Founded 1998 Base Oschersleben, Germany | Founder(s) Timo Rumpfkeil Team principal(s) Timo Rumpfkeil | |
Current series European Formula 3
ADAC Formula 4
Formula 4 UAE Championship Former series GP2 Series
Formula 3 Euro Series
Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0
Formula Renault 2.0 NEC
Porsche Supercup
German Formula Three
ADAC Formel Masters
British Formula 3 | ||
Motopark Academy (raced under Lotus moniker from 2012 to 2014) is an auto racing team based in Oschersleben, Germany, next to the Motorsport Arena Oschersleben race track. In 2013, the team competed in the GP2 Series under the name Russian Time.
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Single-seaters
The team have competed in open-wheel racing consistently since the start of the 21st century. They have competed in the Formula 3 Euro Series since 2009.
Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0
They were teams' champions in the Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0 in 2004, with their American driver Scott Speed taking the drivers' title with eight wins. Motopark Academy won the drivers' title of the 2006 Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0 season with Filipe Albuquerque, with the Portuguese driver collecting four wins in all.
Formula Renault 2.0 Northern European Cup
Motopark Academy have won all four Drivers' Championships in Formula Renault 2.0 Northern European Cup, since it formed in 2006. They won with Filipe Albuquerque in 2006, Frank Kechele in 2007, Valtteri Bottas in 2008 and António Félix da Costa in 2009. Motopark Academy also won the Teams' Championship of the Formula Renault 2.0 NEC three times: 2007, 2008 and 2009.
GP2 and GP3 Series
Russian Time was established by former Russian racing driver and manager Igor Mazepa and Motopark Academy team principal Timo Rumpfkeil in 2013. The team had sought an entry to the GP2 Series for two years before finally being accepted in 2013, replacing iSport International. iSport International withdrew from the series after being unable to secure a budget to compete in the upcoming season, and so its management elected to shut the team down in order to avoid bankruptcy.
The team won its first race in only its fourth appearance, when Sam Bird won the sprint race of the Bahrain round of the championship. The team took a second win on the streets of Monaco, with Bird finishing ahead of Kevin Ceccon after a fourteen-car pile-up on the opening lap forced nine drivers out of the race.
In 2014, the team was set to make their debut in GP3 Series, taking Bamboo Engineering's slot and continue to participate in GP2, German Formula Three and ADAC Formel Masters. The team's preparations for the 2014 season were disrupted by the death of Mazepa from complications relating to thrombosis in February 2014. On 18 February 2014, it was announced that Motopark had ended their partnership with Russian Time, leaving the position of all those drivers signed on for the 2014 GP2 and GP3 seasons, in limbo.