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Sebastián Saavedra

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Sebastián Saavedra
Sebastian Saavedra at the 2011 Indy 500
NationalityColombia Colombian
Born (1990-06-02) 2 June 1990 (age 34)
Bogotá, Colombia
Racing licence FIA Gold
IndyCar Series career
63 races run over 7 years
Team(s)No. 17 (Juncos Racing)
Best finish21st (2013, 2014)
First race2010 Indianapolis 500 (Indianapolis)
Last race2017 Honda Indy Toronto (Toronto)
Wins Podiums Poles
0 0 1
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
2009Indy Lights Rookie of the Year

Sebastián Saavedra (born 2 June 1990) is a Colombian racing driver from Bogotá. In 2014, he drove for KVSH Racing in the Verizon IndyCar Series before being replaced by former GP2 Series driver Stefano Coletti.

Racing career

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Early career

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After a childhood in karting, Saavedra drove in Formula BMW USA for Gelles 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 with Sergio Pérez where 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 to Eurointernational and 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 to ATS Formel 3 Cup and finished 2nd in points with 3 wins for HS Technik Motorsport. He also competed in a number of Austria Formula 3 Cup races and finished 9th in points.

Indy Lights and 2010 Indy 500

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In 2009 he signed to drive in the American Firestone Indy Lights Series in 2009 for defending championship team AGR-AFS Racing alongside teammate J. R. Hildebrand. He captured his first Indy Lights win in the fourth race of the season and the first on an oval, at Kansas Speedway in April. In July he won from the pole on the streets of Toronto.

Saavedra at the 2015 Indianapolis 500

He returned to the series in 2010 for Bryan Herta Autosport and made his IndyCar Series debut in the 2010 Indianapolis 500 driving for the same team.[2] Saavedra was on the bubble during most of qualifying during bump 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 when Tony Kanaan bettered his time knocking him out of the field. However, when both Paul Tracy and Jay Howard withdrew 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.com 100 at Iowa 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

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Saavedra competed in the IndyCar Series season finale at Homestead Miami Speedway for Conquest Racing. He signed on to return to Conquest for the full 2011 IndyCar Series season in the team's No. 34 car.[4] Driving for the single-car Conquest team, Saavedra's best finish was eleventh in the 2011 São Paulo Indy 300. Saavedra failed to qualify for the 2011 Indianapolis 500 while his one-off teammate Pippa Mann qualified for the race. He was replaced in the Conquest car by João Paulo de Oliveira for the Motegi race and Dillon Battistini at the Kentucky Speedway, but returned to the car for the season finale in Las Vegas, which was cancelled after Dan 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 the 2012 Indianapolis 500 as well as the series' races at Sonoma Raceway and Auto Club Speedway.

For 2014, Saavedra signed with KV 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 of Carlos Muñoz and Mikhail Aleshin while still stationary. His best result throughout the year was 9th in Long Beach.

Saavedra driving at the Grand Prix of Long Beach

In 2015, Saavedra joined Chip Ganassi Racing split time in the No. 8 with Sage Karam.[5] Saavedra ran the Indy 500 in a fifth car entered by Ganassi with the No. 17. During the race, Saavedra collided with Jack Hawksworth and hit the Turn 4 wall. After bouncing off, his car was hit just in front of the driver's cockpit by Stefano 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 the Indianapolis 500 for the new Juncos Racing team 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 at Toronto in the No. 7 car for Schmidt Peterson Motorsports, replacing Mikhail Aleshin for the race weekend.[7]

IMSA career

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In 2019, Saavedra participated on International Motor Sports Association (IMSA) 24 Hours of Daytona race, winning the LMP2 class in the #18 DragonSpeed Oreca 07, piloted by Pastor Maldonado, Roberto Gonzalez, Ryan Cullen and himself, overcoming an engine problem which nearly jeopardized his race.

Racing record

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American open–wheel racing results

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(key)

Indy Lights

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Year 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

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Year Team Chassis No. Engine 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 Rank Points Ref
2010 Bryan Herta Autosport Dallara IR-05 29 Honda SAO STP ALA LBH KAN INDY
23 		TXS IOW WGL TOR EDM MDO SNM CHI KTY MOT 33rd 29 [8]
Conquest Racing 36 HMS
16
2011 34 STP
13 		ALA
26 		LBH
14 		SAO
11 		INDY
DNQ 		TXS
28 		TXS
29 		MIL
23 		IOW
20 		TOR
25 		EDM
16 		MDO
27 		NHM
15 		SNM
14 		BAL
13 		MOT KTY LVS1
C 		25th 178 [9]
2012 Andretti Autosport Dallara DW12 17 Chevrolet STP ALA LBH SAO INDY
26 		DET TXS MIL IOW TOR EDM MDO SNM
15 		BAL FON
21 		27th 41 [10]
2013 Dragon Racing 6 STP
20 		ALA
20 		LBH
27 		SAO
19 		INDY
32 		DET
22 		DET
10 		TXS
14 		MIL
13 		IOW
19 		POC
23 		TOR
16 		TOR
15 		MDO
19 		SNM
21 		BAL
8 		HOU
14 		HOU
12 		FON
24 		21st 236 [11]
2014 KV Racing Technology 17 STP
11 		LBH
9 		ALA
18 		IMS
23 		INDY
15 		DET
14 		DET
22 		TXS
17 		HOU
15 		HOU
17 		POC
15 		IOW
17 		TOR
19 		TOR
21 		MDO
20 		MIL
18 		SNM
16 		FON
17 		21st 291 [12]
2015 Chip Ganassi Racing 8 STP NLA LBH
10 		ALA IMS
17 		DET DET TXS TOR
16 		FON MIL IOW MDO POC SNM
13 		25th 95 [13]
17 INDY
23
2017 Juncos Racing 17 STP LBH ALA PHX IMS INDY
15 		DET DET TXS ROA IOW 26th 80 [14]
Schmidt Peterson Motorsports 7 Honda TOR
11 		MDO POC
21 		GTW
11 		WGL SNM
1 The Las Vegas Indy 300 was abandoned after Dan Wheldon died 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

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Year 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

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Year 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]
Honda HR35TT 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 Gibson GK428 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 Gibson GK428 4.2 L V8 DAY
1 		SEB MDO WGL MOS ELK LGA PET 8th 35 [17]
Source:[18]

Complete Global RallyCross Championship results

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Supercar

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Year 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

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  1. ^ Venkatesh, Tejas (15 May 2023). "When Sergio Perez Almost Lost His Life Due to Erratic Driving From a Competitor". thesportsrush.com. Retrieved 2 August 2023.
  2. ^ Bryan Herta Autosport to contest Indy 500, AutoWeek, 24 February 2010, Retrieved 7 March 2010
  3. ^ Kanaan crashes again at practice, still makes cut at Indy CBSSports.com 23 May 2010
  4. ^ Saavedra Joins Conquest For 2011 Archived 16 July 2011 at the Wayback Machine, Speed, 14 March 2011, Retrieved 15 March 2011
  5. ^ Glendenning, Mark (14 April 2015). "Sage Karam, Sebastian Saavedra to share fourth Ganassi Indycar". Autosport.com. Haymarket Publications. Retrieved 14 April 2015.
  6. ^ "Saavedra confirmed in Juncos' second 500 entry". Racer.com. Racer Media & Marketing, Inc. 10 May 2017. Archived from the original on 10 May 2017. Retrieved 15 May 2017.
  7. ^ Malsher, David (13 July 2017). "Aleshin replaced by Saavedra for Toronto". Motorsport.com. Motorsport Network. Archived from the original on 29 July 2017. Retrieved 28 July 2017.
  8. ^ "Sebastián Saavedra – 2010 IZOD IndyCar Series Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved 1 August 2023.
  9. ^ "Sebastián Saavedra – 2011 IZOD IndyCar Series Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved 1 August 2023.
  10. ^ "Sebastián Saavedra – 2012 IZOD IndyCar Series Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved 1 August 2023.
  11. ^ "Sebastián Saavedra – 2013 IZOD IndyCar Series Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved 1 August 2023.
  12. ^ "Sebastián Saavedra – 2014 Verizon IndyCar Series Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved 1 August 2023.
  13. ^ "Sebastián Saavedra – 2015 Verizon IndyCar Series Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved 1 August 2023.
  14. ^ "Sebastián Saavedra – 2017 Verizon IndyCar Series Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved 1 August 2023.
  15. ^ "Sebastián Saavedra – 2014 Tudor United SportsCar Championship Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved 21 March 2024.
  16. ^ "Sebastián Saavedra – 2018 Weathertech SportsCar Championship Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved 21 March 2024.
  17. ^ "Sebastián Saavedra – 2019 Weathertech SportsCar Championship Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved 21 March 2024.
  18. ^ "Sebastián Saavedra Results". Motorsport Stats. Retrieved 21 March 2024.
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