Stefan Johansson

For other people named Stefan Johansson, see Stefan Johansson (disambiguation).
Stefan Johansson

Stefan Johansson at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in 2009
Born Stefan Nils Edwin Johansson
(1956-09-08) 8 September 1956
Växjö, Sweden
Formula One World Championship career
Nationality Sweden Swedish
Active years 1980, 19831991
Teams Shadow, Spirit, Tyrrell, Toleman, Ferrari, McLaren, Ligier, Onyx, AGS, Footwork
Entries 103 (79 starts)
Championships 0
Wins 0
Podiums 12
Career points 88
Pole positions 0
Fastest laps 0
First entry 1980 Argentine Grand Prix
Last entry 1991 British Grand Prix

Stefan Nils Edwin Johansson (born 8 September 1956) is a Swedish racing driver who drove in Formula One for both Ferrari and McLaren, among other teams. Since leaving Formula One he has won the 1997 24 Hours of Le Mans and raced in a number of categories, including CART, various kinds of Sports car racing, and Grand Prix Masters. He is also the manager of New Zealander Scott Dixon, winner of the 2008 Indianapolis 500, and fellow Swede Felix Rosenqvist, winner of the 2015 European Formula 3 Championship.[1]

Formula One career

Johansson's route to Formula One was via the British Formula 3 Championship, which he won in 1980 driving for future McLaren team boss Ron Dennis' Project Four team. In Formula One he participated in 103 grands prix, debuting on 13 January 1980 for the Shadow Racing Team at the 1980 Argentine Grand Prix when he was still a Formula Three regular. He failed to qualify for the race and the next race in Brazil and he was not seen in Formula One again until 1983 after spending 1982 in the European Formula Two Championship with Spirit Racing where he finished eighth overall, his best finish being third at Mugello in Italy.

1983

Johansson's first Formula One race with Spirit was at the non-championship 1983 Race of Champions at Brands Hatch where he failed to finish due to failure of the Honda engine on lap four. His qualifying time was almost 20 seconds off the pole time set by 1982 World Champion Keke Rosberg in his Williams-Cosworth, but his times in the race morning warm-up session were within a second of the Ferrari 126C2B of René Arnoux who was fastest. He moved up to 7th place before pulling into the pits with yet another engine failure (BBC commentator Murray Walker said on air that Spirit and Honda had completed thousands of miles of trouble free testing until that point). Spirit continued to test and develop the 201C and Johansson re-entered Formula One at the 1983 British Grand Prix at Silverstone where he qualified the car in a credible 14th position. He raced in a further five Grands Prix in 1983 with a best finish of seventh in the Dutch Grand Prix at Zandvoort.

1984

The Toleman TG184 raced by Johansson in 1984

Stefan Johansson was replaced at Spirit by Mauro Baldi for the 1984 season when the team lost its Honda engines to Williams and he didn't race until he joined Tyrrell in Round 10 of the championship, the British Grand Prix, at Brands Hatch as a replacement for the injured Martin Brundle. He then went on to Toleman for the last few Grands Prix of the season in place of the injured Johnny Cecotto, finishing fourth in the Italian Grand Prix at Monza. While at Toleman, Johansson's regular team mate was future triple World Drivers' Champion Ayrton Senna.

1985–1986

Johansson during practice for the 1985 European Grand Prix

Johansson signed a contract with Toleman for 1985 but it fell through when Toleman failed to secure a tyre agreement. Instead Johansson started again with Tyrrell as a replacement for the suspended Stefan Bellof before being called up to Ferrari when René Arnoux was mysteriously sacked after the first race of the season in Brazil. He led his second race with Ferrari at their 'home' race, the San Marino Grand Prix, and two laps from home passed Senna's out of fuel Lotus to the delight of the Tifosi and would probably have won if his Ferrari 156/85 had not run out of fuel just half a lap after taking the lead. His role at Ferrari for the 1985 season was primarily to back up Michele Alboreto's championship challenge, though he did finish 2nd to the Italian at Canada and backed it up with 2nd in the next race at Detroit.

In 1986 he often outpaced Alboreto, despite the Italian being the team's lead driver. The V6 turbo in the Ferrari F1/86 lacked nothing in power compared to the Honda, BMW, Renault and TAG-Porsche engines, but the car itself proved to be difficult, with both drivers complaining through the season about lack of downforce and the car's reluctance to drive well on all but the smoothest of circuits. Johansson finished the 1986 Drivers' Championship his best ever in 5th place while Alboreto, who finished 2nd in 1985, could only manage 9th place. There were many in Formula One, including highly respected BBC commentator Murray Walker, who believed that Ferrari were sacking the wrong driver, given that the Swede had generally outshone his more highly paid team mate throughout the season.

1987

He was replaced at Ferrari by Austrian Gerhard Berger for 1987, and he moved to McLaren as number two driver behind double and reigning World Champion Alain Prost. McLaren weren't as competitive in 1987 as they had been in 1984–1986, with Prost only adding three wins to his tally (and beating the record of 27 Grand Prix wins held by Jackie Stewart with his 28th win in Portugal) and failing to successfully defend his Drivers' Championship. Further podium finishes did follow for the Swede and Johansson finished sixth in the Drivers' Championship. Stefan Johansson's position at McLaren was considered by many as just a stop gap signing by team boss Ron Dennis who had failed to lure Ayrton Senna from Lotus due to him being under contract until the end of 1987 and always intended signing the mercurial Brazilian for 1988.[2] Johansson famously finished the 1987 German Grand Prix on three wheels having had a puncture on the last lap. He also finished second behind Prost in Belgium, and added further podium finishes in Brazil, Spain and Japan. Despite 11 podiums in three seasons, Johansson was still winless and was not wanted by a top team (he had hoped to join Williams in 1988 as a replacement for the departing 1987 World Champion Nelson Piquet, but Williams signed Riccardo Patrese instead). He did return to McLaren in a test-driver capacity in 1991, testing the Honda V12 engine at Suzuka in Japan.

1988–1991

He joined Ligier for 1988, ironically alongside the man he replaced at Ferrari, René Arnoux, but the team's first non-turbo powered car since 1981, the Michel Beaujon designed JS31 powered by a naturally aspirated Judd V8 engine, was totally uncompetitive, scoring no points and more often than not failing to qualify, even against teams with much smaller budgets such as AGS and Rial (the French teams low point of the year was when both Johansson and Arnoux failed to qualify for the French Grand Prix at Paul Ricard in the first weekend of July). Unfortunately for Johansson, he failed to come to grips with the JS31, recording six non-qualifications during the season (compared to Arnoux who only failed to qualify twice). He did record the car's two best finishes of the year though, 9th placings in the opening race of the season in Brazil and the last race in Australia.

Better was to follow in 1989 as he was signed to lead the new Onyx team. Their car was temperamental and didn't always qualify, but Johansson finished a surprise and popular third in Portugal for his last (and the team's only) podium finish. He fell out with new team owner Peter Monteverdi in early 1990 and was duly sacked, making further appearances for AGS and Footwork in 1991.

Johansson's record of podium finishes without a win was equalled by Nick Heidfeld at the 2009 Malaysian Grand Prix, who then took the record outright at the 2011 Malaysian Grand Prix.[3]

In his 11-year Grand Prix career, in which he drove for 10 different teams, Johansson achieved 12 podiums, including 4 second places, and scored a total of 88 championship points.

CART career

Stefan Johansson
CART World Series
Years active 1992–1996
Teams Bettenhausen Racing
Starts 73
Wins 0
Poles 0
Best finish 11th in 1994
Awards
1992 CART Rookie of the year

For 1992 he moved over to CART Championship Car, winning the Rookie of the Year title with two third places, ahead of Belgium's Éric Bachelart. His first pole came at Portland the next year, but as in Formula One he never won a race. From 1992 to 1996, he started 73 races and had his best season overall in 1994, finishing in 11th. During this time, he competed in the 1993–1995 Indianapolis 500. At the 1996 Molson Indy Toronto race, he was involved in an accident that claimed the life of fellow driver Jeff Krosnoff and track marshal Gary Avrin. After making wheel to wheel contact, Jeff's car hit the barriers and also a tree and lamp post that was too close to the track. Krosnoff died instantly of the injuries sustained from hitting the lamp post.

After Formula One: Sports Cars and team ownership

Before his Formula One career Johansson had participated in sports car races such as 24 Hours of Le Mans, and had won two World Sportscar Championship races in the 1980s (the Mugello round in 1983, driving a Joest Racing Porsche 956 with Bob Wollek, and the 1988 Spa Francorchamps race in a Sauber C9 with Mauro Baldi).

After retiring from CART at the end of the 1996 season he returned to this type of racing. During 1997 he recorded two major race wins, at the 12 Hours of Sebring driving a Ferrari 333 SP with Andy Evans, Fermín Vélez and Yannick Dalmas. Later in 1997 Johansson also won at Le Mans where he drove a TWR-Porsche WSC-95 for Joest Racing alongside his Ferrari F1 team mate of 1985 and 1986 Michele Alboreto, and young Dane Tom Kristensen. For Kristensen it was to be the first of a record (as of 2013) 9 wins in the famous French classic.

Johansson driving a Joest Porsche WSC-95 at Donington Park in 1997.

In 1997 Johansson founded a successful Indy Lights team running Fredrik Larsson and Jeff Ward; in 1998 its drivers were Guy Smith and Luiz Garcia, Jr.; for 1999 the seats went to Scott Dixon and Ben Collins.

During 1998 & 1999 Johansson raced for various sports car teams (like the unreliable Audi R8C Coupé at Le Mans) but in 2000 he started Johansson-Matthews racing with an American businessman called Jim Matthews. They competed in the American Le Mans Series using a Reynard 2KQ prototype. Unfortunately this wasn't a successful vehicle in its original form (though it was later developed into various other successful cars including the Zytek that he later raced) and the partnership dissolved.

In 2001 Johansson campaigned an Audi R8 prototype with backing from Gulf Oil and the assistance of Mike Earle's Arena team. That year he raced in the European Le Mans Series, the American Le Mans Series and at Le Mans itself. His co-drivers were Guy Smith and Patrick Lemarie. At Le Mans Smith was replaced by Tom Coronel.

2002 saw Johansson back in an Audi R8 but this time one run by the Miami based Champion Racing team. His co-driver was ex Formula One driver Johnny Herbert and they competed in the American Le Mans Series.

For 2003, he returned to CART as a team owner, running American Spirit Team Johansson with Jimmy Vasser and Ryan Hunter-Reay as drivers. This was one of many new teams for the 2003 CART season; ironically, Bachelart's Mi-Jack Conquest Racing team was another. The team was under-funded, and although Hunter-Reay scored a fluke win in the wet conditions at Australia, it folded at the end of the season.

After only competing in a couple of celebrity races and occasional outings in the works Zytek in 2004 Johansson returned to full-time racing in 2005 driving the Chip Ganassi run New Century Mortgage sponsored Lexus Riley Daytona Prototype in the American Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series. With co-driver Cort Wagner he scored his best finish, a second place, at Mont Tremblant in Canada, they finished the year in fifth place in the championship.

In 2006 as well as the Grand Prix Masters series, Johansson has made occasional appearances in Grand-Am for the Cheever and CITGO teams, and has continued an association with the works Zytek team in the Le Mans Series.

2007 saw Johansson competing in a Highcroft Racing Courage-Acura in the LMP2 class of the American Le Mans Series, sharing with David Brabham. He was due to race a Zytek at Le Mans in 2007, but the team could not rebuild the car in time after a test-day accident, and Johansson made a last minute deal to drive a works Courage.

Johansson took part in the inaugural Speedcar Series in 2008, where luck once again deserted him as the victim of a lot of other drivers' accidents. For 2008 Johansson did not have a full-time sports car drive, but had some outings planned in the Highcroft Acura ARX-01 in the ALMS and a place with the Epsilon Euskadi team at Le Mans.

Outside the cockpit, Johansson has a number of business ventures (including managing several successful drivers such as Scott Dixon) and is a keen artist – he is particularly known for his watch designs. Also "Lill-Lövis" does expert commentary on Viasat Motor during Formula One races on occasion.

In 2011 he raced a Pescarolo-Judd in the Petit Le Mans 10 Hours and a Ford GT3 in the Malaysian 12 Hours at Sepang.

In 2012 he returned to the 24 Hours of Le Mans, racing a Lola B12/80.

Johansson was the inspiration for the song "Speedway at Nazareth", by Mark Knopfler.

Career results

Complete European Formula Two Championship results

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in italics indicate fastest lap)

Year Entrant Chassis Engine 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 Pos Pts
1979 Polifac BMW Junior Team March 792 BMW SIL HOC THR NÜR VAL MUG PAU HOC ZAN PER MIS DON
Ret
0
1980 ICI Roloil Racing Team March 802 BMW THR
DNS
HOC NÜR VAL PAU SIL ZOL MUG ZAN PER MIS HOC 0
1981 Docking Spitzley Team Toleman Lola T850 Hart SIL
9
HOC
1
THR
7
NÜR
4
VAL
2
MUG
Ret
PAU
8
PER
Ret
SPA
14
DON
4
MIS
9
MAN
1
4th 30
1982 Marlboro Team Spirit Spirit 201 Honda SIL
Ret
HOC
Ret
THR
14
NÜR
6
MUG
3
VAL
4
PAU
7
SPA
Ret
HOC
4
DON
11
MAN
Ret
PER
11
MIS
7
8th 11

Complete Formula One World Championship results

(key)

Year Entrant Chassis Engine 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 WDC Pts
1980 Shadow Cars Shadow DN11 Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 ARG
DNQ
BRA
DNQ
RSA USW BEL MON FRA GBR GER AUT NED ITA CAN USA NC 0
1983 Spirit Racing Spirit 201 Honda RA163-E 1.5 V6t BRA USW FRA SMR MON BEL DET CAN GBR
Ret
AUT
12
ITA
Ret
EUR
14
RSA NC 0
Spirit 201C GER
Ret
NED
7
1984 Tyrrell Racing Organisation Tyrrell 012 Ford Cosworth DFY 3.0 V8 BRA RSA BEL SMR FRA MON CAN DET DAL GBR
DSQ
GER
DSQ
AUT
DNQ
NED
DSQ
17th 3
Toleman Group Motorsport Toleman TG184 Hart 415T 1.5 L4t ITA
4
EUR
Ret
POR
11
1985 Tyrrell Racing Organisation Tyrrell 012 Ford Cosworth DFY 3.0 V8 BRA
7
7th 26
Scuderia Ferrari SpA SEFAC Ferrari 156/85 Ferrari 031 1.5 V6t POR
8
SMR
6
MON
Ret
CAN
2
DET
2
FRA
4
GBR
Ret
GER
9
AUT
4
NED
Ret
ITA
5
BEL
Ret
EUR
Ret
RSA
4
AUS
5
1986 Scuderia Ferrari SpA SEFAC Ferrari F1/86 Ferrari 032 1.5 V6t BRA
Ret
ESP
Ret
SMR
4
MON
10
BEL
3
CAN
Ret
DET
Ret
FRA
Ret
GBR
Ret
GER
11
HUN
4
AUT
3
ITA
3
POR
6
MEX
12
AUS
3
5th 23
1987 Marlboro McLaren International McLaren MP4/3 TAG TTE PO1 1.5 V6t BRA
3
SMR
4
BEL
2
MON
Ret
DET
7
FRA
8
GBR
Ret
GER
2
HUN
Ret
AUT
7
ITA
6
POR
5
ESP
3
MEX
Ret
JPN
3
AUS
Ret
6th 30
1988 Ligier Loto Ligier JS31 Judd CV 3.5 V8 BRA
9
SMR
DNQ
MON
Ret
MEX
10
CAN
Ret
DET
Ret
FRA
DNQ
GBR
DNQ
GER
DNQ
HUN
Ret
BEL
11
ITA
DNQ
POR
Ret
ESP
Ret
JPN
DNQ
AUS
9
NC 0
1989 Moneytron Onyx Formula One Onyx ORE-1 Ford Cosworth DFR 3.5 V8 BRA
DNPQ
SMR
DNPQ
MON
DNPQ
MEX
Ret
USA
Ret
CAN
DSQ
FRA
5
GBR
DNPQ
GER
Ret
HUN
Ret
BEL
8
ITA
DNPQ
POR
3
ESP
DNPQ
JPN
DNPQ
AUS
DNPQ
12th 6
1990 Monteverdi Onyx Formula One Onyx ORE-1 Ford Cosworth DFR 3.5 V8 USA
DNQ
BRA
DNQ
SMR MON CAN MEX FRA GBR GER HUN BEL ITA POR ESP JPN AUS NC 0
1991 Automobiles Gonfaronnaises Sportives AGS JH25B Ford Cosworth DFR 3.5 V8 USA
DNQ
BRA
DNQ
SMR MON NC 0
Footwork Grand Prix International Footwork FA12 Porsche 3512 3.5 V12 CAN
Ret
MEX
DNQ
Footwork FA12C Ford Cosworth DFR 3.5 V8 FRA
DNQ
GBR
DNQ
GER HUN BEL ITA POR ESP JPN AUS

Complete 24 Hours of Le Mans results

Year Team Co-Drivers Car Class Laps Pos. Class
Pos.
1983 Germany Sorga S.A. / Joest Racing Germany Klaus Ludwig
France Bob Wollek
Porsche 956 C 354 6th 6th
1984 Germany New-Man Joest Racing France Jean-Louis Schlesser
Colombia Maurizio de Narváez
Porsche 956 C1 170 DNF DNF
1990 Japan Mazdaspeed Co. Ltd. Republic of Ireland David Kennedy
Belgium Pierre Dieudonné
Mazda 787 GTP 147 DNF DNF
1991 Japan Mazdaspeed Co. Ltd.
France Oreca
Republic of Ireland David Kennedy
Brazil Maurizio Sandro Sala
Mazda 787B C2 355 6th 6th
1992 Japan Trust Racing Team South Africa George Fouché
Sweden Steven Andskär
Toyota 92C-V C2 336 5th 1st
1997 Germany Joest Racing Italy Michele Alboreto
Denmark Tom Kristensen
TWR Porsche WSC-95 LMP 361 1st 1st
1998 Germany Porsche AG
Germany Joest Racing
Italy Michele Alboreto
France Yannick Dalmas
Porsche LMP1-98 LMP1 107 DNF DNF
1999 United Kingdom Audi Sport UK Ltd. Monaco Stéphane Ortelli
Germany Christian Abt
Audi R8C LMGTP 55 DNF DNF
2000 United States Johansson-Matthews Racing United Kingdom Guy Smith
United States Jim Matthews
Reynard 2KQ-LM-Judd LMP900 133 DNF DNF
2001 United Kingdom Johansson Motorsport Netherlands Tom Coronel
France Patrick Lemarié
Audi R8 LMP900 35 DNF DNF
2003 United States Champion Racing Italy Emanuele Pirro
Finland JJ Lehto
Audi R8 LMP900 372 3rd 1st
2006 Netherlands Racing for Holland Netherlands Jan Lammers
Malaysia Alex Yoong
Dome S101Hb-Judd LMP1 182 DNF DNF
2007 United Kingdom Arena Motorsports International Japan Hayanari Shimoda
United Kingdom Tom Chilton
Zytek 07S LMP1 DNQ DNQ
France Courage Compétition France Jean-Marc Gounon
France Guillaume Moreau
Courage LC70-AER LMP1 175 DNF DNF
2008 Spain Epsilon Euskadi France Jean-Marc Gounon
Japan Shinji Nakano
Epsilon Euskadi EE1-Judd LMP1 158 DNF DNF
2012 United Arab Emirates Gulf Racing Middle East France Fabien Giroix
France Ludovic Badey
Lola B12/80-Nissan LMP2 92 DNF DNF

American open-wheel results

(key)

CART

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position)

Year Team Chassis Engine 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 Rank Points
1992 Bettenhausen Racing Penske PC-20 Chevrolet 265A V8t SRF PHX LBH INDY DET
3
POR MIL NHA
10
TOR
11
MCH CLE
9
ROA
19
VAN
3
MDO
6
NAZ
21
LAG
11
14th 47
1993 Bettenhausen Motorsports Penske PC-22 Chevrolet 265C V8t SRF
12
PHX
21
LBH
26
INDY
11
MIL
25
DET
20
POR
26
CLE
4
TOR
24
MCH
23
NHA
14
ROA
21
VAN
3
MDO
26
NAZ
7
LAG
6
13th 43
1994 Bettenhausen Motorsports Penske PC-22 Ilmor 265D V8t SRF
5
PHX
4
LBH
10
INDY
15
MIL
26
DET
22
POR
8
CLE
5
TOR
14
MCH
14
MDO
12
NHA
23
VAN
26
ROA
8
NAZ
5
LAG
12
11th 57
1995 Bettenhausen Motorsports Penske PC-23 Mercedes-Benz IC108B V8t MIA
22
SRF
17
PHX
24
LBH
6
NAZ
3
MIL
21
DET
11
POR
6
ROA
10
TOR
14
CLE
8
MCH
6
MDO
23
NHA
25
VAN
4
LAG
14
13th 60
Reynard 94i Ford XB V8t INDY
16
1996 Bettenhausen Racing Reynard 96i Mercedes-Benz IC108C V8t MIA
19
RIO
23
SRF
6
LBH
19
NAZ
19
500
16
MIL
27
DET
7
POR
9
CLE
12
TOR
17
MCH
5
MDO
11
ROA
4
VAN
17
LAG
21
15th 43

Indianapolis 500

Year Chassis Engine Start Finish Team
1993 Penske PC-22 Chevrolet 265C V8t 6 11 Bettenhausen Motorsports
1994 Penske PC-22 Ilmor 265D V8t 27 15 Bettenhausen Motorsports
1995 Reynard 94i Ford XB V8t 31 16 Bettenhausen Motorsports

References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Stefan Johansson.
Sporting positions
Preceded by
Chico Serra
British Formula 3
Champion

1980
Succeeded by
Jonathan Palmer
Preceded by
Jeff Andretti
CART Rookie of the Year
1992
Succeeded by
Nigel Mansell
Preceded by
Manuel Reuter
Davy Jones
Alexander Wurz
Winner of the 24 Hours of Le Mans
1997 with:
Michele Alboreto
Tom Kristensen
Succeeded by
Laurent Aïello
Allan McNish
Stéphane Ortelli
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