Team story
Origins
Héctor Rebaque had already contested Grands Prix with purchased Lotus cars when he decided to commission a machine bearing his own name. The HR100 was designed by Geoff Ferris and built by Penske at Poole in 1979. The aim was to build on the experience of the customer Lotus 79, not to establish a Mexican single-seater factory.
The Formula 1 journey
Displayed at Zandvoort while still unfinished, the HR100 attempted its debut at Monza without qualifying. In Canada Rebaque secured 22nd on the grid and gained places in the opening laps. After 26 laps he retired with a broken engine mounting.
Another failure to qualify followed at Watkins Glen: three entries produced just one start.
Historical timeline
Three chapters in the story of Rebaque
Three episodes to revisit the people, cars and races that shaped this journey.
First appearance · Canadian Grand Prix
Héctor Rebaque · Canadian Grand Prix 1979. The recorded outcome is DNF. This is the first recorded race start, or the first entry if the team never started a race.
Sporting landmark · Rebaque
No classified race result is documented for this part of Rebaque’s record. The entries and cars listed elsewhere on the page provide the available reference points; they should not be read as completed races.
Latest recorded appearance · Canadian Grand Prix
Héctor Rebaque · Canadian Grand Prix 1979. The recorded outcome is DNF. This is the last race start attributed to this constructor in the archive, not necessarily the end of the organisation behind it.
A distinctive way of racing
The relationship to the Lotus was recognisable, but Ferris changed the sidepods, skirts, front of the monocoque and fuel-tank capacity. The engine remained a Cosworth DFV. The Rebaque constructor must be separated from the Team Rebaque entrant: the point the driver scored in 1978 in a Lotus was not achieved with the HR100.
What remains
The project ended without a classified finish or a second season. Rebaque continued as a driver, joining Brabham during 1980 and staying for 1981. The HR100 retained a place in his personal collection: a concrete attempt to move from customer to constructor, entrusted to experienced engineers but arriving too late to be developed through races.