Reynard Motorsport

Reynard 02S

The Reynard 02S was a Le Mans Prototype race car built by Reynard Motorsport in 2002. Intended to replace the failed Reynard 2KQ prototype, the 02S would end up becoming the final new design from Reynard as the company went bankrupt prior to the project's completion. International Racing Management bought the rights to the 02S project and would complete the car under the name DBA4 03S. In 2004, Zytek would be tasked with building more chassis, which would be sold under the name Zytek 04S before being upgraded to the Zytek 06S. A further alternative was created by Creation Autosportif in 2006, named the Creation CA06/H. Some of the chassis continue to be used, although they have been extensively modified from the original Reynard designs.

Text from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0).

All Reynard Motorsport 02S data: UK builds, safety, recalls, model years →

Development

In 2000 Reynard had introduced the 2KQ prototype to customers with mixed success. The car was plagued with aerodynamic problems that led to many customers quickly moving on to better chassis. Even after an attempt to modify the 2KQ with an upgrade package in 2001 called the 01Q, Reynard decided that an all new car was necessary. At the same time, the Automobile Club de l'Ouest (ACO), organizers of the 24 Hours of Le Mans, had reorganized the Le Mans Prototype classifications with the creation of the LMP900 and LMP675 classes. Due to similarities in the design characteristics of LMP900 and LMP675 chassis, Reynard set about designing a chassis that could run in either class, dependent upon ballast and the type of engine installed. However the car was originally built around the use of a Zytek ZG348 V8, built to the LMP675 maximum size of 3400 cc. A new sequential gearbox built by Ricardo would integrate a paddle-shift system on the steering wheel that was designed specifically for the 02S. The bodywork of the 02S, designed by Will Phillips, would be very low in design with a tall rear wing set to the maximum allowable height. IRM and RN Motorsport. When Reynard went bankrupt, International Racing Management (IRM) bought the rights to the 02S designs as well as the unfinished chassis. The project was initially offered to the Japanese team YGK with the belief that the car would be renamed as YGK 02S, but they passed on further developing the car. RN Motorsport would eventually become part of the project, and following its debut under the Reynard guise at the 2002 Petit Le Mans, the car would be renamed a DBA4 03S (later shortened to simply DBA 03S). Carsten Rae, co-owner of RN Motorsport, chose the DBA name in honor of the newspaper he owned, Den Blå Avis. Very little was

Racing history

=== RN Motorsport === Following the completion of the initial Reynard 02S chassis, RN Motorsport chose the 2002 Petit Le Mans as their first competitive outing, in an attempt to prove the capabilities of the chassis. The car managed to qualify tenth overall and third in the LMP675 in the 48 car field, behind a pair of MG-Lola EX257s. RN Motorsport drivers John Nielsen and Casper Elgaard managed to last six hours before cooling problems put the car out of the race. To begin 2003, the team remained in America for the 12 Hours of Sebring, qualifying fifth overall and on the LMP675 pole, but breaking a gearbox after only 73 laps in the race. Returning to Europe, RN Motorsport would concentrate on the FIA Sportscar Championship, where the renamed DBA4 03S would compete in the premiere SR1 class. With John Nielsen being joined by Hayanari Shimoda and Andy Wallace, the car managed a victory at Oschersleben and second at Estoril. However budgetary concerns forced the team to miss several rounds, leaving them to finish the season third in the championship. RN Motorsport also brought the DBA4 03S to the 24 Hours of Le Mans, where they took the LMP675 class pole. RN Motorsports would be amongst only three LMP675s that would finish the race, with the team taking second in class, although they were 31 laps behind the winning LMP675 class car and ranked a distant 23rd overall. Creation Autosportif. Following the end of RN Motorsport, the lone DBA4 03S chassis would be purchased by Creation Autosportif as the team moved to the new Le Mans Series in 2004. The team employed Jamie Campbell-Walter and Nicolas Minassian, who managed to score third-place finishes that initial season, earning the team fourth in the LMP1 championship behind a trio of Audi R8s. The team also chose to fly to th

Chassis

In total, only three cars using the original Reynard design were completed. The fourth chassis shared many elements from the Reynard design, but was also altered to meet hybrid regulations. The newer Zytek 07S and Creation CA07 no longer share anything mechanical with Reynard chassis and are considered different designs. Each chassis, the name it raced under, and the teams that ran it are listed below: Chassis #01 Reynard 02S RN Motorsport (2002) DBA4 03S/DBA 03S RN Motorsport (2003) Creation Autosportif (2004–2005) Creation CA06/H Creation Autosportif (2006) Autocon Motorsports (2007) Chassis #02 Zytek 04S Team Jota (2004–2005) Creation CA06/H Creation Autosportif (2006) Intersport Racing (2007) Chassis #03 Zytek 04S Zytek Engineering (2004–2005) Zytek 05S Hitotsuyama Racing (2006–2007) Chassis #04 Reynard 02S Reynard Engineering (2002) Zytek 04S Zytek Engineering (2004) Zytek 06S Zytek Engineering (2006)

Sections adapted from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0); text is shortened. Read the full article for the complete history and citations.

More photos

Sources

Wikidata — https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q3428896CC0 1.0 · retrieved 2026-10-01
Wikipedia — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reynard_02SCC BY-SA 4.0 · Text © Wikipedia contributors; revision 1360169861 · retrieved 2026-10-01
Wikimedia Commons — https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Zytek_04S.jpgCC BY 2.0 · Photo: mark rider from essex, uk · retrieved 2026-10-01
Car Model Index — https://models.autoculturesociety.com/Compiled record. Sources that do not permit reuse are not copied; this index is credited instead.