Buddy Lazier

Buddy Lazier (born the October 31st 1967 with Vail in the Colorado, the United States) is an American racing driver. Winner of the championship IRL in 2000, it is especially known to have gained the 500 Miles of Indianapolis in 1996.

Biography

Buddy Lazier emerges with the more high level of the American automobile sport in 1989 by integrating the rows of the championship CART. It carries out this year its beginnings with the 500 Miles of Indianapolis, without managing to qualify itself. Regular competitor of the CART until 1995, it must be satisfied during more than six seasons making figuration in back of the pack.

In 1996, the organizers of the 500 Miles Indianapolis leave the bosom of the CART and create their own championship, the Indy Racing League. For a pilot like Lazier which pains to make its hole in the CART, it is the occasion to give fresh impulse to its career. Its beginnings in IRL in January 1996 cannot however more badly turn since during the tests of the sleeve of Phoenix, second race of the championship, it is victim of a serious accident in which it fractures the basin. In an unhoped-for way, he manages all the same to take the departure of the 500 Miles Indianapolis a few weeks later, and to gain the race. It is advisable however to relativize the range of its exploit by reminding that because of scission CART/IRL, Indy 500 proposed this year one of the weakest plates of its history, so much the level of the pilots than of the stables.

Lazier confirms at the time of the following seasons that it is one of the strong men of championship IRL and is affirmed especially like a true specialist in Indy 500, test in which, although not managing to republish his success of 1996, it cumulates the places of honor: 4th in 1997, 2nd in 1998 and 2nd in 2000. It gains moreover championship IRL in 2000 before finishing vice-champion in 2001 with 4 victories.

From 2003 and the massive arrival in IRL of powerful teams coming from championship CART, Lazier and its team Hemelgarn Racing pain to be maintained on the level. Without wheel at the time of the season 2004 (if it is not with for Indy 500), it finds the high level in 2005 thanks to its engagement for a partial program in the team Panther Racing, with whom it takes down a beautiful fifth place in Indianapolis. But for 2006, not retained by Panther (which, for budgetary reasons, limits its engagement to only one car), it can find better only one wheel within the modest team Dreyer & Reinbold, and again finds without regular wheel in 2007, where it should however take part for the sixteenth time in Indy 500.

Others

Jaques Lazier, the younger brother of Buddy, is also racing driver. Just like Buddy, it takes part regularly in the 500 Miles of Indianapolis. Bob Lazier, the father of the Lazier brothers as for him took part in Indy 500 in 1981.

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