Onyx Grand Prix

## Onyx

**Onyx Grand Prix** is a former Formula One constructor that participated in the 1989 and 1990 seasons.

## Racing history

Onyx Grand Prix began in late 1978 as **Onyx Race Engineering**, a collaboration between former colleagues Mike Earle and Greg Field. Earle had extensive experience in open-wheel racing prior to approaching Field and asking him to join him in a new venture, having run the successful Church Farm Racing team in Formula Three, Formula Two, and Formula 5000, as well as previously working with Field and driver David Purley in the LEC racing team in Formula Atlantic, F2, European Formula 5000, and occasional Formula One races. In their first step into team ownership, the pair planned to enter their own chassis in Formula 2 for the 1979 season, however the campaign was mainly unsuccessful. In 1980 and 1981, they returned to run semi-works Marches for Johnny Cecotto and Riccardo Paletti. Paletti's sponsors took him to Formula One with Osella after a competitive 1981 season. To avoid being left behind, Onyx entered a private March in 5 rounds for Spaniard Emilio de Villota, but de Villota failed to qualify for any of the races. Onyx intended to race their own car again in 1983, but this time in Formula One with a returning Paletti. Paletti was killed at the 1982 Canadian Grand Prix, which seemed to halt Onyx's growth.

At this point, co-founder Greg Field chose to leave the team and sell his part to racing enthusiast Jo Chamberlain, which appeared to be a setback for the team. March Engineering co-founder Robin Herd opted to outsource the running of the works March Formula 2 squad and asked Earle and Onyx to do so. Onyx now had a class-leading chassis, a powerful BMW engine, and the best Michelin tyres for the 1983 season, as well as capable drivers Beppe Gabbiani, Thierry Tassin, and Christian Danner. The season did not go well for the squad, who slipped behind the works Ralts. In 1984, the squad would fall further behind the Ralts and even a privately entered March. In 1985, Formula 3000 replaced F2 as the stepping-stone series to Formula One, and Onyx continued to run the works March effort, finishing third with Emanuele Pirro in 1985, then progressing even further as Pirro finished runner-up in 1986, before Onyx achieved their pinnacle when Stefano Modena was crowned 1987 Formula 3000 champion. With Modena gone to Formula One, Onyx put their eyes on reclaiming the championship with Volker Weidler, but 1988 was a severe disappointment as Weidler battled with the March 88B, finishing 15th overall. Nonetheless, after a fairly successful Formula 2 and Formula 3000 career, Earle was eager to enter Formula One and set about assembling a strong squad to compete at the pinnacle of motorsport.

Prior to entering Formula One, Paul Shakespeare purchased the bulk of the team's shares in September 1988, providing Onyx with the much-needed cash boost. Martin Dickson was hired as team manager, while Marlboro and Moneytron, a corporation founded by flamboyant Belgian Jean-Pierre Van Rossem, also provided sponsorship. Van Rossem would shortly buy out all of Shakespeare's shares, becoming the team's primary owner in a deal that would give the team a slew of issues in the future. Meanwhile, the team, now known as **Onyx Grand Prix**, had agreed to employ Ford Cosworth *DFR* V8 engines and Goodyear tyres. Alan Jenkins, a respected engineer who had previously worked for McLaren, was commissioned to develop the team's first Formula One car, which resulted in the neat-looking Onyx ORE-1. On the driving front, Earle decided for a blend of youth and experience, hiring the respected Stefan Johansson and the promising Belgian rookie Bertrand Gachot, who was actually responsible for the entry of Van Rossem and his Moneytron sponsorship. With a good business model in place, a wealth of junior formulae experience, a solid car and engine package, and a solid driver tandem, Onyx Grand Prix appeared to have a promising future in Formula One. The Moneytron sponsorship was regarded as "the most tasteless I have ever seen" by Autosport's Nigel Roebuck at the car's début in England.

## Formula One record

### Season-by-season record

 37
 1990 | ORE-1ORE-1B
 36

## Notes

1. ↑ Galpin, Darren. Onyx ORE 1-Cosworth. *The A-Z of Racing Cars*.
2. ↑ Mike Earle podcast. *motorsportmagazine.com* (9 April 2015).