Thor-Christian Ebbesvik

Thor–Christian Ebbesvik (born 17 December 1983 in Bergen) is a professional racing driver from Norway.

Thor–Christian Ebbesvik
Nationality Norwegian
Born (1983-12-17) 17 December 1983
Bergen (Norway)
Le Mans Series – LMP2 career
Debut season2010
Current teamRace Performance
Car numberTBA
Former teamsTeam Bruichladdich
Starts5
Wins0
Poles0
Fastest laps0
Best finish5th in 2010
Previous series
2009
2009
2007–08
2005–06		European F3 Open
Formula Le Mans Cup
Spanish Formula Three
British Formula Ford
Championship titles
2007Spanish F3 Copa de España

Career

Formula Ford

Ebbesvik began his racing career in 2005, driving for Team JLR in the British Formula Ford Championship. He finished the year in sixth place and also took part in the end–of–season Formula Ford Festival at Brands Hatch, where he failed to finish. He continued in the series in 2006, improving to fourth place in the championship.[1] He took four podium finishes during the season, including a win at Thruxton. He again took part in the Formula Ford Festival, this time competing in the Duratec class, but once again retired from the race.

Formula Three

In 2007, Ebbesvik moved up to Formula Three, competing in the Spanish championship for the British outfit Team West–Tec.[2] He was entered into the secondary Copa de España class, which featured older–generation Dallara chassis. At the end of the season, he finished tied on points with Peruvian driver Juan Manuel Polar, but took the title by virtue of taking more second places than Polar after they scored seven class wins each.[3]

For 2008, he remained with Team West–Tec in Spanish Formula Three, beginning the year with a Dallara F306 chassis before switching to a newer F308 model after the first two rounds of the season. In August of that year, Ebbesvik dominated the most prestigious race of the season to win on the Valencia Street Circuit, with the race acting as a support event for the Formula One European Grand Prix.[4] He took a further race win at Jerez in October to finish the championship in tenth place, one position ahead of team–mate Jonathan Legris.[5]

Ebbesvik continued in the championship for a third year in 2009, when the series was renamed as the European F3 Open Championship. He finished the season in fifth place, taking a single victory at Donington Park with further podium places at Magny–Cours and Monza.[6]

Formula Le Mans Cup

In May 2009, Ebbesvik contested the opening two races of the new Formula Le Mans Cup at Spa–Francorchamps.[7] Sharing an Oreca FLM09 with Swiss driver Christophe Pillon, he finished both races in fifth position.

Le Mans Series

Ebbesvik made a full-time switch from single–seaters to sportscar racing in 2010, racing for Team Bruichladdich in the LMP2 class of the Le Mans Series and Le Mans 24 Hours, sharing a Ginetta–Zytek GZ09SB/2 with Tim Greaves and Karim Ojjeh.[8] In the second event of the season, the Spa 1000 km, Ebbesvik was injured after an accident involving a slower GT car,[9] sustaining a fractured vertebra which subsequently ruled him out of the following month's Le Mans 24 Hours.[10] Two overall fifth–place finishes, including anchoring the team to its best ever podium position in LMP2, at the following two rounds in Portimão and Hungaroring ensured that he finished the year in fifth position in the LMP2 standings. Indeed, at the season finale at Silverstone, Ebbesvik managed to take the Zytek into the LMP2 lead for the first time ever, although the car was subsequently crashed by Ojjeh.[11]

Ebbesvik was due to continue with the team in 2011, competing alongside Ojjeh and team newcomer Gary Chalandon,[12] but was surprisingly and unexpectedly replaced by Tom Kimber–Smith a few weeks before the start of the season.[13] He did, however, sign a last–minute deal to race in the season–opening event at Paul Ricard, where he finished 10th overall in an LMP2 class Oreca 03–Judd entered by Race Performance.[14]

For the second round of the season, the Spa 1000 km, Ebbesvik was set to graduate to the premier LMP1 class, racing a Lola–Judd for the Guess Racing Europ team,[15] but the entry was withdrawn as the car would not be ready in time for the event.[16]

For the final two rounds of the 2011 Le Mans Series, Ebbesvik signed to Boutsen Energy to lead their LMP2 campaign, replacing their previous pro driver, Nicolas de Crem, in the team's Oreca 03-Nissan.

Other series

In September 2007, Ebbesvik became the first ever Norwegian to drive a GP2 car when he tested for Racing Engineering at the Jerez circuit.[17] The following year, he once again took part in GP2 series testing, driving for Racing Engineering, Arden International, DAMS and Fisichella Motor Sport at both Paul Ricard and Jerez. He had intended to race in GP2 in 2009, but could not find the required budget to compete.[18] In November 2008, Ebbesvik also took part in Formula Renault 3.5 Series testing, driving for both Comtec Racing and Fortec Motorsport in Valencia.

Racing record

Career summary
Season Series Team Races Wins Poles F/Laps Podiums Points Position
2005 British Formula Ford Championship Team JLR 20 0 0 0 0 321 6th
Formula Ford Festival 1 0 0 0 0 N/A NC
2006 British Formula Ford Championship Team JLR 20 1 0 2 4 357 4th
Formula Ford Festival – Duratec Class 1 0 0 0 0 N/A NC
2007 Spanish Formula Three Championship – Copa de España Team West–Tec 14 7 3 ? 12 118 1st
Spanish Formula Three Championship 14 0 0 0 0 7 16th
2008 Spanish Formula Three Championship – Copa de España Team West–Tec 4 0 0 0 0 10 12th
Spanish Formula Three Championship 17 2 1 0 2 49 10th
2009 European F3 Open Championship Team West–Tec 16 1 1 1 3 64 5th
Formula Le Mans Cup Hope Polevision Racing 2 0 0 0 0 16 20th
2010 Le Mans Series – LMP2 Team Bruichladdich 5 0 0 0 1 46 5th
2011 Le Mans Series – LMP2 Race Performance
Boutsen Energy Racing		 3 0 0 0 0 18 13th
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References
  1. "Formula Ford Great Britain 2006". driverdb.com. Driver Database. Retrieved 1 February 2011.
  2. "Ebbesvik commits to West–Tec Spanish adventure". crash.net. Crash Media Group. 19 January 2007. Retrieved 25 November 2009.
  3. "Campeonato de España de Fórmula 3 2007". driverdb.com. Driver Database. Retrieved 25 November 2009.
  4. "Esp: Ebbesvik dominates, Legris catches eye". crash.net. Crash Media Group. 27 August 2008. Retrieved 1 February 2011.
  5. "Campeonato de España de Fórmula 3 2008". driverdb.com. Driver Database. Retrieved 1 February 2011.
  6. "European F3 Open 2009". driverdb.com. Driver Database. Retrieved 25 November 2009.
  7. "Final countdown to the Formula Le Mans Cup". formulalemans.com. Formula Le Mans. 5 June 2009. Archived from the original on 19 July 2011. Retrieved 1 February 2011. Christophe Pillon will team up with Thor–Christian Ebbesvik from Norway
  8. English, Steven (27 January 2010). "Ebbesvik joins Bruichladdich for LMS". Autosport. Haymarket Publications. Retrieved 28 January 2010.
  9. "Ebbesvik hospitalised at Spa". planetlemans.com. Planet Le Mans. 10 May 2010. Retrieved 1 February 2011.
  10. "24 Hours of Le Mans 2010 – LMP2 Preview". planetlemans.com. Planet Le Mans. 3 June 2010. Retrieved 1 February 2011. but a big shunt during the Spa 1000 KM means Ebbesvik will miss Le Mans.
  11. "Le Mans Series – LMP2 2010". driverdb.com. Driver Database. Retrieved 1 February 2011.
  12. Doret, Jean–Philippe (24 January 2011). "Thor–Christian Ebbesvik will be third man at Greaves Motorsports". lemans.org. Automobile Club de l'Ouest. Retrieved 1 February 2011.
  13. Doret, Jean–Philippe (24 March 2011). "Driver change for Greaves Motorsport". lemans.org. Automobile Club de l'Ouest. Retrieved 30 March 2011.
  14. "Changing teams". tce-racing.no. Argo Internett AS. Retrieved 30 March 2011.
  15. "Ebbesvik in LMP1". tce-racing.no. Argo Internett AS. Retrieved 4 May 2011.
  16. "TC to miss Spa". tce-racing.no. Argo Internett AS. Retrieved 4 May 2011.
  17. "Ebbesvik reveals GP2 testing plans". crash.net. Crash Media Group. 28 August 2008. Retrieved 1 February 2011.
  18. Hornsby, Tom (23 March 2009). "F3 Open: West–Tec confirm Ebbesvik and Auby for '09". motorstv.com. Motors TV. Archived from the original on 19 March 2012. Retrieved 1 February 2011.
Sporting positions
Preceded by
Germán Sánchez		 Spanish Formula Three
Copa de España
Champion
2007		 Succeeded by
Natacha Gachnang
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