Patrick Bedard

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Patrick Bedard (born August 20, 1941, in La Porte City, Iowa) [1] is an American automobile racing driver and journalist.

Contents

In the early 1970s, Car and Driver magazine challenged its readers to a series of Sports Car Club of America (SCCA)-sanctioned, 25-lap "showroom stock sedan" races. In the Car and Driver SS/Sedan Challenge II, Bedard finished first, driving Car & Driver's own Opel 1900 sedan. In the Car and Driver SS/Sedan Challenge III in 1974, Bedard drove a 1973 Chevy Vega GT No. 0, winning the tie-breaker race. This lone Vega beat 31 other well-driven showroom stocks. [2]

The first racing victory by a Wankel-engined car in the United States was in 1973, when Bedard won an IMSA RS race at Lime Rock Park in a Mazda RX-2. [3] In the 1984 Indianapolis 500 Bedard's car slammed the inside wall and then flipped multiple times in the grass. He remarkably survived the crash.

Bedard drove for Jaguar Cars in endurance racing, and later drove in the Indianapolis 500 in 1983 and 1984. He finished 30th both times, the second time retiring through a colossal accident where his car flipped several times. Bedard then retired from motor racing but continued to write for Car and Driver magazine, where he had been employed since March, 1968.

After nearly 42 consecutive years of employment with Car and Driver, Bedard announced he was leaving the magazine in his regular column after the August 2009 issue.

Racing record

USAC Mini-Indy Series results

YearEntrant123456PosPoints
1980 MIL POC MDO MIN1
8
MIN2
11
ONT 21st70

Indianapolis 500 results

YearChassisEngineStartFinishNoteTeam
1981 Vollstedt Offenhauser Failed to qualifyEscort Radar Detector
1982 Penske PC-7 Cosworth Failed to qualifyEscort Radar Detector
1983 March 83C Cosworth 1730CrashEscort Radar Detector
1984 March 84C Cosworth 1930CrashEscort Radar Detector

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position)

24 Hours of Le Mans results

YearTeamCo-DriversCarClassLapsPos.Class
Pos.
1982 Flag of the United States.svg BF Goodrich Flag of the United States.svg Paul Miller
Flag of Liechtenstein.svg Manfred Schurti
Porsche 924 Carrera GTR IMSA
GTO
128DNFDNF

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References

  1. "Patrick Bedard career results". race-database.com. Retrieved 2008-12-06.
  2. Car and Driver-January 1975. An unlikely victory in an unlikely car.
  3. "The Rotary Club", Don Sherman, Automobile Magazine , February 2008, pp 76-79