Founding story
Andrew Kirkaldy established Team AKA in 2004 to compete in the British Formula Renault Championship. The team quickly found success, with James Jakes achieving tenth in the 2004 Drivers Championship and leading the team to third in the series in 2005. Alexander Storckenfeldt secured Team AKA’s first Formula Renault victory at Thruxton Circuit during this period. Jakes continued to race for the team in the Formula Renault 2000 Eurocup and was nominated for the McLaren Autosport BRDC Award based on his performance. As drivers moved on, Jeremy Metcalfe, Peter Rees, and Patrick Hogan joined the team. Hogan achieved six wins and tied for first in the 2006 championship, ultimately securing second place by way of a tiebreaker, with Team AKA also finishing second in the Teams Championship.
In 2007, Chris Niarchos, founder of the Cobra Group, began sponsoring Team AKA. Having previously been teammates with Kirkaldy at Scuderia Ecosse in the FIA GT Championship, Niarchos partnered with Kirkaldy, leading to the team being rebranded as AKA Cobra. Drivers Adam Christodoulou, Chris Holmes, and Nathan Caratti joined the team alongside the returning Metcalfe. Christodoulou finished fourth in the championship, while Metcalfe secured two wins. AKA Cobra again finished second in the Teams Championship.
Following the 2007 season, Niarchos’s involvement expanded, and the two decided to form their own team to compete in both the FIA GT Championship and the British GT Championship, ending their association with Scuderia Ecosse. The team was renamed CR Scuderia, and they chose to use Ferraris for their grand tourer racing efforts.
Technology lineage
CR Scuderia initially fielded Ferraris in both the FIA GT and British GT Championships. In 2008, the team achieved success across all three series in which it competed – FIA GT, British GT, and Formula Renault. The team then transitioned to focusing on McLaren GT cars, beginning with development work on the McLaren MP4-12C GT3 variant in 2009. The MP4-12C made its competitive debut at Spa-Francorchamps in 2011, achieving a pole position and a fourth-place finish in the British GT Championship. By 2012, CRS Racing concentrated solely on McLaren GT, building and maintaining customer cars for McLaren Automotive.
Driver relationships
James Jakes was a key driver for Team AKA in its early years, achieving success in both British Formula Renault and the Formula Renault 2000 Eurocup. Later, Rob Bell partnered with Kirkaldy in the FIA GT Championship, securing victories at the Bucharest City Challenge in 2008. Chris Goodwin also played a significant role in the development of the McLaren MP4-12C GT3, driving in its early competitive appearances. Other notable drivers who competed for the team included Jeremy Metcalfe, Patrick Hogan, Adam Christodoulou, and Tim Mullen.
Historic peaks and collapses
The 2008 season was a high point for CR Scuderia, with victories in the FIA GT Championship, British GT Championship, and British Formula Renault Championship. Kirkaldy and Bell won both races at the Bucharest City Challenge, while the team secured the British GT Teams Championship. Christodoulou won the British Formula Renault Drivers Championship with seven victories. The team rebranded as CRS Racing in 2009, continuing its efforts in FIA GT and Formula Renault, and also entering the FIA GT3 European Championship.
Current status
As of the corpus’s last update, CRS Racing was focused on supporting McLaren Automotive’s GT program, building and maintaining customer cars. The team continues to be involved with the development of McLaren GT racing variants.
Legacy
CRS Racing played a role in the early development of McLaren’s GT racing program, contributing to the successful introduction of the MP4-12C GT3. The team’s transition from a Formula Renault outfit to a specialist McLaren GT operation demonstrates its adaptability and commitment to sports car racing.
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