Alex Buncombe
Alex Buncombe (born 28 August 1981 in Taunton, England) is a British racing driver, recently left RJN Motorsport after the Blancpain Endurance Series. He is a part of the Nismo Global Driver Exchange, working with Nissan and RJN Motorsport to provide graduates of the GT Academy program with guidance and helping them to develop their motor racing skills. He is the brother of Chris Buncombe.
| Alex Buncombe | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Nationality |  British |
| Born | 28 August 1981 (age 39) Taunton, England |
Career
Buncombe competed in the British Formula Renault Championship from 2001 to 2003, finishing fifth in the 2003 Winter Series.[1] He took part in his first GT race in 2005, competing in the Trofeo Maserati. He won his first race in the series, at Monza, by thirty-five seconds.[2] From 2007 to 2011, Buncombe competed in the GT4 European Series for RJN Motorsport. He finished third in 2007 before finishing as runner-up in 2008 and 2009. He continued to drive in the series until 2011. In total he scored five pole positions and ten wins.[1][3]
Buncombe has competed in the Blancpain Endurance Series since 2011, winning the GT4 Cup class that season along with Jordan Tresson and Christopher Ward. The GT4 Cup class was removed from the series the following year and Buncombe moved into the GT3 Pro-Am Cup class. Buncombe has scored two wins and recorded a best season finish of fourth in 2013.[1]
Buncombe has taken part in various endurance races since 2008, including the Bathurst 12 Hour and the Dubai, Nürburgring, Silverstone and Spa 24 hour races.[1][4][5]
Australia
Buncombe competed in the 2014 Bathurst 12 Hour as part of the Nismo Global Driver Exchange, driving a Nissan GT-R Nismo GT3 with Katsumasa Chiyo, Rick Kelly and Wolfgang Reip. Chiyo was involved in a crash in the early stages of the race, ending the team's chances after 58 laps.[6] Buncombe was scheduled to return to the race for 2015, but was forced to withdraw due to the impending birth of his first child.[7]
Following the 2014 Bathurst 12 Hour, Buncombe joined Nissan's V8 Supercar team as a co-driver for Todd Kelly in the 2014 Endurance Cup. The pair finished twentieth at the Sandown 500 before recording a creditable seventh-place finish at the Bathurst 1000.[8][9]
Racing record
Career summary
| Season | Series | Team | Races | Wins | Poles | FLaps | Podiums | Points | Position |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | Formula Renault UK | Aztec International | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 54 | 23rd |
| 2002 | Formula Renault UK | Saxon International | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 13 | 29th |
| 2003 | Formula Renault UK (Winter Series) | Falcon Motorsport | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 44 | 5th |
| 2007 | GT4 European Cup | RJN Motorsport | 4 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 36 | 3rd |
| 2008 | GT4 European Cup | RJN Motorsport | 12 | 5 | 3 | 6 | 9 | 88 | 2nd |
| 2009 | GT4 European Cup | RJN Motorsport | 12 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 6 | 57 | 2nd |
| 2010 | GT4 European Cup | RJN Motorsport | 8 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 21 | 7th |
| 2011 | Britcar 24-Hours | RJN Motorsport | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | DNF |
| 2011 | Blancpain Endurance Series (GT4 Cup) | RJN Motorsport | 5 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 116 | 1st |
| 2012 | British GT Championship (GT3) | RJN Motorsport | 10 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 108.5 | 6th |
| 2012 | Blancpain Endurance Series (GT3 Pro-Am Cup) | RJN Motorsport | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | NC |
| 2013 | Blancpain Endurance Series (GT3 Pro-Am Cup) | RJN Motorsport | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 53 | 4th |
| 2013 | FIA GT Series (Pro-Am) | RJN Motorsport | 10 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 70 | 7th |
| 2014 | British GT Championship (GT3) | RJN Motorsport | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 33rd |
| 2014 | Blancpain Endurance Series (GT3 Pro-Am Cup) | RJN Motorsport | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 38 | 8th |
| 2014 | International V8 Supercars Championship | Nissan Motorsport | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 330 | 41st |
| 2015 | Blancpain Endurance Series (GT3 Pro Cup) | RJN Motorsport | 5 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 62 | 1st |
Complete FIA GT Series results
| Year | Team | Car | Class | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | Pos. | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | RJN Motorsport | Nissan GT-R Nismo GT3 | Pro-Am | NOG QR 19 |
NOG CR 7 |
ZOL QR 18 |
ZOL CR Ret |
ZAN QR 13 |
ZAN QR 8 |
SVK QR 12 |
SVK CR 8 |
NAV QR 13 |
NAV CR 11 |
BAK QR |
BAK CR |
7th | 70 |
Complete Blancpain GT Series Sprint Cup results
| Year | Team | Car | Class | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | Pos. | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | Nissan GT Academy Team RJN | Nissan GT-R Nismo GT3 | Pro | MIS QR 17 |
MIS CR 14 |
BRH QR 21 |
BRH CR 18 |
NÜR QR 16 |
NÜR CR 14 |
HUN QR 20 |
HUN CR 18 |
CAT QR 9 |
CAT CR 11 |
NC | 0 |
Complete British GT Championship results
| Year | Team | Car | Class | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | DC | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | RJN Motorsport | Nissan GT-R Nismo GT3 | GT3 | OUL 1 5 |
OUL 2 11 |
NUR 1 3 |
NUR 2 5 |
ROC 1 5 |
BRH 1 1 |
SNE 1 Ret |
SNE 2 3 |
SIL 1 8 |
DON 1 16 |
6th | 108.5 |
| 2014 | RJN Motorsport | Nissan GT-R Nismo GT3 | GT3 | OUL 1 9 |
OUL 2 13 |
ROC 1 13 |
SIL 1 7 |
SNE 1 |
SNE 2 |
SPA 1 |
SPA 2 |
BRH 1 |
DON 1 |
33rd | 11 |
24 Hours of Le Mans results
| Year | Team | Co-Drivers | Car | Class | Laps | Pos. | Class Pos. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 |  Nissan Motorsports |
Harry Tincknell Michael Krumm |
Nissan GT-R LM Nismo | LMP1 | 242 | NC | NC |
Supercar results
| Year | Team | Car | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 | 32 | 33 | 34 | 35 | 36 | 37 | 38 | Final Pos | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | Nissan Motorsport | Nissan Altima | ADE R1 |
ADE R2 |
ADE R3 |
SYM R4 |
SYM R5 |
SYM R6 |
WIN R7 |
WIN R8 |
WIN R9 |
PUK R10 |
PUK R11 |
PUK R12 |
PUK R13 |
BAR R14 |
BAR R15 |
BAR R16 |
HID R17 |
HID R18 |
HID R19 |
TOW R20 |
TOW R21 |
TOW R22 |
QLD R23 |
QLD R24 |
QLD R25 |
SMP R26 |
SMP R27 |
SMP R28 |
SAN R29 20 |
BAT R30 7 |
SUR R31 Ret |
SUR R32 19 |
PHI R33 |
PHI R34 |
PHI R35 |
SYD R36 |
SYD R37 |
SYD R38 |
41st | 330 |
| 2015 | Nissan Motorsport | Nissan Altima | ADE R1 |
ADE R2 |
ADE R3 |
SYM R4 |
SYM R5 |
SYM R6 |
BAR R7 |
BAR R8 |
BAR R9 |
WIN R10 |
WIN R11 |
WIN R12 |
HID R13 |
HID R14 |
HID R15 |
TOW R16 |
TOW R17 |
QLD R18 |
QLD R19 |
QLD R20 |
SMP R21 |
SMP R22 |
SMP R23 |
SAN R24 24 |
BAT R25 20 |
SUR R26 13 |
SUR R27 17 |
PUK R28 |
PUK R29 |
PUK R30 |
PHI R31 |
PHI R32 |
PHI R33 |
SYD R34 |
SYD R35 |
SYD R36 |
47th | 276 | ||
Bathurst 1000 results
| Year | Team | Car | Co-driver | Position | Laps |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | Nissan Motorsport | Nissan Altima L33 | .svg.png.webp){kind=small} Todd Kelly |
7th | 161 |
| 2015 | Nissan Motorsport | Nissan Altima L33 | Todd Kelly |
20th | 156 |
Britcar 24 Hour results
| Year | Team | Co-Drivers | Car | Car No. | Class | Laps | Pos. | Class Pos. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | RJN Motorsport |
Owen Mildenhall Anthony Reid Kurt Thiim |
Nissan 350Z | 40 | GTC | 50 | 23rd | 8th |
| 2011 | RJN Motorsport |
Jann Mardenborough Christopher Ward Bryan Heitkotter |
Nissan 370Z | 31 | 2 | 50 | DNF | DNF |
References
- "Alex Buncombe". Driver Database. Retrieved 20 February 2015.
- "Alex Buncombe: Nissan's Secret Weapon". NissanNews.com. 12 October 2012. Retrieved 20 February 2015.
- "RJN Motorsport". Avon GT4 Trophy. Retrieved 20 February 2015.
- Meaden, Richard (8 October 2010). "Britcar 24 Hours race review". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 20 February 2015.
- "Nissan Shuffles the Pack for Spa 24 Hours". DailySportsCar.com. 7 July 2014. Retrieved 20 February 2015.
- "Lowndes holds on in Bathurst thriller". Speedcafe. 9 February 2014. Retrieved 20 February 2015.
- "Florian Strauss to replace Alex Buncombe for Nissan at 2015 Bathurst 12 Hour". Nissan Global. 3 February 2015. Archived from the original on 15 February 2015. Retrieved 20 February 2015.
- "Whincup/Dumbrell take commanding Sandown win". Speedcafe. 14 September 2014. Retrieved 20 February 2015.
- "Mostert/Morris win eight-hour Bathurst thriller". Speedcafe. 12 October 2014. Retrieved 20 February 2015.
| Sporting positions | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Laurens Vanthoor |
Blancpain Endurance Series Champion 2015 With: Katsumasa Chiyo and Wolfgang Reip |
Succeeded by Rob Bell Côme Ledogar |