Björn Wirdheim

Infobox racing driver
name = Björn Wirdheim

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pixels = 222px
caption = In 2007, as a Super GT driver
nationality = flagicon|Sweden Swedish
date of birth = Birth date and age|1980|04|04
place of birth = Växjö, Sweden
related to =
current series = Super GT
first year = 2007
current team = ENEOS Toyota Team LeMans
car number = 6
former teams =
starts =
wins =
poles =
fastest laps =
best finish =
year =
prev series = Sweden Formula Ford 1600 Formula Palmer Audi German Formula Three Championship International Formula 3000 Champ Car Formula Nippon
prev series years = 1996–1997 1998–1999 2000–2001 2002–2003 2005 2006–2007
titles = Swedish Formula Ford 1600 International Formula 3000
title years = 1997 2003
awards =
award years =

Björn Karl Michael Wirdheim is a racing driver born on April 4, 1980 in Växjö, Sweden. Wirdheim is son of Örnulf Wirdheim, a Swedish racing driver. He began racing karts competing in his first race at the age of 10. His main achievement to date is becoming the International Formula 3000 Champion in 2003.

Career

He began racing karts at age ten until the age of fifteen winning the Southern Swedish Karting Championship. In 1996 he progressed to single-seaters in Swedish Formula Ford 1600 Junior Championship were he took the championship title in 1997 with staggering 17 wins.

In 1998 and 1999 he raced in the Formula Palmer Audi Championship, but they were two disappointing seasons with only two visits to the podium in total.

In 2000 he switched to the German Formula 3 series. And during 2001 in addition to winning at Nürburgring and A1-Ring took three pole positions including one at Macau Grand Prix.

For the season of 2002 Björn Wirdheim switched once again, this time to FIA International Formula 3000 championship joining Arden International. He finished fourth overall in addition to being named Rookie of the Year, and helping Arden to win the team title in the championship.

Wirdheim stayed with Arden in the following season of 2003 that would prove successful both for the team and driver. Dominating the championship so much that an obligatory pit stop for tyre change was introduced at the end of the season in an attempt to leveling out the advantage, but Arden managed to do better pit-stops overall than other teams and still came out on top. Björn Wirdheim became the first Swede to win the championship in its 19-year history, breaking Justin Wilson's previous record of most points won in one season of the series.

Still most people will probably remember that season for the race in Monaco. Driving to an easy win on the streets of Monte Carlo, Wirdheim slowed down to wave at his pit-crew believing he already had taken the checkered flag and thus giving away the win to Nicolas Kiesa meters away from the actual finishline.

At the end of 2003 the young Swede had been noticed by several Formula One team bosses giving him opportunity to test with both Jordan and BAR. After turning down an offer to drive Champ Car, Wirdheim signed with Jaguar as third-driver performing the Friday-testing for the team at Formula One Grand Prix week-ends during the 2004 season. The team was then bought by Red Bull, effectively ending Björn's chance of remaining with the team, as the soft drinks company had not sponsored him before.

So, for the 2005 season Wirdheim turned to Champ Car World Series to join the HVM racing team. Run by former Pacific F1 team boss Keith Wiggins, the team was underfunded after losing its previous Herdez backing, and a lack of testing made it difficult for the team to be competitive. After mediocre results, Wirdheim and the team decided to part ways 11 races into the season.

Wirdheim has since competed in the Japanese Formula Nippon series. Driving for Team Dandelion, a team with two constructors' championships and one drivers' title, Wirdheim finished 6th in the 2006 championship and continues with the team in 2007.

Racing record

Complete Formula 3000 results

() (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in "italics" indicate fastest lap.)

External links

* [http://www.wirdheim.com Official Björn Wirdheim site]
* [http://forix.autosport.com/driver.php?l=0&r=1980040400&c=0/ Forix]
* [http://www.driverdb.com/racingdriver26.html Wirdheim racing statistics]