User:AlexisWRS/Winfield Racing School

Winfield Racing School is a racing school founded at Magny-Cours in 1964 by Bill Knight and his two sons, Mike and Richard. A second establishment opened at Circuit Paul Ricard in the early 1970s. It was the racing school of many famous drivers from the 1970s to the mid-90s such as: Alain Prost, Damon Hill, Jacques Laffite, Yvan Muller, Christian Danner, Jean Alesi, Jean-Louis Schlesser, Marcel Fässler or Olivier Panis.

Historical background
At the beginning of the 1960s, Bill Knight, an experienced sand racing driver of Jersey island and owner of a go-kart racetrack in Mallorca, visited the driving school set up by Jim Russell in 1956 in Snertterton to convince him to open a subsidiary in France. The deal was concluded and the Jim Russell School opened in 1963 at Magny-Cours. Mike Knight and Richard Knight, Bill Knight's two sons, came to help their father in the management and development of this new school.

In 1964, the Knight family stopped working with Jim Russell and decided to create their own racing school and brand. The « Winfield Motor Racing School » is born. Winfield was chosen in memory of the founders' maternal grandmother name. Lotus 18 were used to learn to drive on school’s track, but they were very unreliable. To solve this problem, Bill Knight proposed to his friend met on Jersey sand races Tico Martini to supervise the material aspect of the school.

Tico Martini, mechanic and confirmed racedriver, became the designer of Winfield’s single-seaters. The first car was born in 1967: the MW1 (for Martini - Winfield). In 1970, the MW single-seaters change their name to MK (for Martini-Knight). Tico Martini's cars have great advantages: they are solid and easy to repair. These innovative and reliable single-seaters reinforce the Winfield Racing School reputation. Tico Martini's single-seaters are a commercial success in the Formule France category (before the Formula 3 category, the Formule France is more accessible and highlights promising race drivers). In the same year, 26 Martini single-seaters leave the Winfield Racing School for several customers.

In 1963, the Shell oil company decided to sponsor the racing school and create the "Volant Shell" to support and detect tomorrow's talented drivers. While the Winfield school is still known as the "Jim Russel School", Bill Knight bought the name "Volant Shell" and provided the financing. 300 contenders for the title enrol in the first year.

In 1966, Bill Knight retired from Winfield Racing School. It’s Tico Martini, and his two sons Mike and Richard, who are taking over the responsibilities of Winfield Racing School.

In 1968, the Volant Shell reveal an excellent racedriver: Jean-Luc Salomon. Thanks to his victory, he won a single-seater in 1969 for a season in Formula France championship. In the same year, Jacques Laffite won the "Trophée Winfield", a programme created by the driving school to give a second chance to promising drivers who missed their victory at the "Volant Shell". From 1974, the Volant Shell became the "Pilote Elf", until its last edition in 1993 with the victory of Sébastien Boulet.

Winfield Racing School at Circuit Paul Ricard
In 1970, a new racetrack is created in the south of France: the Circuit Paul Ricard. In 1971, the Renault-Elf branch and Circuit Paul Ricard joined forces to create the racing school « École de pilotage Renault-Elf Circuit Paul Ricard ».

In 1973, the "Renault-Elf Circuit Paul Ricard" racing school became "Winfield Racing School", the second school after Magny-Cours, run by Simon de Lautour. In association with Renault and Elf, the "Volant Elf-Winfield" is created in 1973. At the end of each season, shoot-out sessions are organised by the racing school to determine the five best pupils. The final race winner benefits the following year of a single-seater and the full financing of a season in French Formula Renault Championship. Several famous drivers took part in this competition, which lasted until 1994: Bruno Saby, Jean Alesi, Damon Hill, Jacques Laffite, Olivier Panis, Bertrand Gachot, Stéphane Ortelli, Richard Dallest, Alain Prost…

The « Écurie Winfield » was founded in 1985. Managed by Gérard Camili (1971 Volant Elf finalist), the racing team enables the most talented pupils of the school to complete their formation, until their accession to the F3000.

Winfield Racing School nowadays
Re-launched in 2016, Winfield Racing School offers advanced driving coaching for young drivers, but also exclusive driving programmes for companies and individuals :

The F1 Driving Experience, which allows customers with no track experience to drive a truly modern Formula 1 car operated by an F1 team. A day of immersion in the world of an F1 driver, to discover all aspects of this sport and of the profession both in and out of the car.

The F4 Driving Experience, a coaching and training programme behind the wheels of a Formula 4 to learn the basics of race driving. Throughout the day, participants improve their driving skills thanks to the instructors and engineers .This programme is made for kartmen or kartwomen who want to start a single-seater racing career, or for individuals who want to experience driving a single-seater.

The racing school has also relaunched in 2018 the single-seater training and selection programmes "Volant Winfield" and "Trophée Winfield". The 2018 Volant Winfield winner Caio Collet was crowned FIA F4 French champion the same year and is member of the Renault Sport Academy since 2019. He takes part in Formula Renault Eurocup, a category that allows future Formula 1 champions to prove themselves. Théo Pourchaire, 2018 Trophée Winfield winner, is currently member of the FFSA race team and the Sauber Academy. Winner of the French Junior Formula 4 Championship in 2018 and the German Formula 4 Championship in 2019, he made his first lap in Formula 3 the following year with the ART Grand Prix team.

Winfield Racing School winners
Patrick Tambay (1971 Volant Elf winner ):

Formula 2 championship vice-champion (1975).

CanAm championship winner (1977, 1980).

9 seasons in F1 world championship (1977, 1978, 1979, 1981, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986). 2 victories and 11 podiums in his career.

Didier Pironi (1972 Volant Elf winner ):

1 victory at the 24h of Le Mans (1978).

5 seasons in F1 world championship (1978, 1979, 1980, 1981, 1982). 3 victories and 13 podiums in his career. World vice-champion in 1982.

Alain Prost (1975 Volant Elf-Winfield winner ):

13 seasons in F1 world championship (1980, 1981, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1993). 4 times F1 World Champion (1985, 1986, 1989, 1993). 51 victories and 106 podiums in his career.

Jean Alesi (1983 Volant Elf-Winfield finalist ):

2 participations at the 24h of Le Mans (1989 and 2010).

13 seasons in F1 world championship (1989 to 2001). 1 victory and 32 podiums in his career.

5 participations in DTM (2002 to 2006).

Eric Bernard (1983 Volant Elf-Winfield winner ):

French Formula Renault 2.0 championship winner (1987).

F3000 championship winner (1989).

4 seasons in F1 world championship (1989, 1990, 1991, 1994).

8 participations at the 24h of Le Mans (1995 to 2002).

Olivier Panis (1987 Volant Elf-Winfield winner ):

10 seasons in F1 world championship (1994 to 2004). 1 victory and 5 podiums in his career.

1 victory at the 12 Hours of Sebring (2011).

4 participations at the 24h of Le Mans (2008 to 2011).

Caio Collet (2018 Volant Winfield winner):

French Formula 4 championship winner (2018).

Best rookie of Formula Renault Eurocup championship (2019).

Théo Pourchaire (2018 Trophée Winfield winner) :

French Junior Formula 4 Championship winner (2018).

German Formula 4 ADAC championship winner (2019).

FIA F3 International Championship vice-champion (2020).

Related articles

 * Volant Shell
 * Volant Elf

Extern links

 * Winfield Racing School website : www.windfieldracingschool.com
 * Winfield, la renaissance : https://www.varmatin.com/auto/winfield-la-renaissance-44264
 * Le Volant Winfield passe la deuxième : https://www.nicematin.com/auto/le-volant-winfield-passe-la-deuxieme-291307
 * Formule 1 : le stage le plus fou de la planète : https://www.ledauphine.com/magazine-automobile/2019/09/26/formule-1-le-stage-le-plus-fou-de-la-planete
 * Devenez pilote de F1 le temps d’une journée : https://www.autoplus.fr/video/Formule-1-Pilotage-Stage-de-pilotage-Renault-F1-Winfield-Racing-School-Circuit-1544976.html
 * On a roulé sur le tracé du Grand Prix de France au Castellet avant le retour des F1 : https://www.varmatin.com/auto/video-on-a-roule-sur-le-trace-du-grand-prix-de-france-au-castellet-avant-le-retour-des-f1-216214
 * La formidable aventure de Tico Martini : http://www.autonewsinfo.com/2008/05/02/la-formidable-aventure-de-tico-martini-5238.html
 * L'école et les constructeurs : https://www.classic-days.fr/fr/histoire/l-ecole.php