Courage C41
| Industry | Motorsport |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1994 |
| Founder | Yves Courage |
| Headquarters | France |
| Products | Sports prototype racing cars (including Courage C41) |
The Courage C41 was a sports prototype racing vehicle developed by Courage Compétition in 1994, which saw international competition from 1995 through 1999. The car, designed by Paolo Catone, originally utilized a 5-litre Chevrolet V8 engine engineered by Comptech. Over time, it transitioned to a 3-litre twin-turbocharged flat-six from the Porsche 935 and later incorporated an Oldsmobile V8. In 1998, two C41 models were upgraded to the Courage C51 specification, equipped with a 3-litre twin-turbocharged Nissan VRH35Z V8, and competed in the 24 Hours of Le Mans. By 1999, the majority of C41s had been modified to the C52 standard, initially powered by a 3.5-litre twin-turbocharged Nissan VRH35L V8 before transitioning in 2000 to a 3.2-litre twin-turbocharged Peugeot A32 V6. One chassis maintained the Porsche flat-six engine and evolved into the C50, while another continued racing as a Chevrolet-powered C41 in two events. The series was eventually succeeded by the C60 in the year 2000.
Design and development
In 1994, Yves Courage commissioned the creation of the C41, designed by Paolo Catone as a World Sports Car for competition in the IMSA GT Championship. Initially, Marcel Hubert worked on a long-tail design concept; however, this was abandoned following his retirement. Catone finalized the design under budget constraints by July 1994. The C41 was constructed with a chassis combining carbon fibre and aluminium honeycomb monocoque technology, incorporating a rear shear plate that allowed compatibility with various engines. The first unit, completed in October 1994, was powered by a 5-litre Chevrolet V8 developed by Comptech, delivering approximately during its configuration for the 1995 24 Hours of Le Mans. Power transmission was managed through a 5-speed Intermotion SDC gearbox driving the rear wheels, while braking was handled by Brembo components mounted on BBS wheels. The suspension system, developed by KONI Group, featured fabricated steel double wishbones combined with pushrod-operated dampers and coil springs.
The Chevrolet V8 powered the C41 throughout the 1995 season and into early 1996 IMSA GT events; however, mid-1996 marked the introduction of alternative powerplants. Scott Schubot installed an Oldsmobile engine during that year’s competition, while Courage adopted a 3-litre twin-turbocharged flat-six from the Porsche 935 for their entry at the 1997 24 Hours of Le Mans.
By 1998, two C41 chassis were upgraded to the C51 specification for Le Mans participation—one fitted with a 3-litre twin-turbocharged Nissan VRH35Z V8 derived from a Nissan Group C prototype, and another utilizing a larger 3.5-litre variant of this engine. This development continued into the C52 model for the 1999 Le Mans event, which replaced the VRH35Z with a more advanced 3.5-litre Nissan VRH35L. Another C41 converted to C51 standards retained its Porsche flat-six engine and is also referred to as the C50. The final version appeared in 2000 when C52 models were equipped with a Sodemo-developed 3.2-litre twin-turbocharged Peugeot A32 V6 engine producing roughly . The arrival of the new Courage C60 in 2000 marked the conclusion of the C41’s competitive evolution.
1995–1996
The Courage C41 made its racing debut at the 1995 24 Hours of Le Mans with Courage Compétition entering drivers Henri Pescarolo, Franck Lagorce, and Éric Bernard. A second entry piloted by Eric van de Poele, Olivier Beretta, and Matjaz Tomlje faced disqualification due to technical non-compliance. The primary car retired after completing only 26 laps because of electrical failures.
During the 1996 IMSA GT Championship season in North America, two C41s were fielded. Wheel Works Racing entered one vehicle for the 24 Hours of Daytona with drivers Rick Sutherland, Jean-Paul Libert, Steve Fossett, and van de Poele; however, it retired after sustaining accident damage on lap 209 and was classified in 49th place. For the subsequent 12 Hours of Sebring race, van de Poele transferred to Doyle Racing while Dean Hall took his place at Wheel Works Racing. Additionally, Scott Schubot entered a privateer C41 driven by Jérôme Policand. Both teams retired due to accidents and were classified in positions 53rd and 30th respectively.
Following Sebring, Wheel Works Racing withdrew from further C41 competition, leaving Schubot as the sole competitor at the Grand Prix of Atlanta where he achieved sixth overall. At Texas World Speedway’s Exxon Superflo 500 event, Schubot crashed during practice and switched to Support Net Racing’s Hawk C-8 for the race itself. Returning to compete in a C41 powered by an Oldsmobile engine at Lime Rock Grand Prix yielded a finish of 14th overall and eleventh within class standings. Additional results included seventh place at California Grand Prix and fourteenth overall (ninth in class) at Dallas Grand Prix. At the Daytona Finale event, Schubot’s C41 experienced overheating issues before racing began; consequently, he drove for Doyle Racing instead.
1997–1998
In 1997, Courage Compétition introduced the C41 at the IMSA GT Championship during the 24 Hours of Daytona. The vehicle, piloted by Policand, Didier Cottaz, and Fredrik Ekblom, withdrew after completing just 12 laps due to engine failure, ultimately placing 80th. At the Grand Prix of Atlanta, Schubot's C41 with drivers Policand, Martin Guimont, and Jacek Mucha managed only 51 laps, finishing in last position. Gearbox complications at Lime Rock restricted Schubot and Mucha to an 11th-place finish. At the 6 Hours of Watkins Glen, mechanical difficulties caused retirement after 28 laps.
During the 1997 24 Hours of Le Mans, the C41 driven by Cottaz, Policand, and Marc Goossens achieved fourth overall and second in the LMP category after covering 336 laps. Subsequently, Courage entered the International Sports Racing Series where Policand and Cottaz secured second overall at the 1 Hour 15 Minutes of Zolder. In IMSA competitions, Mucha and Guimont finished tenth at the Mosport Festival and eighth at the Grand Prix of Las Vegas alongside Mucha and Field.
Cottaz and Policand claimed victories in both events of the non-championship 4 Hours of Le Mans, winning overall by a margin of three laps. Returning to IMSA GT events, mechanical setbacks limited Mucha and Guimont to 14th place at the Festival of Road Racing; Field and Mucha finished ninth at the 2 Hours of Sebring and concluded their season with a 14th-place result at Monterey. The International Sports Racing Series campaign ended with Cottaz and Policand triumphing at the 2 Hours of Jarama.
In 1998, Courage entered three cars derived from the C41 at Le Mans: one C41 driven by Franck Fréon, Olivier Thévenin, and Yojiro Terada finished 15th after completing 304 laps; two C51 models participated—one crewed by Cottaz, Goossens, and Jean-Philippe Belloc retired after 232 laps due to gear lever problems; the other driven by Fredrik Ekblom, Patrice Gay, and Takeshi Tsuchiya withdrew following a water leak after 126 laps. Equipe Promotion Racing campaigned a C41 in the International Sports Racing Series with Geoff Farmer and John Burton achieving tenth overall at the RAC Tourist Trophy and seventh in the SR1 category. Didier André alongside Franck Fréon drove a C41 to a fourth-place finish overall at the Coupes d'Automne.
1999–2000
Jacobs Motorsport Ltd. intended to field Mucha, Michael Jacobs, and Frank Del Vecchio in a C41 during the 1999 Lime Rock Grand Prix round of the United States Road Racing Championship; however, they did not start the event. At that year’s 24 Hours of Le Mans, three teams entered vehicles based on the C41 chassis: Pescarolo Promotion Racing Team with Gay, Pescarolo, and Michel Ferté competing in a C50; Courage Compétition with Alex Caffi, Andrea Montermini, and Domenico Schiattarella driving a C52; and Nissan Motorsports fielding Ekblom, Cottaz, and Goossens in another C52. The results saw Courage Compétition finish sixth after completing 343 laps; Nissan Motorsports placed eighth with 335 laps; Pescarolo secured ninth position after 328 laps.
In 2000, Pescarolo Sport campaigned their C52 updated with a Peugeot A32 engine in the American Le Mans Series. During their debut race in this series, drivers Emmanuel Clérico, Olivier Grouillard, and Sébastien Bourdais earned seventh place—surpassing the newly introduced Courage C60 by three positions. For that year’s 24 Hours of Le Mans, Pescarolo maintained their driver lineup and achieved fourth place overall—the highest finish among non-Audi competitors. This event marked the final significant competition appearance for any vehicle based on the Courage C41 design.