Frank Biela (born 2 August 1964 in
NeussNeuss is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is located on the west bank of the Rhine opposite Düsseldorf, and owes its success to its location at the crossing of historic and modern trade routes.- History :...
,
GermanyGermany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a country in Central Europe. It is bordered to the north by the North Sea, Denmark, and the Baltic Sea; to the east by Poland and the Czech Republic; to the south by Austria and Switzerland; and to the west by France, Luxembourg, Belgium,...
) is an
auto racingAutomobile racing is a motorsport involving racing cars. It is one of the world's most watched television sports.- The beginning of racing:...
driver, mainly competing in touring cars and sportscar racing. He has raced exclusively in cars manufactured by the
AudiAUDI AG, is a German company which produces luxury cars under the Audi brand, . It is part of the Volkswagen Group. The name Audi is based on a Latin translation of the surname of the founder August Horch, itself the German word for “listen!"Audi is headquartered in Ingolstadt, Bavaria, Germany.It...
marque since 1990.
Biela started his career in 1983 in karting before joining the
FordThe Ford Motor Company is an American multinational corporation based in Dearborn, Michigan, a suburb of Detroit. The automaker was founded by Henry Ford and incorporated on June 16, 1903. In addition to the Ford, Lincoln, and Mercury brands, Ford also owns Volvo Cars of Sweden, and a small stake...
Youngster Team programme in 1987 alongside
Manuel ReuterManuel Reuter is a former German race car driver.He has won the 24 Hours of Le Mans twice:*in 1989 24 Hours of Le Mans for Sauber-Mercedes*in 1996 24 Hours of Le Mans for Joest Racing...
and
Bernd SchneiderBernd Schneider is a retired touring car driver from Germany.-Early years:Schneider was named after legendary driver Bernd Rosemeyer, winner of the 1936 European Drivers Championship. Introduced to karting at an early age, he displayed an obvious talent for racing...
. He drove for the team in
Formula FordFormula Ford is a single seater, open wheel class in motorsport which exists in some form in many countries around the world. It is an entry-level series to motor racing, in which in the past many drivers aspired to one day reach Formula One .-History:When the formula was first established, it ran...
and the
Deutsche Tourenwagen MeisterschaftThe Deutsche Tourenwagen Meisterschaft was a touring car racing series held from 1984 to 1996. Originally based in Germany, it held additional rounds elsewhere in Europe and later worldwide....
(the German touring car championship), where he won the race at
AVUSThe Automobil-Verkehrs- und Übungs-Straße, better known as AVUS, was a motor racing circuit in the south-western districts of Berlin, Germany, between Charlottenburg and Nikolassee....
in 1987.
Frank Biela (born 2 August 1964 in
NeussNeuss is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is located on the west bank of the Rhine opposite Düsseldorf, and owes its success to its location at the crossing of historic and modern trade routes.- History :...
,
GermanyGermany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a country in Central Europe. It is bordered to the north by the North Sea, Denmark, and the Baltic Sea; to the east by Poland and the Czech Republic; to the south by Austria and Switzerland; and to the west by France, Luxembourg, Belgium,...
) is an
auto racingAutomobile racing is a motorsport involving racing cars. It is one of the world's most watched television sports.- The beginning of racing:...
driver, mainly competing in touring cars and sportscar racing. He has raced exclusively in cars manufactured by the
AudiAUDI AG, is a German company which produces luxury cars under the Audi brand, . It is part of the Volkswagen Group. The name Audi is based on a Latin translation of the surname of the founder August Horch, itself the German word for “listen!"Audi is headquartered in Ingolstadt, Bavaria, Germany.It...
marque since 1990.
Biela started his career in 1983 in karting before joining the
FordThe Ford Motor Company is an American multinational corporation based in Dearborn, Michigan, a suburb of Detroit. The automaker was founded by Henry Ford and incorporated on June 16, 1903. In addition to the Ford, Lincoln, and Mercury brands, Ford also owns Volvo Cars of Sweden, and a small stake...
Youngster Team programme in 1987 alongside
Manuel ReuterManuel Reuter is a former German race car driver.He has won the 24 Hours of Le Mans twice:*in 1989 24 Hours of Le Mans for Sauber-Mercedes*in 1996 24 Hours of Le Mans for Joest Racing...
and
Bernd SchneiderBernd Schneider is a retired touring car driver from Germany.-Early years:Schneider was named after legendary driver Bernd Rosemeyer, winner of the 1936 European Drivers Championship. Introduced to karting at an early age, he displayed an obvious talent for racing...
. He drove for the team in
Formula FordFormula Ford is a single seater, open wheel class in motorsport which exists in some form in many countries around the world. It is an entry-level series to motor racing, in which in the past many drivers aspired to one day reach Formula One .-History:When the formula was first established, it ran...
and the
Deutsche Tourenwagen MeisterschaftThe Deutsche Tourenwagen Meisterschaft was a touring car racing series held from 1984 to 1996. Originally based in Germany, it held additional rounds elsewhere in Europe and later worldwide....
(the German touring car championship), where he won the race at
AVUSThe Automobil-Verkehrs- und Übungs-Straße, better known as AVUS, was a motor racing circuit in the south-western districts of Berlin, Germany, between Charlottenburg and Nikolassee....
in 1987. Biela continued to compete in the DTM in 1988, and also raced a limited season in German Formula 3, scoring two wins.
In 1990, he moved to
AudiAUDI AG, is a German company which produces luxury cars under the Audi brand, . It is part of the Volkswagen Group. The name Audi is based on a Latin translation of the surname of the founder August Horch, itself the German word for “listen!"Audi is headquartered in Ingolstadt, Bavaria, Germany.It...
, winning the DTM race at the
NürburgringThe Nürburgring, simply known as "The Ring" by enthusiasts, is a motorsport race track in Nürburg, Germany. It was built in the 1920s around the village and medieval castle of Nürburg in the Eifel, which is about south of Cologne, and northwest of Frankfurt...
and the DTM championship in 1991 before Audi left the DTM in mid-season of 1992. Biela stayed with the company, and with the rise of the two-litre Class 2 (Super Touring) rules in other series across Europe, he was entered in various European touring car series over the following few seasons such as the French Supertourisme Championship in 1993 driving the Audi 80 (in which he won the championship in) entered by Audi into the championship pairing alongside Mark Sourd. Since his French Touring Car Championship victory in 1993, he is still the only standing non-French driver to win the French Supertourisme. In 1995, he won the Touring Car World Cup race at Paul Ricard in the new
Audi A4The Audi A4 is a compact executive car produced by the German car manufacturer Audi AG since late 1994. The initial generation A4 succeeded the four previous generations of the Audi 80...
, which quickly became one of the dominant touring cars of the mid-1990s.
During the AVUS Berlin race in September 1995, Biela's Audi struck Keith Odor's already accident-stranded Nissan Primera squarely on the driver's side, fatally injuring Odor, who died later that day in a Berlin hospital.
For 1996, Audi decided to enter a works team of two A4s in the BTCC. Biela was selected to lead the team; alongside team-mate
John BintcliffeJohn Bintcliffe is a motor racing figure. He has been involved in the British Touring Car Championship as both driver and team owner....
, the new Audi team dominated the competition. Biela comfortably won the title, finishing every single race and being classified in the top ten in all but two races (an eleventh-place finish and a disqualification). He also capped an astonishing season by taking first place in the international
MacauThe Macau Special Administrative Region , commonly known as Macau or Macao , is one of the two special administrative regions of the People's Republic of China, the other being Hong Kong...
Guía touring car race.
Because of the Audis' dominance in 1996, the BTCC organisers imposed a heavy ballast weight "penalty" on all four-wheel-drive cars for the 1997 season. With his Audi badly handicapped by the penalty, Biela initially struggled to make a serious impact. The weight penalty was halved at the midpoint of the season, and results immediately improved to the point where Biela finished second overall to eventual champion
Alain MenuAlain Menu is a Swiss racing driver. He was one of the most successful touring car drivers of the 1990s, winning the prestigious British Touring Car Championship twice . He currently races for Chevrolet in the World Touring Car Championship.- BTCC :He is the son of a farmer...
. Biela then left Britain to return to the German series for 1998, but was largely ineffective. He finished a lowly 14th in the final standings as the A4 (in a new two-wheel-drive racing configuration) became outclassed by rival manufacturers.
In 1999, Biela abandoned touring cars in favour of joining the
Audi R8The Audi R8 is a sports-prototype race car introduced in 2000 for sports car racing as a redevelopment of their Audi R8R and Audi R8C used in 1999...
sportscar project, racing under the Audi Sport Team Joest name. It was a good match, and Biela excelled in sportscar racing over the next few seasons, winning several classic events at the wheel of the R8 as well as three
ALMSAlms or almsgiving is a religious rite which, in general, involves giving materially to another as an act of religious virtue.It exists in a number of religions. In Philippine regions, alms are given as charity to benefit the poor. In Buddhism, alms are given by lay people to monks and nuns to...
races. The highlight of Biela's time with the R8 team was three successive victories (2000-2002) in the
24 Hours of Le MansThe 24 Hours of Le Mans is the world's oldest sports car race in endurance racing, held annually since near the town of Le Mans, Sarthe, France...
alongside
Emanuele PirroEmanuele Pirro is an Italian former Formula One driver and five time Le Mans 24 hour winner.- Biography :...
and
Tom KristensenTom Kristensen is a Danish racing driver. He has won many championships in auto racing but his most famous achievement is being the only person to win the prestigious 24 Hours of Le Mans eight times, six of which were consecutive...
. Audi began to scale back support for the R8 programme after the 2002 season. After winning the
ALMSAlms or almsgiving is a religious rite which, in general, involves giving materially to another as an act of religious virtue.It exists in a number of religions. In Philippine regions, alms are given as charity to benefit the poor. In Buddhism, alms are given by lay people to monks and nuns to...
series in 2003, Biela returned to the revamped German touring car series, driving an Audi for
Joest RacingJoest Racing is a racing team that was established in 1978 by former Porsche works racer Reinhold Joest. The head quarters in Wald-Michelbach, Germany....
(the team which had run Biela's R8 for his three Le Mans wins); the season was not a success.
Biela continued to race an R8 at Le Mans each year with mixed results. In
2003The 2003 24 Hours of Le Mans was the 71st Grand Prix of Endurance, and took place on June 14 and 15, 2003.-Race:After three consecutive wins, the Audi factory team officially did not field a team, although several privateers did use R8 chassis...
, he missed the pit lane after just 15 laps and ran out of fuel. He finished 5th and 3rd in
2004The 2004 24 Hours of Le Mans was the 72nd Grand Prix of Endurance, and took place on June 12 and 13, 2004.-Race:With the end of the Bentley project, there were no official factory teams at this years race, theoretically leaving it open to anyone...
and
2005The 2005 24 Hours of Le Mans was the 73rd Grand Prix of Endurance, and took place on June 18 and 19, 2005.This race marked the record 7th victory for Tom Kristensen, including his 6th straight.-Race:...
, respectively. In December 2005 he participated in the first runs of the new
Audi R10The Audi R10 TDI, usually abbreviated to R10, is a racing car from the German car manufacturer Audi. The car is by far a classic at Le Mans, winning every year since its introduction to the introduction of the new R15. It is designed and constructed for sports car racing in the Le Mans Prototype...
diesel sportscar, the R8's successor. Driving an R10 (again for Team Joest) in the
2006 24 Hours of Le MansThe 2006 24 Hours of Le Mans was the 74th Grand Prix of Endurance, and took place on June 17 and 18, 2006.-Pre-race:Prior to this race the ACO redeveloped the area around the Dunlop Curve and Dunlop Chicane, moving the Dunlop Curve in tighter to create more run-off area, while also turning the...
, alongside Pirro and new team-mate
Marco WernerMarco Werner is a professional racer from Germany.In his early career, Werner was Formula Opel vice-champion in 1990 and German F3 vice-champion in 1991 ....
, Biela took his fourth victory to date in the classic race. He repeated the victory with the same car and team in
2007The 2007 24 Hours of Le Mans was the 75th Grand Prix of Endurance, and took place at the Circuit de la Sarthe, Le Mans, France from 16–17 June 2007. Four classes of cars raced together, with each class having honors for its highest finishers...
.
His greatest achievements include winning:
- 1991 Deutsche Tourenwagen Meisterschaft
The Deutsche Tourenwagen Meisterschaft was a touring car racing series held from 1984 to 1996. Originally based in Germany, it held additional rounds elsewhere in Europe and later worldwide....
German Touring Car Championship with an Audi V8The Audi V8 is a large luxury four-door, five-seat saloon , built by Audi AG at its Neckarsulm plant in Germany from October 1988 to November 1993, as the company's range-topping flagship model...
(he has also finished 2nd and 3rd in DTM)
- 1993 French Touring Car Championship
The Championnat de France de Supertourisme was a Touring Car championship organised by the Fédération Française du Sport Automobile between 1976 and 2005....
- 1995 short-lived Touring Car World Cup one-off race
- 1996 BTCC in 1996 (finishing as runner-up the year after)
- 1996 Macau Grand Prix
The Macau Grand Prix is a motor-racing event held annually in November in the streets of Macau. It is known for being the only street circuit racing event in which both car and motorcycle races are held...
Guia RaceThe Macau Guia is an international touring car race run held during the Macau Grand Prix weekend at the Guia Circuit, Macau, China. Since 2005, it has become the final round of the World Touring Car Championship under the name FIA WTCC Race of Macau....
- 2000, 2001, 2002 24 Hours of Le Mans
The 24 Hours of Le Mans is the world's oldest sports car race in endurance racing, held annually since near the town of Le Mans, Sarthe, France...
with an Audi R8The Audi R8 is a sports-prototype race car introduced in 2000 for sports car racing as a redevelopment of their Audi R8R and Audi R8C used in 1999...
- 2006
The 2006 24 Hours of Le Mans was the 74th Grand Prix of Endurance, and took place on June 17 and 18, 2006.-Pre-race:Prior to this race the ACO redeveloped the area around the Dunlop Curve and Dunlop Chicane, moving the Dunlop Curve in tighter to create more run-off area, while also turning the...
, 2007 24 Hours of Le MansThe 2007 24 Hours of Le Mans was the 75th Grand Prix of Endurance, and took place at the Circuit de la Sarthe, Le Mans, France from 16–17 June 2007. Four classes of cars raced together, with each class having honors for its highest finishers...
with an Audi R10The Audi R10 TDI, usually abbreviated to R10, is a racing car from the German car manufacturer Audi. The car is by far a classic at Le Mans, winning every year since its introduction to the introduction of the new R15. It is designed and constructed for sports car racing in the Le Mans Prototype...
Complete 24 Hours of Le Mans results
| Year |
Result |
Team |
Car |
Class |
| 1999 The 1999 24 Hours of Le Mans was the 67th Grand Prix of Endurance, and took place on June 12 and 13, 1999.-Pre-race:1999 saw another increase in manufacturers involvement. Although Porsche did not send a team to contest, Toyota retained their three updated GT-Ones, now moved to the LMGTP class due...
|
3 |
Audi AUDI AG, is a German company which produces luxury cars under the Audi brand, . It is part of the Volkswagen Group. The name Audi is based on a Latin translation of the surname of the founder August Horch, itself the German word for “listen!"Audi is headquartered in Ingolstadt, Bavaria, Germany.It...
Sport Team JoestJoest Racing is a racing team that was established in 1978 by former Porsche works racer Reinhold Joest. The head quarters in Wald-Michelbach, Germany....
|
Audi R8R The Audi R8R was a Le Mans Prototype built by Audi for the 1999 24 Hours of Le Mans, and a predecessor to the dominant Audi R8 which debuted in 2000. It was raced alongside the British built closed-cockpit Audi R8C.-Development:...
|
LMP |
| 2000 The 2000 24 Hours of Le Mans was the 68th Grand Prix of Endurance, and took place on June 17 and 18, 2000.-Pre-race:After the 1999 race, most of the manufacturers in the top classes went in different directions. BMW and Toyota went into Formula One, while Mercedes-Benz left sportscars after the CLR...
|
1 |
Audi AUDI AG, is a German company which produces luxury cars under the Audi brand, . It is part of the Volkswagen Group. The name Audi is based on a Latin translation of the surname of the founder August Horch, itself the German word for “listen!"Audi is headquartered in Ingolstadt, Bavaria, Germany.It...
Sport Team JoestJoest Racing is a racing team that was established in 1978 by former Porsche works racer Reinhold Joest. The head quarters in Wald-Michelbach, Germany....
|
Audi R8The Audi R8 is a sports-prototype race car introduced in 2000 for sports car racing as a redevelopment of their Audi R8R and Audi R8C used in 1999...
|
LMP900 |
| 2001 The 2001 24 Hours of Le Mans was the 69th Grand Prix of Endurance, and took place on June 16 and 17, 2001.On recommendation of the FIA following the incidents involving the Mercedes-Benz CLRs in 1999, the large hill on the third section of the Mulsanne straight was lowered in order to decrease the...
|
1 |
Audi AUDI AG, is a German company which produces luxury cars under the Audi brand, . It is part of the Volkswagen Group. The name Audi is based on a Latin translation of the surname of the founder August Horch, itself the German word for “listen!"Audi is headquartered in Ingolstadt, Bavaria, Germany.It...
Sport Team JoestJoest Racing is a racing team that was established in 1978 by former Porsche works racer Reinhold Joest. The head quarters in Wald-Michelbach, Germany....
|
Audi R8The Audi R8 is a sports-prototype race car introduced in 2000 for sports car racing as a redevelopment of their Audi R8R and Audi R8C used in 1999...
|
LMP900 |
| 2002 The 2002 24 Hours of Le Mans was the 70th Grand Prix of Endurance, and took place on June 15 and 16, 2002.-Pre-race:Following a reconstruction of the Bugatti Circuit, the Le Mans circuit was changed between the Dunlop bridge and Esses, with the straight now becoming a set of fast sweeping turns...
|
1 |
Audi AUDI AG, is a German company which produces luxury cars under the Audi brand, . It is part of the Volkswagen Group. The name Audi is based on a Latin translation of the surname of the founder August Horch, itself the German word for “listen!"Audi is headquartered in Ingolstadt, Bavaria, Germany.It...
Sport Team JoestJoest Racing is a racing team that was established in 1978 by former Porsche works racer Reinhold Joest. The head quarters in Wald-Michelbach, Germany....
|
Audi R8The Audi R8 is a sports-prototype race car introduced in 2000 for sports car racing as a redevelopment of their Audi R8R and Audi R8C used in 1999...
|
LMP900 |
| 2003 The 2003 24 Hours of Le Mans was the 71st Grand Prix of Endurance, and took place on June 14 and 15, 2003.-Race:After three consecutive wins, the Audi factory team officially did not field a team, although several privateers did use R8 chassis...
|
Ret |
Audi AUDI AG, is a German company which produces luxury cars under the Audi brand, . It is part of the Volkswagen Group. The name Audi is based on a Latin translation of the surname of the founder August Horch, itself the German word for “listen!"Audi is headquartered in Ingolstadt, Bavaria, Germany.It...
Sport UK / Arena MotorsportArena International Motorsport is a British motor racing team founded by Mike Earle. Mike originally ran the Onyx Formula 1 team from the same base in Littlehampton, before selling the team....
|
Audi R8The Audi R8 is a sports-prototype race car introduced in 2000 for sports car racing as a redevelopment of their Audi R8R and Audi R8C used in 1999...
|
LMP900 |
| 2004 The 2004 24 Hours of Le Mans was the 72nd Grand Prix of Endurance, and took place on June 12 and 13, 2004.-Race:With the end of the Bentley project, there were no official factory teams at this years race, theoretically leaving it open to anyone...
|
5 |
Audi AUDI AG, is a German company which produces luxury cars under the Audi brand, . It is part of the Volkswagen Group. The name Audi is based on a Latin translation of the surname of the founder August Horch, itself the German word for “listen!"Audi is headquartered in Ingolstadt, Bavaria, Germany.It...
Sport UK Team Veloqx |
Audi R8The Audi R8 is a sports-prototype race car introduced in 2000 for sports car racing as a redevelopment of their Audi R8R and Audi R8C used in 1999...
|
LMP1 |
| 2005 The 2005 24 Hours of Le Mans was the 73rd Grand Prix of Endurance, and took place on June 18 and 19, 2005.This race marked the record 7th victory for Tom Kristensen, including his 6th straight.-Race:...
|
3 |
ADT ADT Security Services, originally American District Telegraph now also known as ADT Fire and Security or simply ADT, is a division of Tyco International and a worldwide supplier of electronic security systems, fire alarm systems, communication systems, and integrated building management...
Champion RacingChampion Racing is a sports car racing team based in Pompano Beach, Florida, USA. Founded in 1994 by Dave Maraj as the motorsport wing of the Champion Motors car dealership, the team has campaigned various Porsches and Audis in North American road racing series...
|
Audi R8The Audi R8 is a sports-prototype race car introduced in 2000 for sports car racing as a redevelopment of their Audi R8R and Audi R8C used in 1999...
|
LMP1 |
| 2006 The 2006 24 Hours of Le Mans was the 74th Grand Prix of Endurance, and took place on June 17 and 18, 2006.-Pre-race:Prior to this race the ACO redeveloped the area around the Dunlop Curve and Dunlop Chicane, moving the Dunlop Curve in tighter to create more run-off area, while also turning the...
|
1 |
Audi AUDI AG, is a German company which produces luxury cars under the Audi brand, . It is part of the Volkswagen Group. The name Audi is based on a Latin translation of the surname of the founder August Horch, itself the German word for “listen!"Audi is headquartered in Ingolstadt, Bavaria, Germany.It...
Sport Team JoestJoest Racing is a racing team that was established in 1978 by former Porsche works racer Reinhold Joest. The head quarters in Wald-Michelbach, Germany....
|
Audi R10The Audi R10 TDI, usually abbreviated to R10, is a racing car from the German car manufacturer Audi. The car is by far a classic at Le Mans, winning every year since its introduction to the introduction of the new R15. It is designed and constructed for sports car racing in the Le Mans Prototype...
|
LMP1 |
| 2007 The 2007 24 Hours of Le Mans was the 75th Grand Prix of Endurance, and took place at the Circuit de la Sarthe, Le Mans, France from 16–17 June 2007. Four classes of cars raced together, with each class having honors for its highest finishers...
|
1 |
Audi AUDI AG, is a German company which produces luxury cars under the Audi brand, . It is part of the Volkswagen Group. The name Audi is based on a Latin translation of the surname of the founder August Horch, itself the German word for “listen!"Audi is headquartered in Ingolstadt, Bavaria, Germany.It...
Sport North America |
Audi R10The Audi R10 TDI, usually abbreviated to R10, is a racing car from the German car manufacturer Audi. The car is by far a classic at Le Mans, winning every year since its introduction to the introduction of the new R15. It is designed and constructed for sports car racing in the Le Mans Prototype...
|
LMP1 |
2008The 2008 24 Hours of Le Mans was the 76th Grand Prix of Endurance, taking place on 14–15 June 2008 at the Circuit de la Sarthe, Le Mans, France, organised by the Automobile Club de l'Ouest . The test day was on June 1st. The race was attended by 258,000 spectators...
|
6 |
Audi AUDI AG, is a German company which produces luxury cars under the Audi brand, . It is part of the Volkswagen Group. The name Audi is based on a Latin translation of the surname of the founder August Horch, itself the German word for “listen!"Audi is headquartered in Ingolstadt, Bavaria, Germany.It...
Sport North America |
Audi R10The Audi R10 TDI, usually abbreviated to R10, is a racing car from the German car manufacturer Audi. The car is by far a classic at Le Mans, winning every year since its introduction to the introduction of the new R15. It is designed and constructed for sports car racing in the Le Mans Prototype...
|
LMP1 |
External links