Sauber C8
Encyclopedia
The Sauber C8 was a Group C
prototype
race car introduced in 1985 for the 24 Hours of Le Mans
as the first in a partnership between Sauber
and Mercedes-Benz
.
Mercedes decided not to put forth the money for a full effort on their own until they had time to develop the production-based M117 5.0L Turbocharged V8. Therefore, Mercedes turned to Sauber to create a chassis for them and initially to run the team before Mercedes took on a larger role. Sauber chose to evolve the previous C7
prototype for the C8, although modifications were needed to house the larger V8 instead of the C7's previous Inline-6.
In its debut at the 1985 24 Hours of Le Mans
, Sauber was able to qualify 17th. However, the car suffered an accident later in the race week that caused enough damage that the car was not able to participate in the race. The team promised to appear at a few more races in the World Sportscar Championship
season, but never showed.
For 1986, the team became known as Kouros Racing Team, and the C8 was entered in the full season of the 1986 World Sportscar Championship season
. For the first two races the C8 showed promise, with an 8th and a 9th. However later in the season two C8s were entered in the 1986 24 Hours of Le Mans
where unfortunately neither car was able to finish. For the 1000km of Nürburgring
, the team was able to achieve its first victory with drivers Henri Pescarolo
and Mike Thackwell
, made all the more important by being won in front of the Mercedes-Benz
executives in attendance. With this victory the Kouros Racing Team was able to end the season 5th in the teams championship.
In 1987, the Kouros team switched to the newer Sauber C9, while C8 chassis #2 was sold to privateer French team Noël del Bello, which entered the 1987 24 Hours of Le Mans
and 1000km of Nürburgring
, but failed to finish either race. Noël del Bello continued into 1988, but failed to finish any of the races it entered again.
Group C
Group C was a category of motorsport, introduced by the FIA in 1982 for sports car racing, along with Group A for touring cars and Group B for GTs....
prototype
Prototype
A prototype is an early sample or model built to test a concept or process or to act as a thing to be replicated or learned from.The word prototype derives from the Greek πρωτότυπον , "primitive form", neutral of πρωτότυπος , "original, primitive", from πρῶτος , "first" and τύπος ,...
race car introduced in 1985 for the 24 Hours of Le Mans
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, France. Commonly known as the Grand Prix of Endurance and Efficiency, race teams have to balance speed against the cars' ability to run for 24 hours without sustaining...
as the first in a partnership between Sauber
Sauber
Sauber F1 Team is a Swiss Formula One team. It was founded in the 1970s by Peter Sauber, who progressed through hillclimbing and the World Sportscar Championship to reach Formula One in 1993....
and Mercedes-Benz
Mercedes-Benz
Mercedes-Benz is a German manufacturer of automobiles, buses, coaches, and trucks. Mercedes-Benz is a division of its parent company, Daimler AG...
.
Mercedes decided not to put forth the money for a full effort on their own until they had time to develop the production-based M117 5.0L Turbocharged V8. Therefore, Mercedes turned to Sauber to create a chassis for them and initially to run the team before Mercedes took on a larger role. Sauber chose to evolve the previous C7
Sauber C7
The Sauber C7 was a Group C prototype race car built by Swiss manufacturer Sauber for competition in the World Sportscar Championship.Meant to replace Sauber's previous effort, the SHS C6, the C7 would continue Sauber's initial failed development of the BMW M88 3.5L I6 engine in the SHS C6...
prototype for the C8, although modifications were needed to house the larger V8 instead of the C7's previous Inline-6.
In its debut at the 1985 24 Hours of Le Mans
1985 24 Hours of Le Mans
The 1985 24 Hours of Le Mans was the 53rd Grand Prix of Endurance as well as the fourth round of the 1985 World Endurance Championship. It took place at the Circuit de la Sarthe, France, on June 15 and 16 1985....
, Sauber was able to qualify 17th. However, the car suffered an accident later in the race week that caused enough damage that the car was not able to participate in the race. The team promised to appear at a few more races in the World Sportscar Championship
World Sportscar Championship
The World Sportscar Championship was the world series run for sports car racing by the FIA from 1953 to 1992.The championship evolved from a small collection of the most important sportscar, endurance and road racing events in Europe and North America with dozens of gentleman drivers at the grid,...
season, but never showed.
For 1986, the team became known as Kouros Racing Team, and the C8 was entered in the full season of the 1986 World Sportscar Championship season
1986 World Sportscar Championship season
The 1986 World Sports-Prototype Championship season was the 34th FIA World Sportscar Championship season. It was a series running under the Group C formula, running cars in two classes known as C1 and C2. An invitational GTP class was also run for IMSA-spec cars...
. For the first two races the C8 showed promise, with an 8th and a 9th. However later in the season two C8s were entered in the 1986 24 Hours of Le Mans
1986 24 Hours of Le Mans
The 1986 24 Hours of Le Mans was the 54th Grand Prix of Endurance as well as the third round of the 1986 World Sports-Prototype Championship. It took place on May 31 and June 1, 1986.-Pre-race:...
where unfortunately neither car was able to finish. For the 1000km of Nürburgring
1000km Nürburgring
The ADAC 1000 km Nürburgring is an endurance race for sports cars held on the Nürburgring in Germany and organized by the ADAC since 1953.- History :...
, the team was able to achieve its first victory with drivers Henri Pescarolo
Henri Pescarolo
Henri Pescarolo is a former racing driver from France. He participated in 64 Formula One World Championship Grands Prix, debuting on 22 September 1968. He achieved one podium, and scored a total of 12 championship points...
and Mike Thackwell
Mike Thackwell
Michael Thackwell is a former racing driver, who competed in a number of prominent racing categories, including Formula One. The second youngest driver ever to qualify for a Grand Prix, he participated in five of them, making his first start on 28 September 1980 at the Canadian Grand Prix. He...
, made all the more important by being won in front of the Mercedes-Benz
Mercedes-Benz
Mercedes-Benz is a German manufacturer of automobiles, buses, coaches, and trucks. Mercedes-Benz is a division of its parent company, Daimler AG...
executives in attendance. With this victory the Kouros Racing Team was able to end the season 5th in the teams championship.
In 1987, the Kouros team switched to the newer Sauber C9, while C8 chassis #2 was sold to privateer French team Noël del Bello, which entered the 1987 24 Hours of Le Mans
1987 24 Hours of Le Mans
The 1987 24 Hours of Le Mans was the 55th Grand Prix of Endurance, and took place on June 13 and 14 1987. It was also the fifth round of the 1987 World Sports-Prototype Championship.-Track alterations:...
and 1000km of Nürburgring
1000km Nürburgring
The ADAC 1000 km Nürburgring is an endurance race for sports cars held on the Nürburgring in Germany and organized by the ADAC since 1953.- History :...
, but failed to finish either race. Noël del Bello continued into 1988, but failed to finish any of the races it entered again.