Hurray, 1995 arrived! A new year, a new season, and the second year for Pacific Grand Prix on the grid. The team begins the team with new hope, a new car and with an alliance with Team Lotus. Indeed, Team Lotus did not appear completely from the grid this year. No, they are now with Pacific Grand Prix, thanks to a deal with the brother of late James Hunt, David Hunt. Obviously, 1994 was a complete fiasco, or is farce a better word, with the PR01 based on a design from two years old. Only Benetton and Ligier managed to use the unraced Reynard design properly. It’s time to pop the champagne on a brand new season where Keith Wiggins has high hopes off.
This is how it could be, however things went completely different for the team and Keith Wiggins. While the alliance with Team Lotus was more a stunt to keep in the picture and attract potential sponsors, the team seemed to have lost it after their first season. Indeed, 1995 did give some hopes for the team. First of all the PR02 from Frank Coppuck was much better than the PR01. They also switched engines. Where they raced with Ilmor in 1994, they switched them for Ford engines.
According to David Hunt and Keith Wiggins, the team spent the same amount of money on the PR02 as they had spent the whole season on the old PR01. Which did seen some differences especially with the front wing during the season. However, the car was too heavy, unreliable and underpowered to be even serious.
However, I’m sure your not reading this article to get a lecture on the PR01 and the PR02. As the title says that Keith Wiggins went mental. Well in some way he did. This all started with the launch of the PR02 in late February in the London Strand Theatre. During the Launch Keith told the media that the PR02 was the first real Pacific car. The PR01 was just a failed implementation of the Reynard aerodynamics package. So in fact, in 1994 we had Reynard on the grid right?
Anyway, before the Launch of the car Bertrand Gachot, also partly team owner, managed to sign a deal with Interflora. Both Wiggins and Gachot had a big flower bouquet in their hands on the podium when they unveiled the new PR02. However, there were also flowers placed randomly around and on the podium. Which made it feel like you were looking at a funeral that was going on, especially as the car was placed in a weird angle.
While the smoke from the launch was filling the room, Keith Wiggins believed it was time to open up the bottle of Moet Champagne. To bring a toast on the new season that was ahead! At first, it seems the cork was jammed. However, after 5 minutes the cork was still in the bottle. 25 minutes later and a lot of strange faces, body language and probably injured muscles the cork came off! The face and the way he was spraying the Champagne said it all!
To complete the story, the team stated that there was the possibility for the team to become World Champions in 2000!
