Sebastián Saavedra facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Sebastián Saavedra |
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Sebastian Saavedra at the 2011 Indy 500
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| Nationality |  Colombian |
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| Born | 2 June 1990 Bogotá, Colombia |
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| Racing licence |  FIA Gold |
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| IndyCar Series career | |||||||
| 63 races run over 7 years | |||||||
| Team(s) | No. 17 (Juncos Racing) | ||||||
| Best finish | 21st (2013, 2014) | ||||||
| First race | 2010 Indianapolis 500 (Indianapolis) | ||||||
| Last race | 2017 Honda Indy Toronto (Toronto) | ||||||
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| 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 |
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| Awards | |||||||
| 2009 | Indy Lights Rookie of the Year | ||||||
Sebastián Saavedra (born on June 2, 1990) is a racing driver from Bogotá, Colombia. He is known for competing in the IndyCar Series, one of the top open-wheel racing championships. In 2014, he raced for KVSH Racing.
Contents
Racing Career Highlights
Early Days in Racing
Sebastián started his racing journey in karting as a child. This is where many professional drivers begin. Later, he moved on to Formula BMW races. In 2006, he raced in Formula BMW USA and Formula BMW ADAC. He even competed in the Formula BMW World Final.
In 2007, Sebastián won a race in Formula BMW USA. He also had three wins in Formula BMW Asia. He finished 4th in the Formula BMW World Final that year. In 2008, he raced in the ATS Formel 3 Cup and finished second overall with three wins.
Indy Lights and First Indy 500 Race
In 2009, Sebastián joined the Firestone Indy Lights Series. This series is often a step before IndyCar. He won his first Indy Lights race at Kansas Speedway. Later that year, he won again from the pole position in Toronto. He was named Indy Lights Rookie of the Year for his great performance.
He continued in Indy Lights in 2010. That same year, he made his big debut in the IndyCar Series at the famous 2010 Indianapolis 500. His qualifying for this race was very exciting! He was almost out of the race, but then other drivers had problems, and he ended up in the 33rd and final spot. He crashed during the race but was still credited with 23rd place. After the Indy 500, he won another Indy Lights race at Iowa Speedway.
IndyCar Series Journey
Sebastián continued to race in the IndyCar Series. In 2011, he drove for Conquest Racing. His best finish that year was 11th in Brazil. He faced challenges, including not qualifying for the 2011 Indianapolis 500.
In 2012, he returned to Indy Lights for a full season. He also raced in a few IndyCar events, including the 2012 Indianapolis 500.
For the 2014 season, Sebastián joined KV Racing Technology. He achieved a big milestone by qualifying in 1st place (getting the pole position) for the first-ever Grand Prix of Indianapolis race. However, he stalled at the start and was involved in a crash. His best finish that year was 9th place in Long Beach.
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In 2015, Sebastián raced for Chip Ganassi Racing. He competed in the 2015 Indianapolis 500 again. During this race, he was involved in a crash and needed help from the safety team. He raced in two more events that season.
He returned to the 2017 Indianapolis 500 with the new Juncos Racing team. He finished 15th, which matched his best result at the Indy 500. Later in 2017, he also raced at the 2017 Honda Indy Toronto for Schmidt Peterson Motorsports.
IMSA Racing Success
In 2019, Sebastián tried a different type of racing called IMSA. He competed in the famous 24 Hours of Daytona race. His team, DragonSpeed, won the LMP2 class! This was a great victory, even though they had an engine problem during the race.
Images for kids
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Saavedra at the 2015 Indianapolis 500
See also
In Spanish: Sebastián Saavedra para niños
