Team Goh

Team Goh Motorsports is a Japanese auto racing team founded by Kazumichi Goh in 1996. Initially competing in the All-Japan Grand Touring Car Championship (JGTC), Team Goh won the 1996 championship with a McLaren F1 GTR and drivers John Nielsen and David Brabham. The team next set its sights on the 24 Hours of Le Mans, initially entering the McLaren in 1997, then a former works BMW V12 LM in 1999, and a pair of Panoz LMP-1s in 2000.

Team Goh's Audi R8 which won the 2004 24 Hours of Le Mans
Team Goh
Founded1996
Team principal(s)Kazumichi Goh
Current seriesIndyCar Series
Former seriesJGTC
Super GT
FIA GT
FIA Sportscar
Le Mans Series
Teams'
Championships
1 (JGTC 1996)
Drivers'
Championships
1 (JGTC 1996)

In 2001, Team Goh partnered with the Danish Den Blå Avis team, running a Dome-Judd in the FIA Sportscar Championship, earning two wins and finishing second in the championship. The following year, Kazumichi Goh purchased an Audi R8, as part of a three-year program at Le Mans. The team finished in seventh in 2002 and fourth in 2003. Goh also participated in the 1000 km of Spa and 1000 km of Le Mans, winning both events with drivers Seiji Ara and Tom Kristensen.

In 2004, Goh entered the new Le Mans Endurance Series with their R8, finishing the season third in the championship. At the 24 Hours of Le Mans, Goh drivers Ara and Kristensen were joined by Rinaldo Capello, and won the race overall, becoming only the second Japanese team to take the overall victory.

The team then focused on a return to the JGTC, which had by then been renamed to Super GT, acquiring a new GT1-spec Maserati MC12 with the aim of entering the 2006 season.[1] However, the GT1-spec car was well off the pace of its Japanese GT500-class competitors during pre-season testing, causing the team to withdraw from the championship.[2]

Three years later, the team would return to competition, entering a Porsche RS Spyder in the 2009 24 Hours of Le Mans. It was running second in class when driver Seiji Ara suffered a large accident on the Mulsanne Straight, forcing the car's retirement. It would turn out to be the team's only outing with the Porsche, as the car was sold in August 2009, only two months after the race. Moreover, the race turned out to be Goh's only outing in what was planned to be a multi-year programme, as the collapse of the team's title sponsor in February 2010 forced the suspension of all activity.

In 2019, after a hiatus of nearly nine years, Kazumichi Goh announced the return of Team Goh, along with a new partnership with McLaren. Competing as McLaren Customer Racing Japan, Team Goh planned to field a McLaren 720S GT3 in Super GT's GT300 class, alongside an additional 720S in the 2019 Suzuka 10 Hours.[3][4][5] The team had originally planned to enter its second car in the Super Taikyu series, but was forced to abandon its plans prior to the season opener, citing a lack of parts.[6] The team later withdrew from the Suzuka 10 Hours as well, citing a Balance of Performance that Goh felt was unfavorable to the team's McLarens.[7] Goh's Super GT entry did go ahead, the team contesting all rounds of the season save for the flyaway Buriram round. After a disappointing season in which the team finished 14th in the teams' standings despite taking a podium at Autopolis and pole at Motegi, the team withdrew from Super GT as well, bringing to an end its operational involvement in motorsport once again.

On December 19, 2019, Dale Coyne Racing announced they have formed a partnership with Team Goh for the 2020 IndyCar Series. The team will be known as Dale Coyne Racing with Team Goh with its ex-Super GT driver Alex Palou driving the team's No. 55 entry.[8]

Racing results

IndyCar Series

(key)

Year Chassis Engine Drivers No. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 Pos. Pts.
Dale Coyne Racing with Team Goh
2020 TEX IMS ROA ROA IOW IOW INDY GTW GTW MDO MDO IMS IMS STP
Dallara DW12 Honda HI20TT V6t Álex Palou  R  55 23 19 3 7 11 14 28 15 12 12 23 17 9 13 16th 238

* Season still in progress

References

  1. "Team Goh's Maserati for Super GT". Daily Sports Car. 2006-01-19. Retrieved 2008-07-19.
  2. "Team Goh Maserati Update". Daily Sports Car. 2006-03-16. Retrieved 2008-07-19.
  3. Watkins, Gary. "McLaren confirms Super GT return with Team Goh". www.motorsport.com. Retrieved 30 January 2019.
  4. Kilshaw, Jake. "Team Goh Confirms McLaren GT3 for Super GT, Suzuka 10H – Sportscar365". sportscar365.com. Retrieved 30 January 2019.
  5. Goodwin, Graham. "Team Goh Returns To Racing With McLaren 720S GT3 Programme – dailysportscar.com". www.dailysportscar.com. Retrieved 30 January 2019.
  6. Thukral, Rachit. "Team Goh withdraws McLaren-backed Super Taikyu entry". www.motorsport.com. Retrieved 21 March 2019.
  7. Watkins, Gary. "Goh withdraws from Suzuka 10h over BoP concerns". www.motorsport.com. Retrieved 13 August 2020.
  8. "Alex Palou joins Dale Coyne with Team Goh for 2020 IndyCar Season". Dalecoyneracing.com. December 19, 2019. Retrieved February 22, 2020.
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