Mario Domínguez facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Mario Domínguez
Mario Domínguez at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in 2008
Nationality	Mexican
Born	(1975-12-01) December 1, 1975 (age 49) Mexico City
IRL IndyCar Series career
Debut season	2008
Racing licence	FIA Silver
Starts	7
Wins	0
Poles	0
Best finish	27th in 2008

Mario Domínguez (born December 1, 1975, in Mexico City) is a Mexican racing driver. He is known for competing in major open-wheel racing series like Champ Car and the IndyCar Series.

Mario Domínguez's Early Racing Days

Mario Domínguez started his racing journey in 1987, driving go-karts. He was very good, winning three go-kart championships! He even represented Mexico in the World Karting Championships in different countries like Spain (1989), Italy (1990), and France (1991).

After go-karts, he raced in many developmental series in Mexico. He won the Mexican Formula Three Championship in 1998. Then, he moved to the American Indy Lights series full-time in 1999. He finished 8th in 2000 and 4th in 2001, which was the series' last year.

Competing in Champ Car Racing

Domínguez made his big debut in the Champ Car series in 2002. He was named Rookie of the Year that season. He also got his first Champ Car victory in 2002 at the Honda Indy 300. This race was shortened due to rain and heavily influenced by the safety car.

In 2003, Mario became even more competitive. He won the Grand Prix Americas race in Miami. His best season came in 2004 when he finished 5th in the overall standings. This success with Herdez Competition helped him sign with the Forsythe team for 2005.

However, Mario had limited success with Forsythe. In 2006, after crashing into his teammate Paul Tracy twice in the first four races, he left the team. Before the next race, he joined Dale Coyne Racing. For the last three races of the season, he got sponsorship from Pemex to race for the Rocketsports team. In 2005, Mario also got to test a Jordan Grand Prix Formula One car in England.

In 2007, he returned to Forsythe for a few races with Telmex sponsorship. But he was soon replaced by Oriol Servià. He later filled in for injured drivers at PKV Racing and Pacific Coast Motorsports. He also substituted for Dan Clarke at Minardi Team USA after Clarke was suspended.

Racing in the IndyCar Series

In 2008, Mario Domínguez announced he would join the IndyCar Series with Pacific Coast Motorsports. This came after he finished third in the final Champ Car race at Long Beach. He tried to qualify for the 2008 Indianapolis 500 but didn't make the field. His first real start in the series was at the Milwaukee Mile.

Dominguez practicing for the 2008 Indy 500. He later crashed during his last qualification attempt.

After a race in Texas, his team took a break to improve their cars. They returned to race only on road courses, participating in events at Watkins Glen, Mid-Ohio, Edmonton, and Infineon. His best finish that season was 13th place at Watkins Glen. He ended the year 27th in points.

FIA GT and Sports Car Racing

In 2009, Mario was offered a chance to drive for K Plus K Motorsport in the FIA GT Championship, without needing to bring his own sponsors. This wasn't his first time in sports car events. He had previously raced a couple of times for a Risi Competizione American Le Mans Series team in 2006, where he achieved good results.

Images for kids

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  Mario Domínguez at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in 2008

See also

In Spanish: Mario Domínguez para niños