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  ADA 02B Cosworth      

  Article Image gallery (34) 02B Specifications  
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Country of origin:Great Britain
Produced from:1987 - 1989
Numbers built:1
Designed by:Chris Crawford and Ricardo Divila
Author:Wouter Melissen
Last updated:April 13, 2021
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Click here to download printer friendly versionIn 1977, ADA Engineering was created by driver Ian Harrower and engineer Chris Crawford. Initially, the core business was engineering work, while backing Harrower's racing exploits. After taking over the defunct Fittipaldi Formula 1 team in 1983, ADA Engineering properly entered the motorsport arena. For the 1984 season, the team modified an existing De Cadenet Lola to such an extent that it was re-homologated as the ADA 01. This was later replaced by a Gebhardt before the team set about creating a new car for the 1987 season.

The new ADA 02 was laid down by Crawford with the help of former Fittipaldi designer Ricardo Divila. It was a refinement of the team's Gebhardt, to the extent that it was long believed that the ADA 02 actually used the German manufacturer's chassis. That certainly was not the case as a brand-new aluminium honeycomb monocoque was built for the team by March Engineering. The car was powered by a 3.3-litre Cosworth DFL engine that served as a fully stressed member of the chassis together with the Hewland five-speed manual gearbox.

After the team's Gebhardt was damaged, the introduction of the ADA 02 was fast-tracked. The Kevlar and carbon-fibre composite bodywork was also a derivative of Gebhardt 843 previously raced by the team. One notable difference was the smooth engine cover that did not feature the fin that was so typical for the Gebhardt Group C cars of the time. The car tipped the scales at 770 kg, which was well over the Group C2 weight limit.

The ADA 02 was ready to debut at the Brands Hatch 1000 km at the end of July, 1987. Harrower shared the driving duties with Tiff Needell. They started tenth on the grid but did not reach the finish due to a steering issue. It was then raced to victory in the Nürburgring Supercup round. The next outing was at Kyalami, where it was driven by local racer Mike Briggs. He sadly lost control, and crashed into the barriers. The damage was extensive and instead of repairing the car immediately, ADA Engineering opted to complete the construction of the second new car, dubbed the 03.

After the 03 was built and ready to go for Le Mans in 1988, it was time to properly rebuild the ADA 02. The tub was repaired by March Engineering and by the time the work was done, it was more commonly referred to as the ADA 02B. It finally returned to the race track in May of 1989, when it was raced to ninth by Paul Stott in the Silverstone Supercup round. It was also raced at Le Mans twice but failed to reach the finish on both occasion. In 1990, it was briefly raced with a Bonner V6 engine and, with a Cosworth V8 back in place, scored two victories in the British Group C2 Championship.

The ADA 02 and 03 were not replaced as the team opted to run Brun-built Porsche 962s instead during the final years of Group C. Both cars survive and the 02B has been actively campaigned in historic events during the lat two decades.

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  Article Image gallery (34) 02B Specifications