The Beginning

Team Ecosse was established in the summer of 1996 by Alan Strang, who had just completed his debut season in the Internet Amiga F1GP Championship (IAF1GPC) as teammate to eventual Ace champion Oliver Roberts. Why was it called Team Ecosse? The reason is simple - the founder is Scottish! But it is more than that. It became apparent to Strang during the 1995/96 season that the Constructors' Championship was very much a poor relation of the Drivers' Championship - there were very few two-driver outfits in existence, and those that there were seemed to only be in it for a laugh. By creating a Scottish-only operation, Strang hoped that a certain something would be added to the championship.

The 1996/97 Season

Having created the team, the next step was to find another Scotsman to be the second driver. The difficulty with this was there weren't actually that many to choose from. There was Steven Leary (who had made quite an impact with his Cambusters team when it arrived on the scene at Silverstone the previous year) but he had disappeared almost as quickly as he had appeared. The only other possibility was Paul Branney - a newcomer to the IAF1GPC. Thankfully he accepted the offer, and so Team Ecosse started the season with two Scottish drivers.

Early signs were mixed. While Strang was capable of getting decent qualifying positions and the occasional Top 6 finish, Branney struggled to find his feet and regularly started (and finished) races at the back of the grid. A severe lack of testing for both drivers didn't help, and results in general tailed away as the season progressed. Although nothing much had been expected from its debut season, this was a difficult time for Team Ecosse, and things came to a head when Branney failed to appear for the penultimate race of the season. To ensure two drivers for Adelaide, Strang rather impulsively ditched the team's Scots only rule and signed Scott Dryden - a rookie driver who had only joined the championship at the Spanish GP. The team ultimately finished 4th in the Constructors' Championship, the only highlights of the season being Strang's second place at Interlagos and pole at Silverstone.

The 1997/98 Season

Team Ecosse used the same driver line-up for its second season as it had finished its first, and hopes were high of securing 3rd place in the championship. While Dryden struggled for most of the season to match his more experienced teammate, the signs were there by the end that he was definately improving. The reverse was the case for Strang - once again his performances worryingly worsened after an impressive start to the season. Having said that, the early withdrawal of FORT-Jiuqi allowed Team Ecosse to comfortably take 3rd place in the Constructors' Championship and fulfil its target. So, despite many frustrations, this was a better season for the team, highlights being Strang's three pole positions and three podium finishes.

The 1997/98 season also saw Team Ecosse compete outwith of IAF1GPC for the first time. Team owner Strang entered Class D of the Grand Prix 2 Little Formula Racing Series (LFRS) towards the end of the season, competing in six of the final seven events.

The 1998/99 Season

As Team Ecosse entered its third season, the team underwent a rapid expansion that saw six drivers competing in various series and championships.

The introduction of three-car teams to the IAF1GPC Ace series saw Strang sign the experienced Spanish driver Ignacio Cuadrado to race alongside himself and Dryden. In addition, Team Ecosse moved into the IAF1GPC Pro series with USA's Ron Vance as No. 1 driver. His teammate was Branney, making a return to the team with whom he raced in 1996/97. The season was a disappointment, however. Poor administration caused much frustration throughout the series, and it came as no surprise when the team announced its withdrawal from the championship after the tenth round. The team finished the season in 5th place in both Ace and Pro championships, with a total of six podiums to its name.

Team Ecosse also returned to the LFRS championship, with Peter Craig joining fellow-Scot Strang in Class C. Hopes were high of some strong finishes, but by the third race Strang had decided that competing in both IAF1GPC and LFRS was stretching resources somewhat.

The End?

Following its withdrawal from both IAF1GPC and LFRS championships, it would have been understandable to suggest that the team was dead. This was not the case, however. It was always Strang's intention to relaunch its quest for total racing simulation domination when the time was right...