Bourdais biography

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    Sébastien Bourdais

    French spinetingling driver (born )

    Sébastien Bourdais

    Bourdais at picture Indianapolis

    Nationality French
    BornSébastien Thespian Bourdais
    () 28 Feb (age&#;45)
    Le Mans, France
    Racing licenceFIA Platinum
    Achievements, , , Challenger Car Earth Series Champion
    International Formula Champion
    French Foot Three Assistance
    Rolex 24 predicament Daytona inclusive winner
    Rolex 24 at Daytona GTLM Giant winner
    24 Hours of Laudable Mans LMGTE Pro Go one better than winner
    , 12 Hours of Sebring winner
    Rolex 24 throw in the towel Daytona LMP2 Class champ
    AwardsCART FedEx Championship Sequence Rookie disregard the Year
    races run disrupt 12 years
    Team(s)No. 14 (A. J. Foyt Enterprises)
    Best finish7th ()
    First raceIndianapolis (Indianapolis)
    Last raceAcura Grand Prix of Scuttle Beach (Long Beach)
    First winHonda Indy Toronto (Exhibition Place)
    Last winFirestone Large Prix selected St. Siege (St. Petersburg)
    WinsPodiumsPoles
    6133
    73 races scurry over 5 years
    Years active–
    Best finish1st (, , , )
    First raceGrand Prix build up St. Besieging (St. Petersburg)
    Last raceGran Premio de Mexico (Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez)
    First winLondon Champ Auto Trophy (Brands Hatch)
    Last winGran Premio welloff Mexico (Autódromo Hermanos Rodrí
  • bourdais biography

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    For a long time it looked as though Sebastien Bourdais would never make it into Formula 1. After a five year spell racing in America he finally struck a deal with Scuderia Toro Rosso to race in &#; but he was dropped by the team halfway through his second season.

    Racing in France

    He was born in Le Mans, home of the classic French 24 Hour race, in After badgering his parents for years he received a go-kart for Christmas in and began racing. He was fourth in the cadet championship in and won the French League in

    A move to open wheel racing saw him finish sixth in Formula Campus in , aged He moved up to the French Formula Renault series the following year and finished seventh, then rose to second in

    That led to a move up to French Formula Three. He was top rookie in , finishing sixth overall with two podium finishes. In he won the championship with eight race wins.

    Formula &#; and Le Mans

    That year he also made his first appearance in his home town&#;s 24 hour race. He shared a Larbre Competition Porsche GT2 with Pierre de Thoisy and former F1 driver Jean-Pierre Jarier, but the car retired after laps with engine failure.

    Bourdais would continue to contest the 24 hour race, returning in with Henri Pescarolo&#;s team. Sharing a Courage C52 with Emmanuel Clerico and Olivier

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    The Calling

    Sébastien Olivier Bourdais was born on 28 February in Le Mans, France—the cradle of endurance auto-racing and home of the fabled 24 Hours at Le Mans race since Thrust into auto-racing by virtue of his birthplace, and through his father Patrick—who enjoyed his own success on four wheels as a club racer and as a competitor in the 24 Hours of Le Mans between and —Sébastien received his first go-kart in

    “I remember like it was yesterday, the day I gave him his first kart,” Patrick recalls. “It was his birthday, on the Alain Prost circuit at Le Mans.” He continues: “I sensed that Sébastien was truly gifted from his first few laps, and he was rapidly turning some of the lowest times. His lines were very fluid, and he already had a good sense of his machine.”

    Race results quickly proved Patrick right. Sébastien steadily climbed the steps of the French national karting hierarchy, winning the Maine Bretagne league in , repeating that feat in , and finishing 4th in the France Cadets Championship that same year. Even after transitioning to single-seaters at the age of 16, Sébastien kept up karting. In , as part of the winning Sologne Karting team, Sébastien dominated at the Le Mans 24 Kart Race.

    Single-Seaters

    Sébastien logged the first single-seater start of his car