Access Motorsports
Short-lived IndyCar team founded by 1999 champion Greg Ray.
Access Motorsports was an American IndyCar team that ran for two seasons, starting in 2003. Greg Ray, the 1999 IRL champion, founded the team after he couldn't secure a ride for that year. Ray acted as both owner and driver, debuting at the Indianapolis 500 and finishing 15th in the final standings. That season, Access was the only squad using a G-Force chassis paired with a Honda engine, which was also Honda’s first year in the series.
The combination wasn’t fast—Ray’s best finish was 8th and his top qualifying spot was 5th—but it was dependable, with just one retirement in thirteen races. The 2004 season proved far more erratic. After a sponsorship deal with Renovac fell through before the Indy 500, the team ran two races without backing, skipped Kansas, and then brought in rookie Mark Taylor as driver for the rest of the year. Despite three 7th-place finishes, the team could not find sponsorship for 2005 and shut down, leading Ray to retire from open-wheel racing.
Quick Facts
- Owners
- Greg Ray, Ted Bitting
- Base
- Indianapolis, Indiana
- Series
- IndyCar Series
- Drivers
- Greg Ray, Mark Taylor
- Manufacturer
- G-Force
- Opened
- 2003
- Closed
- 2004
- Debut
- 2003 Indianapolis 500
Facts from the source article.
Background
The 2004 season was much less consistent for the team, both on and off the track. Despite a sponsorship deal from Renovac and a front-row start at the third race at Motegi, the team struggled in the first three races and Renovac withdrew its sponsorship prior to the 2004 Indianapolis 500. Ray was fortunate enough to sign a one-race deal with Rent-A-Center, but for the next two races at Texas and Richmond the team was forced to race without sponsorship.
This took an economic toll on the team, and as a result they were forced to skip the following race at Kansas. The team was able to scrape together another sponsorship deal for the rest of the season, and as a result Ray stepped away from the driver's seat and handed it to rookie Mark Taylor. Once again, the team struggled for results, although it did score a best finish of 7th place three times, one by Ray and two by Taylor. But despite Ray's best efforts to find sponsorship for the 2005 season, none was forthcoming. As a result, the team shut down before the start of the season and Ray officially retired from open-wheel racing.
Did You Know?
- Access Motorsports was the only team in 2003 to run a G-Force chassis with a Honda engine, and it was Honda's debut season in the series.
- The team's car had only one DNF out of thirteen starts in 2003.
- Greg Ray qualified as high as 5th and finished no higher than 8th in 2003.
- Rookie Mark Taylor drove for the team in the latter part of 2004, scoring two of the team's three 7th-place finishes.
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