Katzev Engineering
| Katzev Engineering | |
| Owner | Ivan Katzev |
| Series Competed In | TM Master Cup Series (2010-18) |
| Manufacturer(s) | Katzev |
| Race Wins | 4? |
| Championships | 0 |
| Current Drivers | N/A |
| Notable Former Drivers | Yuliya Nosova Woody Watts Jose Luis Martinez Yevgeny Kuznetsov Carlos Roqueta |
| Team | |
Katzev Engineering was a Russian TM Master Cup Series team, active in the series from 2010 through 2018. Katzev was one of a few privateer chassis constructors, since it does not build road cars. It was largely believed that they joined the series to support Yuliya Nosova's career.
Katzev debuted in 2010, fielding three Katzev KE01 cars driven by Nosova, Russian rookie Vladimir Simonov, and American Woody Watts. The car was fitted with a Calton-Morel engine from Hodges-Walter Racing, and the team performed decently in the midfield. They were the only full-time team to compete in their home race, due to the scheduling conflict with the Round of Alabama. Nosova gave the team their first victory against a field consisting primarily of local one-off entrants.
Nosova returned for 2011, with Mikhail Pulyakov starting the season in the second car before being replaced by a rotation of drivers. Unlike the KE01, the KE02 used an in-house engine for most of the season, which proved uncompetitive. For the Karjala Grand Prix, Katzev went back to the Calton-Morel engines and immediately ran towards the front. The KE02 was also fielded by International Motor Sport in the ARLA Elite Series, who gave Katzev their second win as a manfacturer. This suggested that the chassis itself was competitive if fitted with a different engine (ARLA used a normally-aspirated V8 while the TM Master Cup Series uses turbocharged V6 engines).
The team apparently learned from their past mistakes, and used Bolden engines in the KE03. Nosova and Jose Luis Martinez were signed as the two drivers, with Vladimir Simonov again standing by to fill the role of third driver. Nosova took home the team's second win in the Round of France, with Martinez a close second.
Martinez was replaced for 2013 with ARLA fan favorite Yevgeny Kuznetsov as the team continued to pick up the pace. Nosova brought the team another victory in the Round of Russia, but was surprisingly released after the Round of Colorado, reportedly due to funding issues. TM Mexico front-runner Carlos Roqueta and Dan Mackay filled out the schedule, with Roqueta showing impressive speed and clinching the seat for 2014, while Nosova moved on to Lynxe Racing.
In 2014, Katzev pulled off another 1-2 finish in the Round of Quincy, with Roqueta holding off Kuznetsov for the team's first victory on an oval. In spite of their great strides, however, continued funding issues caught up to Katzev by the end of the 2018 season. Prior to 2019, former Master Cup champion Tony Durbin purchased a majority ownership, rebranding the team as New Liberty Racing. Durbin will make his return to full-time Master Cup competition alongside Kuznetsov.