History
- 1995: The company was established by Richard Lloyd and contracted with Audi UK to represent the manufacturer in the British Touring Car Championship
- 1996: Won the BTCC Team and Driver Championships with Frank Biela in an Audi A4
- 1997: Runner up to the BTCC Team and Driver title, again with Frank Biela in an Audi A4
- 1998 BTCC with Yvan Muller and John Bintcliffe, a less successful year following a switch to a front drive Audi A4
- 1999: Contracted by Audi AG to assist in the build and running of two Audi R8C (Coupe) prototypes at Le Mans. Drivers were Stefan Johanssen, Stephane
Ortelli, Christian Abt, James Weaver, Andy Wallace and Perry McCarthy
- 2000: Contracted by Audi North America to design and build five hybrid Audi RS4 Competition race cars which went on to win the Speedvision Championship
with drivers Micheal Galati and Derek Bell
- 2001 Contracted to Bentley Motors to assist with the build, test, development and race programme of the Exp Speed 8. The team’s drivers were Andy
Wallace, Eric van de Poele, Butch Leitzinger (finished 3rd overall, 1st LM GTP class), Martin Brundle, Stephane Ortelli and Guy Smith
- 2002: The Bentley programme was reduced to one car and Wallace, van de Poele and Leitzinger were retained as drivers. They came 4th, behind three Audis
- 2003: Assisted with the Speed 8 (new car) concept and build, testing and racing at Sebring and Le Mans. At the notoriously difficult 12 Hours of
Sebring, the cars finished 3rd and 4th ‘out-of-the-box’. After extensive testing, drivers Tom Kristensen, Dindo Capello, and Guy Smith, David Brabham,
Johnny Herbert and Mark Blundell finished 1st and 2nd at Le Mans, with Johnny Kane as reserve driver. With Bentley, Apex achieved an 86% race finish
record. The Bentley race cars were all designed and built in the UK and Apex Motorsport was responsible for all Team Bentley administration, all testing
and track activities.
- 2004: Apex supported Zytek with personnel and equipment at Le Mans and at LMES events
- 2006: Launch of the Jaguar XKR GT3 build, development and race programme.
Contact Apex Motorsport
Team Principals
Richard Lloyd – Team Principal
Richard Lloyd has been in the
motorsport business for over thirty years, beginning a successful career as a driver in the 1970s (British Saloon Car Class Champion three years running)
before combining his duties behind the wheel with team management and team ownership and going on to even greater things.
The progression from driver to team owner was a smooth one and in 1976 he established the very successful GTi Engineering, campaigning Audis with Sir
Stirling Moss in the British Saloon Car Championship.
After a change of name in the early 1980s to the eponymous Richard Lloyd Racing, and a move from touring cars to sportscars, Belfast-born Lloyd began one
of the highest profile and most successful periods of his career. After introducing the Canon brand to motorsport sponsorship, Richard Lloyd Racing bought
one of the first Porsche 956s and quickly became a leading, race-winning team in the World Sportscar Championship, working alongside drivers such as Jan
Lammers, Jonathan Palmer, Keke Rosberg, Damon Hill and Bob Wollek.
Second place at Le Mans with Jonathan Palmer and James Weaver in 1985 in his Canon Porsche 956 was the highlight of the 1980s, although winning the Porsche
924 Championship a decade later came a close second. Richard is still today rated in the top twenty most successful British touring car drivers, and still
drives historic cars from time to time.
In recent years Lloyd has become best known for his team management of Audis in touring cars and sportscars, and Bentley Motors’ triumphant return to
endurance racing at Le Mans.
Harry Handkammer – Business Partner
Harry has enjoyed
a successful business career in the engineering sector spanning over three decades.
In 1984 he founded Countax Limited – now the UK market leader in ride-on mowers. Brands include Westwood and the Echo power tool distribution concern. The
company turned over £24 million last year and has for four years running been in the UK’s “Top 100 fastest growing companies”. Countax is currently
Britain’s best selling garden tractor and currently employs over 250 people.
He has enjoyed successful participation in numerous disciplines of motorsport including karting, single-seaters and saloon cars. He has achieved various
victories and Championships including winning the 2000 and 2001 FIA International Saloon Car Series.
His successes have included a class win and 10th overall placing at the 2002 Nürburgring 24 Hours, outright wins in the 2002 Enna 24 Hours, Spa (Pro Car) 4
Hours, Misano 6 Hours (Peroni Cup) and the Hockenheim 3 Hours.
From 2003 to 2006 he races in the GT class of the Britcar Championship, taking 15 outright wins in the last three seasons.
Dave Ward – Project/Team Manager
Dave first joined Apex in 1996 as a mechanic on
John Bintcliffe’s Audi touring car and quickly rose through the ranks to be a major part of the team’s Le Mans success with Bentley. After spending the
last eighteen months in Australia managing both a Holden and a Ford top V8 team, he has returned to the UK
to lead the Jaguar GT3 project.
Howden Haynes – Design, Development and Engineering
Since joining Apex in 2001 to
work for the next three years on the Bentley Speed 8 programme, Howden has re-affirmed his engineering credentials with Audi in both sportscars and the
DTM. After winning the 2006 Le Mans 24 Hours and the ALMS Championship as Allan McNish’s engineer with the diesel-powered Audi R10, Howden now returns to
Apex to take on all design and development of the new Jaguar XKR GT3.
