Lukoil Racing
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Motorsport |
| Founded | 1997 |
| Founder | Lukoil |
| Headquarters | Russia |
Area served | Russia, Europe |
| Products | Motorsport team management, driver development, engineering and technical support |
| Owner | Lukoil |
Lukoil Racing stands as Russia's premier motorsport entity, excelling in areas such as team management, driver advancement, engineering solutions, and technical assistance. The organization consistently engages in vehicle enhancement, rigorous testing, and race preparation to sustain a leading position across multiple racing championships.
Russian competitions
Established in 1997 with the goal of participating in Russian Formula 3 and Tourism-1600 events, Lukoil Racing rapidly emerged as a powerhouse within the Russian motorsport scene, characterized by European-level professionalism and sponsorship from Lukoil. Throughout its involvement, the team clinched five out of six team championships in Russian F3 and six out of seven in Supertourism.
In 2003, the team introduced a junior squad to compete in Formula RUS, achieving three consecutive championship victories before withdrawing from the series in 2005.
That same year, Lukoil Racing secured both driver and team titles in the Finnish Formula 3 Championship. Within Touring Car competitions, the team participated in the Honda Civic Cup, capturing both titles for three straight seasons. Returning to Russian Formula 1600 alongside ArtLine in 2004, they won three back-to-back team championships and one drivers’ title.
Starting from 2008, Lukoil concentrated solely on the RTCC Touring-Light division with backing from Ford Russia. This period saw them winning both drivers' and team championships for four consecutive years. After selling their Touring-Light vehicles in 2011, Lukoil Racing progressed to the RTCC Touring class with official support from Lada Sport.
2009-2011
In 2009, driver Aleksey Dudukalo represented Lukoil Racing in the SEAT León Eurocup under Sunred Engineering. Upon completion of that series, Lukoil extended their support to Dudukalo and Sunred during the 2011 WTCC season.
2012
On January 18th, Lukoil declared its entry into the 2012 WTCC season, launching an independent team featuring drivers Gabriele Tarquini and Aleksey Dudukalo. Tarquini achieved one race victory and placed fourth overall, while the team earned the Yokohama Teams' Trophy.
2013
For the 2013 season, Lukoil Racing became a manufacturer-backed outfit under Lada Sport. James Thompson assumed the lead driver position for Lada, whereas Dudukalo was substituted by Mikhail Kozlovskiy after sustaining an injury during Round 1 qualifying.
Formula 3000
At the close of 1998, Lukoil Racing entered the International Formula 3000 Championship with drivers Alberto Pedemonte and Viktor Maslov. Missing the registration deadline for 1999, Lukoil acquired Christian Horner’s Arden International team and rebranded it as Lukoil Arden Racing, competing also within the Italian Formula 3000 circuit. After failing to score points during the 1999 season, the squad was renamed Arden Team Russia, replacing all Lukoil branding with РОССИЯ (Russia). Midway through 2001, Arden was sold back to Horner.
Drivers support program
In 2003, Lukoil Racing initiated a Drivers support initiative aimed at fostering Russian talent on an international scale, serving as a counterpart to the Red Bull Junior Team. This program began with backing for Mikhail Aleshin in the Formula Renault 2000 Eurocup as well as emerging drivers in Formula RUS. Initially operating its own Formula Renault 2000 outfit, Lukoil later transitioned into sponsorship roles and occasionally partnered drivers such as Aleshin and Kvyat with Red Bull Junior Team affiliations. From 2006 onward, this support extended to promising racers from Ukraine, Finland, and Sweden, encompassing both newcomers and seasoned competitors.