Rebellion Racing began in 2008 as a partnership between Speedy Racing Team and Sebah Automotive, initially using Lola chassis in the LMP2 class before moving to LMP1 in 2009. In 2011, Rebellion announced an engine supply partnership with Toyota Motorsport GmbH. Following the end of Lola’s operations at the end of 2012, obtaining parts for Rebellion’s existing B12/80 cars became increasingly difficult.
Towards the end of 2013, Rebellion negotiated a deal with Oreca for a LMP1-spec car for the 2014 season. Oreca Technical Director David Floury stated the car was designed “in record time.” Testing began in April 2014, and the R-One was not ready for the first race of the FIA World Endurance Championship season, the 6 Hours of Silverstone, so Rebellion used their existing Lola B12/80s for that race.
The 2014 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps marked the public debut of the Rebellion R-One. Both cars experienced teething issues. As the only entrants in the privateer LMP1-L class, the team was guaranteed a class win. Car number 12 qualified 12th on the grid, while car 13 failed to set a time and started at the back. Car number 12, driven by Nicolas Prost, Nick Heidfeld and Mathias Beche, climbed five positions to finish seventh overall, ten laps behind the winning Toyota hybrid. The No. 13 car retired after 47 laps due to electrical problems.
Note: Rebellion Racing used Lola B12/60s during the 2014 6 Hours of Silverstone.
For the 2015 season, the car underwent an engine change, switching to an Advanced Engine Research 2.4L twin-turbo V6. This necessitated extensive revisions to the chassis, causing the team to miss the first two races of the season for modification and testing. The new engine resulted in a revised cooling layout with dual heat exchangers, a new transmission, and a distinctive split airbox located further back on the engine cover. The split was necessary because the airbox’s location required the mandatory fin to pass through its centre. The revised car was tested at Paul Ricard in France at the end of May and was expected to participate in the Le Mans 24 Hours.
The Rebellion team retained the Advanced Engine Research 2.4L twin-turbo V6 engines and switched from Michelin to Dunlop tyres. Nick Heidfeld, Nicolas Prost and Nelson Piquet Jr. drove the #12 car, with Mathias Beche appearing only in round 4. Dominik Kraihamer, Alexandre Imperatori and Mathéo Tuscher drove the #13 car. From the 2016 6 Hours of Mexico round onward, the team ran only one car – the #13 entry.
The source for this article is a Wikipedia article titled “Rebellion R-One” as of April 29, 2026. Primary archives, autobiographies, period programmes, and specialist publications were not consulted.