Ensign

History

" Mo" Nunn, old driver of Formula 3, creates its first single-seater of F3, the LNF1, in 1970. It gains 3 races during its first season, then 10 races the following season, in particular with the hands of the pilot liechtensteinois Rikky von Opel, heir to the family Opel. In 1973, thanks to subsidies of von Opel, Ensign engages in Formula 1.

Von Opel makes begin N173 with the GP from France 1973. It disputes only 6 GP (without marked point) in the season because the car is not powerful. It decides however to continue the bet of F1 with Nunn in 1974. N174 is a version improved of its devancière, but is not more powerful. In the course of season, von Opel leaves the stable which it contributed to launch in F1 to find refuge at Brabham. Nunn is not discouraged, it finds a support as a Theodore " Teddy" Yip and engages of the paying pilots like Vern Schuppan or Mike Wilds then negotiates a flourishing contract of sponsoring with the Dutch firm of manufacture of warning systems HB Bewake. Seul Schuppan manages to be extracted from the qualifications to be classified 15th with the GP of Belgium. Ensign still did not register of point to the championship of the world.

For lack of a sufficient budget, Nunn must engage N174 with the championship 1975. It is not replaced by the NR 175 qu ' with the GP of France. This one is entrusted to Gijs van Lennep which arrives, with the GP of Hockenheim, to offer the point of the 6th place to its stable. But HB Bewake and Mo Nunn enter in conflict for non-observance of certain financial clauses as for the advertizing contract: Nunn loses its lawsuit and does not have an other means, to compensate its ex-sponsor, to yield its single-seaters to him. HB Bewake thus inherits Ensign N175 and decides to assemble its own racing stable, Boro. N175, from now on Boro 001, is committed with the championship of the world 1976.

In 1976, Chris Amon which joined Ensign during 1975, finishes 5th of a GP out-championship, the Race off champions. When it has the N176 news finally, it carries out honourable performances taking into account the value of its single-seater. It takes down even one 5th place in Spain. But Amon stops its career following the accident of Niki Lauda and Jacky Ickx replaces it. The Belgian pilot does not meet any success, worse, it is wounded rather seriously at the end of the season.

In 1977, the Ensign pilots are Clay Regazzoni and Patrick Tambay. Thanks to them, the stable progresses more quickly than ever in 4 years. N177 is classified in the points with 6 recoveries during the season. It obtains its best classification with the championship with 10 points and the 10th final place. But it is known as that this stable is not intended to shine in F1: Nunn is in prey with financial problems such as it is not able to design a new single-seater for the following season.

In 1978, Ensign thus aligns the old woman N177 and entrusts it to a whole series of initial paying pilots (of which Nelson Piquet, Danny Ongais and Derek Daly). The results contrast obviously with that-at the previous year. Daly saves the honor only in all end of championship while finishing 6th in Canada.

For 1979, Ensign designs a revolutionary single-seater, N179, which has a system of triple radiators in frontal position, supposed to increase the cooling of the engine Cosworth. This system is not effective and in addition causes an increase in the temperature of the cockpit, which harms the performances of Daly and Marc Surer. The single-seater manages to be qualified only with 4 recoveries, without notable result. In 1980, N180, more conventional, does not make it possible either to the pilots to be distinguished in race. If the single-seater is qualified with 9 recoveries, neither Reggazzoni, of return, nor Jan Lammers, inter alia, registers of point. Reggazzoni is even victim of a terrible accident whereas it pointed in unhoped-for a 4th place of the fourth sleeve of the season, the Grand Prix of the Western USA, disputed in the streets Beach Length: victim of a failure of its brakes at the end of the long straight line of the circuit, it is engulfed in a loophole, where is already immobilized Brabham de Ricardo Zunino. After a first shock on with Brabham, Ensign strikes with a rare violence a concrete low wall. Seriously touched with the spinal column, Regazzoni is raised paraplegic, constrained to pass the remainder of its days in a wheel chair.

After 2 virgin seasons of any point, Marc Surer, it-also of return to Ensign, break the Indian sign by signing the best turn of the GP of Brazil 1981. It finishes even in the 4th place at the wheel of the N180B. The infernal spiral seems to be reversed when Surer finishes 6th GP of Monaco and is imitated by its fellow-member Eliseo Salazar with the GP of Holland.

But Ensign does not manage to align 2 satisfactory seasons: as in 1978 after a beautiful marketing year 1977, 1982 is one year difficult, Nunn not finding a budget to design a single-seater more advanced than N180b. The paying pilot Roberto Guerrero does not have the level to make evolve/move favorably the N181 single-seater.

At the end of the season, " Mo" Nunn resells its frame and what it remains of its stable to its old accomplice Teddy Yip. This one turns over once again in F1 in 1983 with its stable Theodore, but preserves the denomination " officielle" machines of Nunn by engaging Theodore N183. Johnny Cecotto will mark a point at the time of the GP Beach Length before Yip does not give up in its turn the world of the GP.

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Nunn will engage later Ensign in championship Cart until 1985. Nunn creates then the stable " Mo" Nunn Racing to run in championship IRL.

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