Agustín Canapino facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Agustín Canapino
Canapino in 2023
Nationality	Argentine
Born	Agustín Hugo Canapino (1990-01-19) 19 January 1990 (age 35) Arrecifes, Argentina
IndyCar Series career
28 races run over 2 years
Team(s)	No. 78 (Juncos Hollinger Racing)
Best finish	21st (2023)
First race	2023 Grand Prix of St. Petersburg (St. Petersburg)
Last race	2024 Honda Indy Toronto (Exhibition Place)
Wins Podiums Poles 0 0 0
Championship titles
2007 2008 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2016, 2017 2010, 2017, 2018, 2019 2016, 2021	Renault Megane Cup Argentina TC Pista Argentina Top Race V6 Turismo Carretera Súper TC2000

Agustín Hugo Canapino (born 19 January 1990) is a famous Argentine racing driver. He recently raced for Juncos Hollinger Racing in the IndyCar Series. Agustín has raced in many different series. He has had great success in Argentina's Turismo Carretera (TC) series.

Agustín Canapino's Racing Journey

Agustín Canapino won his first TC 2000 race in 2011.

Starting His Career in Touring Cars

Agustín Canapino began racing in 2005. He started in the Renault Mégane series, which uses only one type of car. He won races in 2006 and then won the championship in 2007. That same year, he started racing in TC 2000. The next year, he joined Top Race and TC Pista. TC Pista is a championship that helps drivers get ready for Turismo Carretera. He won the TC Pista championship in 2008.

In 2010, Canapino won the TC and Top Race Torneo Clausura championships. From 2011 to 2017, he won almost all the Top Race titles. He won the Súper TC 2000 championship twice, in 2016 and 2021. He raced for the Chevrolet Argentina factory team. He also won the TC championship three times in a row, from 2017 to 2019. His father led the team, Canapino Sport. He also raced a few times in Stock Car Brasil.

In 2019, Ricardo Juncos, who runs Juncos Racing, asked Agustín to race in the 24 Hours of Daytona. This is a very long endurance race. He finished eighth in his class with his teammates. He also raced in the 12 Hours of Sebring.

Agustín Canapino was named the best Argentine sportsman of the year in 2018. This award is called the Olimpia de Oro. He is one of only two racing drivers to win this special award. The other driver was Juan Manuel Fangio, a racing legend. Canapino also won the Olimpia de Plata award for racing four times.

Racing in the IndyCar Series

Agustín Canapino (right) racing at Road America in 2023.

In October 2022, his old team, Juncos Racing, announced something exciting. Canapino would drive one of their IndyCars in two special shows in Argentina. To get ready, he had a test drive at Sebring. After this test, it was confirmed that Canapino would race full-time in the 2023 championship. He joined Callum Ilott as a teammate.

Canapino started his first IndyCar race in 21st place. This was at St. Petersburg. He drove well in a busy race and finished 12th. He was the last car to finish on the same lap as the leader. After a required test on an oval track, he raced again. He started 19th and finished 12th again.

Canapino left the team after the 2024 Honda Indy Toronto race. Juncos Hollinger Racing shared a statement about his departure on August 7, 2024.

Challenges with Fan Behavior

During the 2023 Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach, Canapino had to stop racing early. This happened after an incident with his teammate. After the race, some fans of Canapino sent very negative messages online to his teammate. IndyCar released a statement saying this kind of behavior was wrong.

Later, after another race, the 2023 Firestone Grand Prix of Monterey, his teammate again received negative messages from some fans. This was after the two drivers had a collision on the track. The team released a statement asking for respectful behavior. Eventually, his teammate left the team.

After the 2024 Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix, some of Canapino's fans directed negative online comments towards another driver, Théo Pourchaire. This was after another incident on the track. Pourchaire's team, Arrow McLaren, spoke out against this behavior. Canapino responded on social media, saying no threats had happened. He also supported posts that made fun of Pourchaire. Because of these online issues, Arrow McLaren ended their partnership with Juncos Hollinger Racing. Canapino then took a break from the team. He was replaced by Nolan Siegel for one race. Canapino returned for five more races before leaving the team for good.

Personal Life

Agustín's father, Alberto Canapino, passed away on February 15, 2021. He died from COVID-19. Alberto was a very skilled race car mechanic and helped prepare cars for races. Agustín has a younger brother named Matías. As of 2023, Matías also races in TC Pista.

Racing Record

Racing Career Summary

* Season still in progress.

IndyCar Series Results

(key)

Indianapolis 500 Results

See also

In Spanish: Agustín Canapino para niños