Sebastián Saavedra(born 2 June 1990) is a Colombian racing driver fromBogotá.In 2014, he drove for KVSH Racing in the VerizonIndyCar Seriesbefore being replaced by formerGP2 SeriesdriverStefano Coletti.
Sebastián Saavedra | |||||||
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Nationality | Colombian | ||||||
Born | Bogotá,Colombia | 2 June 1990||||||
Racing licence | FIA Gold | ||||||
IndyCar Seriescareer | |||||||
63 races run over 7 years | |||||||
Team(s) | No. 17 (Juncos Racing) | ||||||
Best finish | 21st (2013,2014) | ||||||
First race | 2010 Indianapolis 500(Indianapolis) | ||||||
Last race | 2017 Honda Indy Toronto(Toronto) | ||||||
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Previous series | |||||||
2009–10,2012 2008 2008 2007 2006–2007 2006–07 | Indy Lights ATS Formel 3 Cup Austria Formula 3 Cup Formula BMW Pacific Formula BMW USA Formula BMW ADAC | ||||||
Awards | |||||||
2009 | Indy Lights Rookie of the Year |
Racing career
editEarly career
editAfter a childhood inkarting,Saavedra drove inFormula BMWUSA forGelles Racing,finishing 11th in points. He also drove in two races in Formula BMW ADAC and competed in the Formula BMW World Final, finishing 32nd. He was involved in an incident withSergio Pérezwhere Saavedra's car ended up on top of Pérez's in round 6 of 2006 Formula BMW ADAC. Both drivers were black flagged and Saavedra was dropped by his team, Eifelland Racing.[1]In 2007 he switched teams in Formula BMW USA toEurointernationaland captured one win and finished 12th in points despite only competing in 8 of 14 races. He also competed in 6 Formula BMW Asia races capturing 3 wins, two races in Formula BMW ADAC, and finished 4th in the Formula BMW World Final. In 2008 he moved toATS Formel 3 Cupand finished 2nd in points with 3 wins forHS Technik Motorsport.He also competed in a number ofAustria Formula 3 Cupraces and finished 9th in points.
Indy Lights and 2010 Indy 500
editIn 2009 he signed to drive in the AmericanFirestone Indy LightsSeries in2009for defending championship teamAGR-AFS Racingalongside teammateJ. R. Hildebrand.He captured his first Indy Lights win in the fourth race of the season and the first on an oval, atKansas Speedwayin April. In July he won from the pole on thestreets of Toronto.
He returned to the series in2010forBryan Herta Autosportand made hisIndyCar Seriesdebut in the2010 Indianapolis 500driving for the same team.[2]Saavedra was onthe bubbleduring most of qualifying duringbump day,and crashed during practice laps while waiting for other drivers to attempt to qualify. While he was in the hospital being checked out, and with no working car to attempt to re-qualify, Saavedra appeared out of the race whenTony Kanaanbettered his time knocking him out of the field. However, when bothPaul TracyandJay Howardwithdrew their successful qualifying times and failed to re-qualify (both felt they would be knocked out by other drivers if they did not improve), Saavedra improbably ended up back in position thirty-three and in the race when time ran out for attempts.[3]Saavedra crashed out in a single car accident on lap 159 and was credited with 23rd place in the race. The following month, Saavedra captured Bryan Herta Autosport's second Indy Lights win in the AvoidTheStork 100 atIowa Speedway.
On 4 September 2010, Saavedra officially terminated his contract with Bryan Herta Autosport due to the team's inability to meet contract standards after a string of car failures and negative results.
IndyCar Series
editSaavedra competed in theIndyCar Seriesseason finale atHomestead Miami SpeedwayforConquest Racing.He signed on to return to Conquest for the full2011 IndyCar Series seasonin the team's No. 34 car.[4]Driving for the single-car Conquest team, Saavedra's best finish was eleventh in the2011 São Paulo Indy 300.Saavedra failed to qualify for the2011 Indianapolis 500while his one-off teammatePippa Mannqualified for the race. He was replaced in the Conquest car byJoão Paulo de Oliveirafor theMotegi raceandDillon Battistiniat theKentucky Speedway,but returned to the car for the season finale inLas Vegas,which was cancelled afterDan Wheldon's fatal crash. Saavedra finished 25th in the final championship standings.
For 2012 Saavedra returned to AFS Racing/Andretti Autosport to race a full season in Indy Lights and also drove in the IndyCar Series in the2012 Indianapolis 500as well as the series' races atSonoma RacewayandAuto Club Speedway.
For 2014, Saavedra signed withKV Racing Technology,racing under the KV/AFS banner. In the inaugural Grand Prix of Indianapolis, Saavedra qualified 1st with a time of 01:23.8822. He stalled at the start and was struck by the cars ofCarlos MuñozandMikhail Aleshinwhile still stationary. His best result throughout the year was 9th in Long Beach.
In 2015, Saavedra joinedChip Ganassi Racingsplit time in the No. 8 withSage Karam.[5]Saavedra ran the Indy 500 in a fifth car entered by Ganassi with the No. 17. During the race, Saavedra collided withJack Hawksworthand hit the Turn 4 wall. After bouncing off, his car was hit just in front of the driver's cockpit byStefano Coletti.Saavedra was unable to leave the accident under his own power; Saavedra's boot had to be cut off to remove him from the car, after which he was carried by the safety team into an ambulance. Saavedra participated in two more races during the season before being released by Ganassi at season end.
For 2017, Saavedra was signed to drive theIndianapolis 500for the newJuncos Racingteam in the No. 17 car.[6]He placed 15th, matching his career best finish in the 500. Later in the season, Saavedra was signed to drive atTorontoin the No. 7 car forSchmidt Peterson Motorsports,replacingMikhail Aleshinfor the race weekend.[7]
IMSA career
editIn 2019, Saavedra participated onInternational Motor Sports Association(IMSA)24 Hours of Daytonarace, winning the LMP2 class in the #18DragonSpeedOreca 07,piloted byPastor Maldonado,Roberto Gonzalez,Ryan Cullenand himself, overcoming an engine problem which nearly jeopardized his race.
Racing record
editAmerican open–wheel racing results
edit(key)
Indy Lights
editYear | Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | Rank | Points |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2009 | AGR-AFS Racing | STP1 26 |
STP2 2 |
LBH 8 |
KAN 1 |
INDY 5 |
MIL 3 |
IOW 15 |
WGL 18 |
TOR 1 |
EDM 3 |
KTY 2 |
MDO 18 |
SNM 7 |
CHI 6 |
HMS 3 |
3rd | 446 |
2010 | Bryan Herta Autosport | STP 12 |
ALA 3 |
LBH 4 |
INDY 9 |
IOW 1 |
WGL 3 |
TOR 14 |
EDM 6 |
MDO 5 |
SNM 15 |
CHI 11 |
KTY | HMS | 8th | 303 | ||
2012 | AFS Racing Andretti Autosport |
STP 3 |
ALA 1 |
LBH 2 |
INDY 5 |
DET 6 |
MIL 2 |
IOW 13 |
TOR 2 |
EDM 2 |
TRO 9 |
BAL 10 |
FON 14 |
4th | 383 |
IndyCar Series
edit- 1TheLas Vegas Indy 300was abandoned afterDan Wheldondied from injuries sustained in a 15-car crash on lap 11.
Years | Teams | Races | Poles | Wins | Podiums (Non-win) |
Top 10s (Non-podium) |
Indianapolis 500 Wins |
Championships |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
7 | 8 | 63 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 |
Indianapolis 500
editYear | Chassis | Engine | Start | Finish | Team |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
2010 | Dallara | Honda | 32 | 23 | Bryan Herta Autosport |
2011 | Dallara | Honda | DNQ | Conquest Racing | |
2012 | Dallara | Chevrolet | 24 | 26 | Andretti Autosport/AFS Racing |
2013 | Dallara | Chevrolet | 27 | 32 | Dragon Racing |
2014 | Dallara | Chevrolet | 32 | 15 | KV Racing Technology |
2015 | Dallara | Chevrolet | 28 | 23 | Chip Ganassi Racing |
2017 | Dallara | Chevrolet | 31 | 15 | Juncos Racing |
Complete WeatherTech SportsCar Championship
editYear | Entrant | Class | Chassis | Engine | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | Rank | Points | Ref |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2014 | Starworks Motorsport | P | Riley Mk XXVI DP | Dinan(BMW) 5.0 L V8 | DAY 17 |
54th | 16 | [15] | ||||||||||
HondaHR35TT 3.5 L V6 Turbo | SEB 17 |
LBH | LGA | DET | WGL | MOS | IMS | ELK | COA | PET | ||||||||
2018 | AFS/PR1 Mathiasen Motorsports | P | Ligier JS P217 | GibsonGK428 4.2 L V8 | DAY 12 |
SEB 11 |
LBH 11 |
MDO 6 |
DET 8 |
WGL 9 |
MOS 9 |
ELK 13 |
13th | 211 | [16] | |||
Oreca 07 | LGA 8 |
PET 12 |
||||||||||||||||
2019 | DragonSpeed | LMP2 | Oreca 07 | GibsonGK428 4.2 L V8 | DAY 1 |
SEB | MDO | WGL | MOS | ELK | LGA | PET | 8th | 35 | [17] | |||
Source:[18] |
Complete Global RallyCross Championship results
editSupercar
editYear | Entrant | Car | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | GRC | Points |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2016 | AD Racing | Ford Fiesta ST | PHO1 11 |
PHO2 11 |
DAL DNS |
DAY1 WD |
DAY2 WD |
MCAS1 | MCAS2 C |
DC | AC | SEA | LA1 | LA2 | 20th | 3 |
References
edit- ^Venkatesh, Tejas (15 May 2023)."When Sergio Perez Almost Lost His Life Due to Erratic Driving From a Competitor".thesportsrush.Retrieved2 August2023.
- ^Bryan Herta Autosport to contest Indy 500,AutoWeek,24 February 2010, Retrieved 7 March 2010
- ^Kanaan crashes again at practice, still makes cut at IndyCBSSports 23 May 2010
- ^Saavedra Joins Conquest For 2011Archived16 July 2011 at theWayback Machine,Speed,14 March 2011, Retrieved 15 March 2011
- ^Glendenning, Mark (14 April 2015)."Sage Karam, Sebastian Saavedra to share fourth Ganassi Indycar".Autosport.Haymarket Publications.Retrieved14 April2015.
- ^"Saavedra confirmed in Juncos' second 500 entry".Racer.Racer Media & Marketing, Inc. 10 May 2017. Archived fromthe originalon 10 May 2017.Retrieved15 May2017.
- ^Malsher, David (13 July 2017)."Aleshin replaced by Saavedra for Toronto".Motorsport.Motorsport Network.Archived fromthe originalon 29 July 2017.Retrieved28 July2017.
- ^"Sebastián Saavedra – 2010 IZOD IndyCar Series Results".Racing-Reference.NASCAR Digital Media, LLC.Retrieved1 August2023.
- ^"Sebastián Saavedra – 2011 IZOD IndyCar Series Results".Racing-Reference.NASCAR Digital Media, LLC.Retrieved1 August2023.
- ^"Sebastián Saavedra – 2012 IZOD IndyCar Series Results".Racing-Reference.NASCAR Digital Media, LLC.Retrieved1 August2023.
- ^"Sebastián Saavedra – 2013 IZOD IndyCar Series Results".Racing-Reference.NASCAR Digital Media, LLC.Retrieved1 August2023.
- ^"Sebastián Saavedra – 2014 Verizon IndyCar Series Results".Racing-Reference.NASCAR Digital Media, LLC.Retrieved1 August2023.
- ^"Sebastián Saavedra – 2015 Verizon IndyCar Series Results".Racing-Reference.NASCAR Digital Media, LLC.Retrieved1 August2023.
- ^"Sebastián Saavedra – 2017 Verizon IndyCar Series Results".Racing-Reference.NASCAR Digital Media, LLC.Retrieved1 August2023.
- ^"Sebastián Saavedra – 2014 Tudor United SportsCar Championship Results".Racing-Reference.NASCAR Digital Media, LLC.Retrieved21 March2024.
- ^"Sebastián Saavedra – 2018 Weathertech SportsCar Championship Results".Racing-Reference.NASCAR Digital Media, LLC.Retrieved21 March2024.
- ^"Sebastián Saavedra – 2019 Weathertech SportsCar Championship Results".Racing-Reference.NASCAR Digital Media, LLC.Retrieved21 March2024.
- ^"Sebastián Saavedra Results".Motorsport Stats.Retrieved21 March2024.