12 Hours of Sebring, the team secured ten class wins alongside seven overall victories throughout an eleven-race season. Ultimately, Champion Racing achieved their fifth consecutive LMP1 team and drivers championship crowns.

Following the conclusion of the 2008 season, Audi declared its withdrawal from full-time participation in the American Le Mans Series due to economic constraints linked to the global financial downturn. While Audi continued to enter selected ALMS events, these efforts were conducted through Joest Racing, marking the end of Champion Racing’s activities in motorsport.

24 Hours of Le Mans

Year	Entrant	No.	Car	Drivers	Class	Laps	Pos.	Class Pos.
1999	Champion Racing Dave Maraj	80	Porsche 911 GT3-R	Bernd Mayländer Dirk Müller Template:Country data FRATemplate:Namespace detect showall Bob Wollek	LMGT	292	19th	2nd
2001	Champion Racing	3	Audi R8	Template:Country data GBRTemplate:Namespace detect showall Johnny Herbert Ralf Kelleners Template:Country data BELTemplate:Namespace detect showall Didier Theys	LMP900	81	DNF	DNF
2003	Champion Racing	6	Audi R8	Template:Country data SWETemplate:Namespace detect showall Stefan Johansson Template:Country data FINTemplate:Namespace detect showall JJ Lehto Template:Country data ITATemplate:Namespace detect showall Emanuele Pirro	LMP900	372	3rd	1st
2004	ADT Champion Racing	2	Audi R8	Template:Country data FINTemplate:Namespace detect showall JJ Lehto Template:Country data ITATemplate:Namespace detect showall Emanuele Pirro Marco Werner	LMP1	368	3rd	3rd
2005	ADT Champion Racing	2	Audi R8	Frank Biela Template:Country data GBRTemplate:Namespace detect showall Allan McNish Template:Country data ITATemplate:Namespace detect showall Emanuele Pirro	LMP1	364	3rd	3rd
		3		Template:Country data DNKTemplate:Namespace detect showall Tom Kristensen Template:Country data FINTemplate:Namespace detect showall JJ Lehto Marco Werner		370	1st	1st

External links

• Official website