Bertrand Baguette facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Bertrand Baguette
Baguette at the 2025 Super GT Malaysia Festival
Nationality	Belgian
Born	Bertrand Marcel Nicolas Baguette (1986-02-23) 23 February 1986 (age 39) Verviers, Belgium
Super GT - GT500 career
Debut season	2014
Current team	Team Impul
Racing licence	FIA Platinum
Car no.	12
Former teams	Nakajima Racing, Real Racing
Starts	91
Wins	5
Podiums	15
Poles	2
Best finish	1st in 2022
Previous series
2015–2016 2013 2010–11 2008 2008 2008 2007–09 2005–06 2005–06 2004	Super Formula Championship FIA WEC IndyCar Series FIA GT Championship Superleague Formula Belgian Touring Cars S1 Formula Renault 3.5 Series Formula Renault Eurocup French Formula Renault 2.0 Formula Renault Belgium
Championship titles
2022 2013 2009	Super GT - GT500 FIA WEC LMP2 class Formula Renault 3.5 Series

Bertrand Baguette (born 23 February 1986) is a professional racing driver from Belgium. He is known for winning the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 2013. He also won the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) in the LMP2 class that same year. In 2017, he won the famous Suzuka 1000km race in Japan. Bertrand became the Super GT 500 Champion in 2022 with Nissan.

Racing Journey

Starting with Karts

Bertrand Baguette started karting when he was 14 years old. He competed in his local championship and finished fifth. The next year, in 2001, he moved up to junior level. He raced in both provincial and national championships.

In 2002, Bertrand competed in four different karting championships. He finished second in the provincial level. In his fourth year of karting, he won the Belgian Championship. This win also earned him a scholarship to race in Formula Renault Belgium.

Formula Renault Races

In 2004, Baguette began racing in single-seater cars. He joined the Belgian Formula Renault 1600cc series. He finished third in the championship, winning three races and getting four pole positions.

The next year, Bertrand raced in both the Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0 and French Formula Renault 2.0 championships. He continued in these series in 2006. He finished fourth overall in the Eurocup, with five podium finishes and a win at Le Mans.

In 2007, Baguette moved to the 3.5-litre Formula Renault 3.5 Series. He earned two podium finishes in his first season. In 2008, he got his first win in this category at Spa. He finished seventh in the championship.

Bertrand continued with the Draco team for the 2009 season. He had a strong start with four podiums. In the second half of the season, he raced even better. He won the championship by a large margin. During 2009, Baguette won five races and had ten podium finishes.

Because he won the championship, he got to test a Formula One car. He tested the Renault R29 car in December 2009. He also tested a BMW Sauber F1.09 car a few days later.

IndyCar Series

Baguette at the 2010 Honda Indy Toronto

On March 22, 2010, Conquest Racing announced that Baguette would race for them. He joined the IndyCar Series. His first race was the Indy Grand Prix of Alabama.

Bertrand qualified 24th for the 2010 Indianapolis 500. He finished 22nd in the race. He had some good performances, especially on oval tracks. His best finish was 10th at Kentucky.

In 2011, Baguette did not have enough money for a full-time seat. However, he made a deal with Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing to race in the 2011 Indianapolis 500. He showed great speed during practice. He qualified on the fifth row for his second Indy 500.

During the race, he stayed in the top half of the field. On lap 189, he took the lead of the race. His team tried a risky strategy, hoping for a late yellow flag. But it did not happen. Baguette had to pit for fuel three laps before the end. He finished 7th, which was his best IndyCar result.

FIA World Endurance Championship

Baguette at the 2013 6 Hours of Silverstone

In 2013, OAK Racing hired Baguette to drive their Morgan-Nissan cars. He raced in the LMP2 class of the FIA World Endurance Championship. Bertrand shared the number 35 car with Ricardo González and Martin Plowman.

The 2013 season began at the 6 Hours of Silverstone. Their car finished fourth in class. At the 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps, they finished third in the LMP2 class.

Martin Plowman, Baguette's co-driver at the 2013 24 Hours of Le Mans

In the 2013 24 Hours of Le Mans, Baguette and his co-drivers won the LMP2 class. They finished seventh overall in the race. Their Morgan LMP2 completed 329 laps. The race had very difficult weather and many safety car periods.

At the 6 Hours of São Paulo, they finished second in the LMP2 category. This was Bertrand's second podium of the year. At the 6 hours of Fuji, they started from pole position and were declared the winners of the LMP2 class.

During the 6 Hours of Shanghai, they finished third. This helped them extend their lead in the championship. In the final race, the 6 Hours of Bahrain, they finished fourth. Bertrand Baguette won the 2013 FIA WEC World Championship for drivers in the LMP2 class.

Super GT Racing

The Epson NSX-GT of Baguette at Suzuka in 2017

In 2014, Baguette became a factory driver for Honda. He started racing in the Super GT championship in Japan. From 2014 to 2018, he drove for the Epson Nakajima Racing team. Their Honda NSX-GT used Dunlop Tyres.

In his first season in 2014, Baguette earned his first Super GT podium at Fuji Speedway. In 2017, Baguette and his teammate won the Suzuka 1000km. This was considered the biggest race in Japan. It was also the last time the race was held as a 1000 km event.

For the 2019 season, Baguette joined the Keihin Real Racing Honda team. He partnered with Japanese driver Koudai Tsukakoshi. They earned two pole positions and one podium finish.

Baguette's Keihin NSX-GT in 2020

Honda kept both drivers for the next season. The 2020 season was Bertrand's best yet. He and Tsukakoshi won two races. They battled for the championship title all season. They finished third in the championship.

Baguette stayed with the Real Racing team for 2021. He won the Fuji 500 km race, which is the longest of the season. He also got another podium finish. After eight years with Honda, Baguette announced he would leave the team.

For the 2022 season, Baguette signed with Nissan. He joined the famous Team Impul. This team is run by the legendary Kazuyoshi Hoshino. The 2022 season also featured the new Nissan 400Z car.

The combination of Team Impul, the new Nissan Z, Baguette, and his teammate Kazuki Hiramine was very successful. They led the number 12 Nissan to win the Super GT title. This was the first title for Hoshino's team since 1995. They had four podiums, including an amazing victory at Suzuka. They started last on the grid and won the race.

Bertrand Baguette won his first Super GT GT500 class title after nine seasons. For the 2023 season, Nissan kept the same lineup. Baguette and Hiramine defended their title, driving the number 1 Calsonic Z. In the 2024 season, they finished 6th overall. As of July 2025, they are competing in the 2025 season.

Super Formula Racing

Baguette also raced in the high-level Japanese Super Formula championship. He competed in 2015 and 2016. He drove a Honda-powered car for Nakajima Racing. His best result was fifth place in the final race of the 2016 season at Suzuka.

Racing Achievements

Bertrand Baguette has had a successful career in various racing series. Here is a summary of his main achievements:

^* Season still in progress.

Indianapolis 500 Results

The Indianapolis 500 is a very famous race. Here are Bertrand Baguette's results:

24 Hours of Le Mans Results

The 24 Hours of Le Mans is one of the world's most famous endurance races. Bertrand Baguette won his class here.

Year	Team	Co-Drivers	Car	Class	Laps	Pos.	Class Pos.
2012	OAK Racing	Franck Montagny Dominik Kraihamer	OAK Pescarolo 01 Evo-Judd	LMP1	219	DNF	DNF
2013	OAK Racing	Martin Plowman Ricardo González	OAK Morgan LMP2 Nissan	LMP2	329	7th	1st

Images for kids

• 

  Baguette at the 2025 Super GT Malaysia Festival

• 

  Baguette at the 2010 Honda Indy Toronto

• 

  Baguette at the 2013 6 Hours of Silverstone

• 

  Martin Plowman, Baguette's co-driver at the 2013 24 Hours of Le Mans

• 

  The Epson NSX-GT of Baguette at Suzuka in 2017

• 

  Baguette's Keihin NSX-GT in 2020

See also

In Spanish: Bertrand Baguette para niños