Christian Bakkerud facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Christian Bakkerud |
|
|---|---|
| Nationality | Danish |
| Born | 3 November 1984 Copenhagen |
| Died | 11 September 2011 (aged 26) Tooting, London |
| Retired | 2010 |
| Years active | 2002–2010 |
| Previous series | |
| 2009 2008 2007–08 2005–06 2004 2002–03 |
Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters GP2 Asia Series GP2 Series British F3 Championship Formula BMW UK Formula BMW ADAC |
| 24 Hours of Le Mans career | |
| Years | 2009 – 2010 |
| Teams | Kolles |
| Best finish | 9th (2009) |
| Class wins | 0 |
Christian Bakkerud (November 3, 1984 – September 11, 2011) was a Danish racing driver. He competed in the GP2 Series in 2007 and 2008. Sadly, a back injury often affected his racing career. Before GP2, he raced in British Formula 3 and Formula BMW.
He was not related to rallycross driver Andreas Bakkerud.
Contents
Christian Bakkerud's Racing Career
Early Years in Formula BMW
Christian Bakkerud started his racing journey in Formula BMW. He raced in Germany from 2002 to 2003. In 2004, he joined the British version of the series.
Success in Formula Three
Bakkerud then moved to British Formula 3 in 2005 and 2006. In 2005, he finished seventh in the championship. He improved to sixth place in 2006. That year, he also won his first race for Carlin at Mugello. This win was a major highlight of his career. During this time, he also competed in special races like the Macau Grand Prix.
Challenges in GP2 Series
In 2007, Christian Bakkerud joined the GP2 Series with the DPR team. He had a tough season and did not score any points. He also suffered from painful back injuries. These injuries caused problems for him twice that year.
He moved to the Super Nova team for the 2008 GP2 Asia Series. He had bad luck, retiring from most races. He continued with Super Nova for the main 2008 GP2 Series. His back injury returned after a crash in the first race. He had to miss some races to recover. He returned at Monaco but crashed again. Even with a heavy landing, his back injury did not get worse right away. However, the injury flared up again after a practice session. He had to leave the rest of the season for medical reasons.
Racing in DTM
In 2009, Bakkerud raced in the Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters (DTM). He drove an Audi A4 for the Futurecom-TME team.
Competing at Le Mans
Christian Bakkerud also raced in the famous 24 Hours of Le Mans endurance race. He made his first appearance in 2009. He drove an Audi R10 TDI for Colin Kolles's team. He finished ninth overall in that race. He returned to Le Mans in 2010 with the same team and car. However, he and his teammates did not finish the race that year.
Retirement from Racing
After the 2010 Le Mans race, Bakkerud decided to stop racing. In the year before he passed away, he worked as an import manager. He worked for a shipping company.
Christian Bakkerud's Passing
On September 10, 2011, Christian Bakkerud was in a car accident. He was near Wimbledon Common in London. He sadly passed away the next day, on September 11, 2011, from his injuries. He was driving an Audi RS6 at the time.
After his passing, many flowers were left at the accident site. The Formula One team HRT, led by Colin Kolles, honored Bakkerud. They added a tribute to him on their cars during the 2011 Singapore Grand Prix. McLaren driver Lewis Hamilton also paid tribute. He wore a helmet with Bakkerud's initials on it.
