Alan Mann Racing

Alan Mann Racing was a British motor racing team. It was organized by Alan Mann, born in 1936, who was a part-time racing driver and team manager. The team ran a substantial part of the Ford works racing effort in Europe from 1964 to 1969, when it closed its doors. It was based in Byfleet, Surrey, in the shadow of the Brooklands banking.

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Description

He ran Ford Zephyrs and Anglias in 1962 under the entrant of Andrews Garage in British saloon car races.

In 1963 he prepared a Ford Cortina GT under Alan Andrews Racing for Henry Taylor in racing and rallying in a quasi-Ford Team.

His team was included to run a Ford Cortina GT in the 3rd running of the Marlboro 12 hour, at Marlboro Motor Raceway, US, in August 1963 with the express purpose of winning its class, as Volvo was reaping publicity from a string of victories. His Cortina driven by Henry Taylor and Jimmy Blumer came second to another Cortina of John Willment Automobiles driven by Jack Sears and Bob Olthoff, which won the race overall.[1]

This made an impression on John Holman of Holman & Moody, Ford's top racing team in the US, who had already sold Willment a Ford Galaxie and this subsequently attracted more of Ford’s attention.

For 1964 Alan Mann Racing became a top Ford Factory Team with the distinctive racing livery of Red and Gold.

The team ran cars in events as diverse as the Monte Carlo Rally and Tour de France to Le Mans and the World GT Championship, which they won in 1965 with Carroll Shelby and the Daytona Coupe Cobra.

The iconic red and gold livery graced cars from Mk1 Escorts and Cortinas to Lightweight GT40s and the F3L prototype.

Some of the best drivers of the period from Graham Hill and Sir Jackie Stewart to Sir John Whitmore and Frank Gardner raced for the team, which achieved substantial successes in many different forms of the sport.

Major wins of the 1960s

The team was resurrected in 2004 by Alan Mann, and is active in historic racing.

References

  1. ^ Competition Press, Vol.11-No.4, August 31, 1963, Page 4.

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