Riley & Scott Mk III
| Category | World Sports Car (WSC) Sports Racer 1 (SR1) Le Mans Prototype (LMP) | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Constructor | Riley & Scott | ||||||||
| Designer(s) | Bob and Bill Riley, John Roncz, Rob Passarelli | ||||||||
| Technical specifications | |||||||||
| Chassis | Steel tube frame and carbon composite | ||||||||
| Suspension (front) | Double wishbone suspension, pushrod activated coil springs | ||||||||
| Suspension (rear) | Double wishbone suspension, pushrod activated coil springs | ||||||||
| Engine | Ford V8 Ford-Mader V8 Oldsmobile Aurora V8 Chevrolet V8 BMW M62 V8 Judd GV4 V10 | ||||||||
| Transmission | 5-speed manual | ||||||||
| Tyres | Pirelli Goodyear Yokohama | ||||||||
| Competition history | |||||||||
| Notable entrants | Dyson Racing Doyle Racing Robinson Racing Target 24/R & M Team Rafanelli Solution F | ||||||||
| Debut | 1995 24 Hours of Daytona | ||||||||
| Last season | 2002 | ||||||||
| |||||||||
| Teams' Championships | 6 (IMSA 1997, USRRC 1998, USRRC 1999, Rolex 2000, Rolex 2001, Rolex 2002) | ||||||||
| Constructors' Championships | 3 (USRRC 1999, Rolex 2000, Rolex 2001) | ||||||||
| Drivers' Championships | 8 (IMSA 1996, IMSA 1997, IMSA 1998, USRRC 1998, USRRC 1999, ALMS 1999, Rolex 2000, Rolex 2001) | ||||||||
The Riley & Scott Mark III (Mk III) was a sports prototype auto racing car developed by Bob Riley, Bill Riley and Mark Scott of Riley & Scott Cars Inc. Initially designed in 1993, the car was created for the World Sports Car (WSC) category which was to debut in the North American IMSA GT Championship during their 1994 season. It was not until 1995 that the first Mk III was completed, but the construction of further cars allowed a variety of teams to campaign in several North American and European racing series, including competing at the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
In 1999, Riley & Scott evolved the Mk III's designs in order to adapt to the newer Le Mans Prototype (LMP) regulations which were now used in several series. An all-new third design officially known as the Mark III Series C debuted in 2001 as the final variant developed by the company before they moved on to other programs. Several private teams also made their own modifications to their Mk IIIs in attempts to improve the car's performance to suit their own needs.
The original Mk IIIs were used in competition until the end of 2002, in the process accumulating 47 overall race victories in both North American and Europe, as well as championship titles in the IMSA GT Championship, United States Road Racing Championship, Rolex Sports Car Series and American Le Mans Series. Mk III Cs continued to compete until 2005, although they were never able to achieve victories like their earlier predecessor.