Norma Auto Concept

Norma was founded by Norbert Santos and Marc Doucet in 1984 and initially designed and built only cars for the French Hillclimbing championship. After success in the hillclimbing scene, Santos and Doucet decided to build a Group C car, the Norma M6. This car was fitted with an experimental MGN (Moteur Guy Nègre) W12 engine. The Norma M6 was entered in the 1990 24 Hours of Le Mans with drivers Daniel Boccard, Norbert Santos and Noël del Bello. The car failed to qualify and was not entered in any other race. Norma's second attempt at Le Mans came in 1995. The Buick powered Norma M14 prequalified 23rd overall and did not qualify to race at the 1995 24 Hours of Le Mans. The car saw a comeback in 1999 when it was entered in the 1999 24 Hours of Daytona. The Norma qualified 26th overall and did not finish the race due to an exhaust failure.{{cite web|title=1999 24 Hours of Daytona|url=http://www.racingsportscars.com/results/Daytona-1999-01-31.html|work=Racing Sports Cars|access-date=18 May 2013}}

{{ infobox motor racing team

| name = {{flagicon|FRA}} Norma Auto Concept

| logo =

| founded = 1997

| state =

| principal =

| former series = French Formula Renault Championship

| drivers = {{flagicon|FRA}} Renaud Malinconi
{{flagicon|FRA}} Stéphane Gautré

| driver titles =

| team titles =

| folded = 1999

}}

File:DZ Norma.jpg racing a Norma M20F at Jarama in the V de V series]]

Between 1997 and 1999 Norma Auto Concept entered the French Formula Renault Championship, as a team, not a constructor. In 1997 Norma entered Renaud Malinconi driving a Martini MK76. Malinconi finished eighth in the final standings achieving two podium finishes.{{cite web|title=Championnat de France Formule Renault 1997|url=http://www.driverdb.com/standings/146-1997/|work=DriverDB.com|access-date=20 May 2013}} More success in Formula Renault came in 1999 with Stéphane Gautré driving a Martini MK77. Achieving one win and four podium finishes he ended up fourth in the standings.{{cite web|title=Championnat de France Formule Renault 1999|url=http://www.driverdb.com/standings/146-1999/|work=DriverDB.com|access-date=20 May 2013}} With the introduction of the spec Tatuus Formula Renault in 2000 Norma ceased their Formula Renault activities.

File:PRCCN07 NormaM20F SportsCarChallenge Hockenheim 2010.jpg

A more successful prototype came in 2000, the Norma M2000. This car raced in 2000 thru to 2003. The car was solely entered by Sezio Florida Racing Team and saw a best result of 3rd. In 2001 and 2002 the car entered full-time in the Rolex Sports Car Series The team made four attempts to start at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, they succeeded in their last attempt in 2003. They started 36th overall but did not finish due to an engine failure, 8 hours, 39 minutes in the race.{{cite web|title=2003 24 Hours of Le Mans|url=http://www.racingsportscars.com/results/Le_Mans-2003-06-15.html|work=Racing Sports Cars|access-date=18 May 2013}} For the design of the Norma M2000 Santos and Doucet were joined by Edouard Sézionale who would also accompany them with the design of the Group CN cars.

After their Le Mans experience Norma designed and built Group CN prototypes starting with the Norma M20. Norma produced 30 Norma M20 cars in 2003 and 2004. Norma continues to develop the Norma M20, the current Norma M20 FC is entered in the V de V, Speed EuroSeries and other sportsracing series. A Norma has won the V de V Prototype Endurance Challenge in 2009, 2010, 2011 and 2012. Anthony Gandon achieved a second place in the Speed EuroSeries ranking driving a Norma M20 FC in 2012. Another attempt at Le Mans was made in 2010.{{cite web|title=Norma M200P|url=http://www.racingsportscars.com/type/results/Norma/M200P.html|work=Racing Sports Cars|access-date=18 May 2013}} The Pegasus Racing entered a Norma M200P, but it did not finish the race. The following season the car was taken over by Extreme Limite which entered in the Le Mans Series and the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 2011 and 2012. The best finish for the car was a fifth place at the 6 Hours of Estoril in 2011.

In 2014, Romain Dumas won the Pikes Peak hill climb in the Norma M20 "RD Limited", developed specifically for the event.{{cite web|title=Pikes Peak : Romain Dumas winner of the race to the clouds!|url=http://www.romaindumas.com/en/pikes-peak-romain-dumas-winner-of-the-race-to-the-clouds/|website=romaindumas.com|publisher=Romain Dumas|access-date=26 August 2014|archive-date=27 June 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180627091155/http://www.romaindumas.com/en/pikes-peak-romain-dumas-winner-of-the-race-to-the-clouds/|url-status=dead}} Driving in the Unlimited class, Dumas finished in a time of 9:05.801. Dumas won once again two years later with the 2016 specification of M20 RD Limited with the time of 8:51:445.{{cite web|title=Pikes Peak : Romain Dumas historic two-time winner at Pikes Peak!|url=http://www.romaindumas.com/en/romain-dumas-historic-two-time-winner-at-pikes-peak/|website=romaindumas.com|publisher=Romain Dumas|access-date=28 June 2016|archive-date=7 July 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160707183419/http://www.romaindumas.com/en/romain-dumas-historic-two-time-winner-at-pikes-peak/|url-status=dead}}

In 2014 Norma entered into FIA European Hill Climb Championship with type Norma M20 FC Zytec (3L naturally-aspirated V8 engine). Italian driver Simone Faggioli (with direct factory support) won the championship for Category 2 (Competition Cars - single seater, sport-prototypes and silhouettes) in 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2019. Simone Faggioli and Norma created a lot of track records and registered indelibly in the history of this series.

Starting in 2014, Jim Devenport drove a Norma M20FC with a Honda K20 2 liter engine to a 3rd-place finish at the Runoffs at Laguna Seca in the class Prototype 1. In 2015, same car and driver finished 2nd at the Daytona Runoffs. In 2016, a new lighter weight M20FC was driven by Jim Devenport to first place at the Runoffs in P1 at Mid-Ohio giving Norma its first Runoffs victory.{{Cite web |title=Devenport Outlasts Prototype 1 Field for Maiden National Championship |url=https://www.scca.com/articles/2002828-devenport-outlasts-prototype-1-field-for-maiden-national-championship |access-date=2022-06-23 |website=Sports Car Club of America |date=23 September 2016 |language=en}}

{{citation style|date=April 2018}}

{{Reflist}}

• [http://www.norma-auto-concept.com/ Norma Auto Concept]

{{Norma Auto Concept}}

Category:Automotive motorsports and performance companies

Category:French racecar constructors

Category:Car manufacturers of France

Category:Manufacturing companies established in 1984

Category:Formula Renault teams

Category:French auto racing teams

Category:Auto racing teams established in 1997

Category:Auto racing teams disestablished in 1999