The modest performances seen on the track during the 1991 season with the Tyrrell 020 were not enough to convince sponsors Braun and Epson to stay with Ken Tyrrell's old team. Mugen, led by Masao Kimura and Hirotoshi Honda, son of Soichiro, founder of Honda Motor Company, which had supplied Tyrrell with Honda V10 engines during the 1990 season, also left the Ockham-based team in Surrey, forcing them to find an equally valid alternative to power their cars for the 1992 season. The solution came through a one-year engine supply deal with engineers Mario Ilien and Paul Morgan, providing the Ilmor LH10 engine, a 3498 cc V10 capable of producing 680 hp at 13,000 rpm, with its compact size and low weight as its key strengths.
 |
| TYRRELL 020B, Andrea de Cesaris Adelaide, Australian GP 1992 |
However, without new sponsorship, except from the small snack company Calbee, the 1992 cars took to the track in the same livery as the previous season, bearing only the Tyrrell name on the engine cover. Lacking substantial financial support, the historic British team had no choice but to reuse the 1991 020, refined and updated by George Ryton with input from Mike Coughlan, who worked for Barnard’s design company.
 |
| TYRRELL 020B, Olivier Grouillard Magny-Cours, French GP 1992 |
The car was only slightly upgraded to the “B” version and, apart from the practically seamless engine change thanks to the identical dimensions of the two V10s, the new 020B was virtually the same as the one seen on track in '91. It retained the same carbon fiber monocoque chassis and the same pull-rod suspension, slightly adapted to the new weight distribution. The car's design, which dated back two seasons and had introduced the innovative raised nose, had seen no significant development since then. As rivals progressed, the car’s performance became increasingly modest.
 |
| TYRRELL 020B, Olivier Grouillard Monza, Italian GP 1992 |
The two official drivers for the season were veteran Andrea de Cesaris and Frenchman Olivier Grouillard. In the hands of the Italian especially, the 020B managed to stand up to the pressure of both competition and age, delivering some decent performances, at least in qualifying, where he often made it into the upper half of the grid. Unfortunately, the same could not be said for the races, where only the Italian was able to score points, doing so on four occasions. Grouillard, on the other hand, endured a season plagued by mechanical retirements and saw the checkered flag just four times, with an eighth place as his best result.
 |
| TYRRELL 020B, Andrea de Cesaris Kyalami, South African GP 1992 |
At the end of the season, the 8 points earned by de Cesaris allowed Ken Tyrrell’s historic team to finish the championship in sixth place, a fairly respectable position considering the low expectations at the season’s start. However, the team had clearly entered its twilight years, and the glory days would never return.
Comments
Post a Comment