Keith Wiggins establish Pacific Racing a successful team in the International F3000, won the title with David Coulthard and finalised his dream. The dream to enter the Formula One, in a time with worldwide financial struggles. The very first talk about this was already in 1991 when Wiggins was linked in a take-over of a Formula One team that was around for decades. However, it is 1992 when Keith starts talking about the plans. Plans that leaked the name of the challenger that was more or less finished in design. The Pacific S102, did you ever hear of it? Neither did I, until last week.
In November 1991, there were serious rumours about Tyrrell Racing to be for sale. The team struggled financially like other teams and Ken Tyrrell was open to sell some stakes in the team. While there were no plans to sell the team at that point. However, Keith Wiggins was mentioned as part of a group that was willing to purchase the team from Ken Tyrrell. Included seems also the Judd company. I could not find much about it, only that if Wiggins would get involved Judd would supply their V10 engines. Interestingly about this story is the name of Frentzen and the fact that the Tyrrell 021 would have been able to fit the Judd engines.
Luckily, Tyrrell Racing stayed on the grid for the coming year, until BAT bought the team and simply ditched Tyrrell in late 1997 when it purchased the team. Ken Tyrrell even left the team prior the start of the season. Interestingly, Pacific would also flirt with BAT to lure them in as a sponsor for 1994.
Fast forward into 1992 Keith Wiggins started working on his Formula One dream. There would come two separate teams Pacific Racing for the lower Formulae (future) series. The other team was Pacific Grand Prix. In June 1992, Wiggins stated that the team was already working on their challenger the S102. Indeed, the teams goal was to debut in 1993 on the grid. It is interesting that at first the car was branded the S102. As we all know it would become the PR01 in 1994 and PR02 in 1995.
It might sounds strange what Wiggins stated about the design stage of the S102. However, there is a clue in this story. At the time, Pacific Racing used the Reynard chassis in the International F3000 championship. Their cars were also powered by the Mugen-Honda’s, nothing special you would say.
The same time Reynard was working on their own Formula One chassis and Honda Mugen on their Formula One engine. It could be a perfect match the Reynard design as S102 and the Mugen-Honda engine. Eventually, the Reynard design was used as base for the Pacific PR01.
This might explains as well why Keith Wiggins didn’t say who was “designing” his challenger. It probably would have been Reynard. However, the Mugens were not the only engines. Also the Cosworth (later Ford) HB V8 and Ilmor V10 engines were rumoured. No mentions about Judd.
Eventually there were also rumours that Pacific Grand Prix was to buy the team from Rumi who discontinued his Fondmetal team.
Eventually in November 1992, the news came out that Pacific Grand Prix hired Paul Brown who was the former Zakspeed designer. Brown finished the design of the S102. Eventually overseeing the construction of the car at Reynard Composites. At this point the car was designed around the HB V8 engine.
Strangely is that Pacific key employees were seen in early December 1992 at Ilmor Engineering headquarters. Assumable to discuss a deal to use their 1992 V10 engines. The new engines went exclusively to the new Sauber team.
It is a bit of a strange story. Michael Bartels was already in October announced as one of their drivers for 1993. While weeks later, there were still negotiations going on about his seat for 1993 with the team. Eventually Michael Bartels did sign a contract with the team. There was even some seat fitting in the S102, which was now somehow branded the PR01. Other drivers that were in contact with Pacific were Laurent Aiello and Jordi Gené both their drivers in the F3000. As well talks were held with Adrea de Cesaris, Damon Hill and Eric Bernard.
Sadly, the team would never appear on the grid in 1993, they would wait a year to debut with their bulky looking PR01. There was also no Michael Bartels behind the wheel of one of the PR01’s. Instead, Paul Belmondo and Bertrand Gachot were attracted. The season would become a disaster. In 1995, with the PR02, there wasn’t much more joy. The team, merged with Team Lotus, would disappear form the grid at the end of 1995.
