February 28 is a good day to be born if you want to drive an
IndyCar, or more specifically be a four-time IndyCar champion.
Not only is Mario Andretti celebrating his 78th birthday
today, but so is another four-time IndyCar titlist: Sebastien Bourdais, who is
39 today. And birthdates and number of titles isn’t the only thing they have in
common.
Both drivers, born in Europe, have won many of their
IndyCar/Champ Car races with Paul Newman and Carl Haas as car co-owners. Both
are in the top 10 all-time in IndyCar wins. Both have triumphed in winning the
Rolex 24 At Daytona and 12 Hours of Sebring overall, and the 24 Hours of Le
Mans in class. Both have won in the International Race of Champions. Each has
competed in Formula 1 after winning IndyCar crowns, and returned to IndyCar
racing after their F1 stints. And each has won a major race at the Indianapolis
Motor Speedway.
But Bourdais has done some things Andretti hasn’t, some of
which points to the fact that he’s exactly half of Andretti’s age, and racing in a
different era. His four IndyCar titles came in succession. He’s won the Petit
Le Mans at Road Atlanta and won numerous open-wheel and sports car races in
Europe. He’s contested a sports car race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway (won in
2012). And he’s won a Supercars Championship race in Australia.
So, here’s a look at Sebastien Bourdais’s career in 39
statistics, ranging from IndyCars to Formula 1 and his extensive experience in
sports car competition.
1 – Victory in International Race of Champions (IROC; 2005
at Texas Motor Speedway)
1 – Victory in Supercars Championship, in 2011 race at
Surfers Paradise Street Circuit
1 – Victory in GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car series, the 2012
race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway
1 – Class victory in 24 Hours of Le Mans, his home race, in
the GTE Pro class in 2016, driving for Ford Chip Ganassi Team USA
2 – IndyCar victories on an oval (2006 and 2012 races at The
Milwaukee Mile in West Allis, Wisconsin)
2 – Class victories in the Rolex 24 At Daytona (overall in
2014; GTLM in 2017)
2 – Class victories in the 12 Hours of Sebring (2006 GT2; 2015
overall)
2 – Points in which he defeated Giorgio Pantano to win the
2002 International Formula 3000 Championship title (won three races and scored
56 points to Pantano’s 54)
3 – Victories in Le Mans Series competition out of four
races (2010 in Spa; 2011 in Imola and Silverstone)
3 – Victories in Superleague Formula competition
4 – Champ Car World Series titles, all in succession, the
most in a row of any driver in IndyCar history (2004-2007)
4 – IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship victories (two
at Daytona and one each at Sebring and Road Atlanta), all in 13 races (has 10
podiums)
5 – IndyCar Series victories – all since 2014
6 – Starts in the Indianapolis 500, with a best finish of
seventh in 2014
6 – Career points scored in Formula 1 World Championship
7 – Victories in two of his Champ Car World Series title
seasons, in 2004 and 2006
7 – Earned best finish of seventh twice in Formula 1 World
Championship competition, at 2008 Australian Grand Prix and 2008 Belgian Grand
Prix
9 – Finished ninth in only career Bathurst 1000 in 2015,
co-driving with Lee Holdsworth
9 – Seasons with at least one IndyCar victory, including
each of the last four in the IndyCar Series
9 – Times competed in Rolex 24 At Daytona (four podiums in the
last five years)
10 – Best points finish in IndyCar Series (2014 and 2015)
11 – Times competing in the 24 Hours of Le Mans, with a best
overall finish of second on three occasions (2007, 2009 and 2011)
18 – IndyCar races with Dale Coyne Racing, his current
IndyCar Series team
21 – IndyCar races won driving car No. 1, second only to
A.J. Foyt’s 26 in a car with No. 1
22 – Ranks 22nd all-time in IndyCar laps led (since 1946)
25 – Age of first Champ Car World Series title
27 – Races contested in Formula 1 World Championship in 2008
and 2009 seasons – all with Scuderia Toro Rosso
31 – Victories in Champ Car, all with Newman-Haas or
Newman-Haas-Lanigan Racing
32 – Became 32nd driver to win the French Formula Three
Championship, in 1999
33 – Pole positions in IndyCar (31 in Champ Car and two in
IndyCar Series)
36 – IndyCar victories (31 in Champ Car and five in IndyCar
Series)
54 – Career podiums in IndyCar racing (44 in Champ Car and
10 in IndyCar Series)
58 – Finished 58 of 73 Champ Car World Series races, with
only 15 DNFs (average of three per season)
70 – Led at least one lap in 70 IndyCar races, including 51
of 73 Champ Car races (69.9 percent)
115 – IndyCar races finished on the lead lap
171 – Total races in IndyCar competition (73 in Champ Car
and 98 in IndyCar)
1,849 – Laps led in his four Champ Car World Series
championship seasons, a total of 37.17 percent (of the 4,974 total laps)
2,531 – Total laps led in IndyCar career
16,901 – Total laps completed in IndyCar career
Sources
- Wikipedia: Sebastien Bourdais
- IndyCar Series media guides
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