- Nelson Philippe
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Nelson Philippe
Nelson Philippe at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in May 2009.Nationality French
Born Valence, Drôme Related to Richard Philippe (brother) IRL IndyCar Series Years active 2009 Teams HVM Racing
Conquest RacingStarts 2 Wins 0 Poles 0 Best finish 35th in 2009 Nelson Philippe Champ Car World Series Years active 2004-2007 Teams Rocketsports Racing
Conquest Racing
CTE-HVM RacingStarts 41 Wins 1 Poles 0 Best finish 4th in 2006 Previous series 2008
2003Superleague Formula
Barber Dodge Pro SeriesAwards 2005 & 2006 Champ Car Most Improved Driver Nelson Philippe (born July 23, 1986 in Valence, Drôme) is a French race car driver.
Contents
Career
Early career
Philippe raced go-karts from 1998-2002. In 2003, he raced in the Barber Dodge Pro Series, finishing the season with one podium, and four top five finishes.
With just one year of experience in cars, Philippe tested with two Champ Car teams, before signing with Paul Gentilozzi's Rocketsports Racing team. At 17, he became the youngest driver to ever race in Champ Car.
Through the first five races of the 2004 season, Philippe generally stayed out of trouble but usually ran at the back of the pack. Philippe was abruptly dropped from the Rocketsports team before the Molson Indy Toronto. After sitting out several races, Philippe rejoined the series later in the year for Mi-Jack Conquest Racing. In 2005, he continued to race for the Conquest team alongside fellow teenager Andrew Ranger. Philippe made a total of 19 starts for Eric Bachelart's Conquest Racing in 2004 and 2005. Although he struggled with consistency, Phillippe often qualified and ran mid-pack, outpacing the more highly regarded Ranger towards the end of the year. While driving for Conquest in 2005, Philippe was voted by his peers as the Bosch Most Improved Driver in the Series, and won the award in 2006 as well.
Success at CTE-HVM
For the 2006 season, Philippe moved to CTE-HVM Racing and earned his first podium finishes at Milwaukee and Montreal before claiming his first victory at Surfers Paradise. With his victory at Surfers Paradise, Philippe became the youngest winner in Champ Car World Series history, and again being awarded most improved driver in 2006. However, this success was not enough to find Philippe a drive in 2007, whose financial climate stipulated that most drivers had to bring money to the team to race, something Philippe refused to do after his 2006 success.
But on October 3, 2007 it was announced that Nelson Philippe would return to Champ Car and drive for his former team, Conquest Racing. Philippe would race at Surfers Paradise and Mexico City. He said at the time: "I'm thrilled to be back, and no better time than now with Surfers Paradise around the corner [October 21]. It's been a challenge to be sidelined this year, but things happen for a reason and right now it's full steam ahead for Australia and Mexico." Despite having sat out the entire season, Philippe qualified a respectable 13th and then recorded an even more respectable sixth-place finish at Surfers Paradise. "Even though the results may not show it, it was probably one of the best races of my career," said Philippe of the race.
In the season finale at Mexico City, Philippe again qualified 13th, but was one of three cars that stalled at the start. He was able to get the car going and ultimately finished in 12th position, a lap down to the leaders.
After Champ Car
Nelson Philippe returned to race with Minardi/HVM Racing in the 2008 Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach. This was the final Champ Car World Series race after the merger with the Indy Racing League. He gave tribute to the series that made his career wearing a race suit with past and present Champ Car logos and "Thank you Champ Car staff and fans" inscribed on the back. He finished 15th in the race.
In 2008, Nelson Philippe drove in the inaugural Superleague Formula season for the Borussia Dortmund team. He also competed in the opening round of the 2008–09 GP2 Asia Series season for ART Grand Prix before being replaced by Pastor Maldonado.[1]
Nelson Philippe announced on April 24, 2009 on Fox News that his new "i Drive Green" race team would be fielding the first-ever carbon neutral entry in the Indianapolis 500 in conjunction with HVM Racing.[2] Philippe struggled in practice and qualifying but ultimately made the field. He made light contact with the wall which was enough to end his race on lap 130. He was credited with 25th.
During practice for the 2009 Indy Grand Prix of Sonoma, Nelson Philippe, who was returning to the series for a few late-season road course races with Conquest Racing, spun exiting Turn 3 and stalled on the track. E. J. Viso barely avoided him but Will Power had nowhere to go and crashed into the stationary Frenchman. Power suffered two fractured vertebrae while Philippe suffered a fractured ankle. Both also suffered concussions and were subsequently hospitalized.[3]
Philippe’s younger brother, Richard Philippe, races in the Firestone Indy Lights series.
Motorsports Career Results
American Open-Wheel racing results
(key)
Champ Car
Year Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 Rank Points 2004 Rocketsports Racing
LBH
13
MTY
10
MIL
14
POR
15
CLE
10
TOR
VAN
ROA16th 89 Conquest Racing
DEN
13
MTL
17
LS
16
LVG
9
SRF
10
MXC
162005 Conquest Racing
LBH
18
MTY
12*
MIL
12
POR
12
CLE
13
TOR
10
EDM
9
SJO
15
DEN
9
MTL
15
LVG
16
SRF
14
MXC
713th 117 2006 CTE-HVM Racing
LBH
13
HOU
4
MTY
17
MIL
3
POR
8
CLE
10
TOR
13
EDM
14
SJO
4
DEN
5
MTL
3
ROA
14
SRF
1
MXC
74th 231 2007 Conquest Racing
LVG
LBH
HOU
POR
CLE
MTT
TOR
EDM
SJO
ROA
ZOL
ASN
SRF
6
MXC
1219th 28 IndyCar Series
Year Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 Rank Points 2008 HVM Racing
HMS
STP
MOT1
DNP
LBH1
15
KAN
INDY
MIL
TXS
IOW
RIR
WGL
NSH
MDO
EDM
KTY
SNM
DET
CHI
SRF244th 0 2009 HVM Racing
STP
LBH
KAN
INDY
25
MIL
TXS
IOW
RIR
WGL
TOR
EDM
KTY
MDO
SNM
DNS
CHI
MOT
HMS35th 16 - 1 Run on same day.
- 2 Non-points-paying, exhibition race.
Indianapolis 500
Year Chassis Engine Start Finish Team 2009 Dallara Honda 31 25 HVM Racing Superleague Formula
(key)
Year Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Rank Pts 2008 Borussia Dortmund
ZakspeedDON
15DON
4NÜR
15NÜR
DNSZOL ZOL EST EST VAL VAL JER JER 14th* 218* - * Borussia Dortmund team standing.
Complete GP2 series results
Complete GP2 Asia Series results
(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)
Year Entrant 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 DC Points 2008–09 ART Grand Prix CHN
FEA
17CHN
SPR
13UAE
FEAUAE
SPRBHR
FEABHR
SPRQAT
FEAQAT
SPRMAL
FEAMAL
SPRBHR
FEABHR
SPR34th 0 References
- ^ "Driver changes aplenty in Dubai". crash.net. 2008-12-04. http://www.crash.net/motorsport/gp2/news/172365-0/driver_changes_aplenty_in_dubai.html. Retrieved 2008-12-04.
- ^ Driver Hopes to Shift the Indy 500 Into Neutral, Fox News, April 24, 2009
- ^ Power breaks two vertebrae in accident, AP via ESPN, August 23, 2009, Retrieved 2010-01-17
Borussia Dortmund in Superleague Formula Seasons competed Drivers Operating teams Categories:- 1986 births
- Living people
- People from Valence
- Champ Car drivers
- French racecar drivers
- Superleague Formula drivers
- Indy Racing League drivers
- Indianapolis 500 drivers
- GP2 Asia Series drivers
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