Stefan Wilson

Last updated

Stefan Wilson
Drivers meeting (28588390198) (cropped).jpg
Wilson at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in 2018
Nationality Flag of the United Kingdom.svg British
Born (1989-09-20) 20 September 1989 (age 34)
Rotherham, South Yorkshire, England
IndyCar Series career
5 races run over 6 years
Team(s)No. 24 (Dreyer & Reinbold Racing / Cusick Motorsports)
2022 position35th
Best finish33rd (2013)
First race 2013 Grand Prix of Baltimore (Baltimore)
Last race 2022 Indianapolis 500 (Indianapolis)
WinsPodiums Poles
000
Previous series
20062007
2008
20092012
Formula Palmer Audi
British Formula 3
Indy Lights

Stefan James Wilson (born 20 September 1989 in Sheffield, UK) is a British racing driver. He is the younger brother of the late Formula One and IndyCar Series driver Justin Wilson. He is also the winner of the 2007 McLaren Autosport BRDC Award for promising young British drivers. [1]

Contents

Career

Formula Palmer Audi and British F3

After a long karting career as a child, Stefan stepped up to open-wheel racing in November 2006, competing in the Formula Palmer Audi Autumn Trophy at Snetterton and Brands Hatch. Stefan gradually improved throughout his first six car races and finished the six-race mini-series in ninth place, also ending as top rookie. He picked up three top-six finishes and set the fastest lap in the final round at Brands Hatch.

Wilson driving for Fluid Motorsport at the Croft round of the 2008 British Formula 3 season. Stefan Wilson 2008 British F3 Croft.jpg
Wilson driving for Fluid Motorsport at the Croft round of the 2008 British Formula 3 season.

Stefan competed in the 2007 Formula Palmer Audi Championship, the 10th anniversary of the series, and also the 10th anniversary of when his brother Justin won the first FPA title. He finished 2nd in the championship after a great final round at Croft, where he scored 2 podiums after his worst qualifying of the season, only starting 7th and 9th for the two races. Stefan overtook a total of 11 cars. He also closed the final gap between him and more experienced driver Tim Bridgman to just 28 points.

He scored 4 wins throughout the season; the first came in round 4 of the championship at the Brands Hatch Grand Prix circuit in front of nearly 50,000 spectators. The second half of Wilson's championship was more successful as he scored 4 pole positions and 3 of his 4 wins. Wilson ended the championship in 2nd place, with a tally of 4 wins, 9 podiums, 4 pole positions, 5 fastest laps, and 2 lap records.

At the end of the season he won the McLaren Autosport BRDC Award for young British drivers. Part of the award was a prize drive in a McLaren Formula One car, which took place on the Silverstone National Circuit on 13 November 2009. [2]

In 2008 he competed in the British Formula 3 Championship National Class in 2008 with Fluid Motorsport and captured 4 class wins on his way to 4th in the National Class points standings.

Indy Lights

Wilson signed to race a partial schedule in Firestone Indy Lights in 2009 for First Motorsports with cars prepared by Walker Racing that included six road and street courses. He qualified third at Long Beach but was sidelined by a mechanical problem towards the finish. His best finish was fourth in the wet/dry race at Toronto. In 2010 returned to the series to race for Bryan Herta Autosport. [3] Wilson finished 11th in points despite missing one race due to funding issues and another due to a damaged racecar. He had a career-best finish of third in the season opener at St. Pete and ran the fastest race lap in Toronto.

In 2011 he returned to Indy Lights full-time with Andretti Autosport. He captured one pole, two wins, and finished on the podium three more times to finish third in the championship. Despite Wilson's 2011 success, he was out of racing until the 2012 Indy Lights season finale at Auto Club Speedway where he drove for Fan Force United and finished sixth.

IndyCar

Wilson made his IndyCar debut at the 2013 Grand Prix of Baltimore driving for Dale Coyne Racing, finishing sixteenth. His brother Justin drove the other full-time entry for Dale Coyne Racing, making the Wilson brothers the first pair of brothers to drive in IndyCar for the same team since Gary Bettenhausen and Tony Bettenhausen Jr. drove for their family team in 1983.

Wilson at the 2018 Indianapolis 500. Stefan wilson (41737879784).jpg
Wilson at the 2018 Indianapolis 500.

In June 2014 Fan Force United announced that they had signed Wilson for the team's full-time step up to the IndyCar Series in 2015. [4] However, this entry ultimately did not materialize.

On 26 April 2016, it was announced that Wilson would be driving for KV Racing Technology at the 100th Running of the Indianapolis 500. Wilson would be driving the No. 25 Driven2SaveLives Chevy. He chose No. 25 in honor of his late brother Justin, who drove the No. 25 car when he received his fatal injuries during an incident at the 2015 ABC Supply 500.

A fuel gamble put Wilson in the lead late in the 2018 Indianapolis 500, but he had to pit for fuel with four laps to go, and Will Power won the race.

Wilson finished in last place at the 2021 Indianapolis 500 due to a crash upon entering the pit lane early in the race.

Racing record

Career summary

YearSeriesTeamRacesPolesWinsPointsPosition
2006 Formula Palmer Audi Autumn Trophy Justin Wilson 600529th
2007 Formula Palmer Audi 20443322nd
2008 British Formula 3 International Series - National Fluid Motorsport Development 22341944th
2009 Indy Lights First Motorsports/Walker Racing 60011222nd
2010 Indy Lights Bryan Herta Autosport 110027811th
2011 Indy Lights Andretti Autosport 14124503rd
2012 Indy Lights Fan Force United 1002823rd
2013 IndyCar Series Dale Coyne Racing 1001433rd
2016 IndyCar Series KVSH Racing 1001433rd
2018 IndyCar Series Andretti Autosport 1003134th
2021 IndyCar Series Andretti Autosport 1001041st
2022 IndyCar Series DragonSpeed / Cusick Motorsports 1001035th
IMSA SportsCar Championship - GTD Team Hardpoint30062735th
2023 IndyCar Series Dreyer & Reinbold Racing / Cusick Motorsports 0000NC

American open-wheel racing results

(key)

Indy Lights

YearTeam123456789101112131415RankPoints
2009 FIRST/Derrick Walker Racing STP1
13
STP2
17
LBH
22
KAN INDY MIL IOW WGL
12
TOR
4
EDM KTY MDO
8
SNM CHI HMS 22nd112
2010 Bryan Herta Autosport STP
3
ALA
6
LBH
17
INDY
7
IOW
7
WGL
12
TOR
3
EDM
7
MDO
4
SNM CHI
6
KTY
12
HMS 11th278
2011 Andretti Autosport STP
16
ALA
2
LBH
3
INDY
4
MIL
8
IOW
8
TOR
1
EDM1
4
EDM2
2
TRO
4
NHM
12
BAL
5
KTY
1
LVS
8
3rd450
2012 Fan Force United STP ALA LBH INDY DET MIL IOW TOR EDM TRO BAL FON
6
23rd28

IndyCar Series

(key)

YearTeamChassisNo.Engine12345678910111213141516171819RankPointsRef
2013 Dale Coyne Racing Dallara DW12 18 Honda STP ALA LBH SAO INDY DET DET TXS MIL IOW POC TOR TOR MDO SNM BAL
16
HOU HOU FON 33rd14 [5]
2016 KVSH Racing 25 Chevrolet STP PHX LBH ALA IMS INDY
28
DET DET RDA IOW TOR MDO POC TXS WGL SNM 34th14 [6]
2018 Andretti Autosport Honda STP PHX LBH ALA IMS INDY
15
DET DET TXS RDA IOW TOR MDO POC GTW POR SNM 34th31 [7]
2021 ALA
STP
TXS
TXS
IMS
INDY
33
DET
DET
ROA
MDO
NSH
IMS
GTW
POR
LAG
LBH
41st10 [8]
2022 DragonSpeed/Cusick Motorsports Chevrolet STP
TXS
LBH
ALA
IMS
INDY
26
DET ROA MDO TOR IOW IOW IMS NSH GTW POR LAG 35th10 [9]
2023 Dreyer & Reinbold/Cusick Motorsports 24 STP TXS LBH ALA IMS INDY
Wth
DET ROA MDO TOR IOW IOW NSH IMS GTW POR LAG -0 [10]

Indianapolis 500

YearChassisEngineStartFinishTeam
2016 Dallara Chevrolet 3028 KVSH Racing
2018 Dallara Honda 2315 Andretti Autosport
2021 Dallara Honda 2833 Andretti Autosport
2022 Dallara Chevrolet 3327 DragonSpeed/Cusick Motorsports
2023 Dallara Chevrolet Wth Dreyer & Reinbold/Cusick Motorsports

Complete IMSA SportsCar Championship results

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; results in italics indicate fastest lap)

YearTeamClassMakeEngine123456789101112Pos.Points
2017 BAR1 MotorsportsPC Oreca FLM09 Chevrolet LS3 6.2 L V8. DAY SEB COA
2
DET WGL MOS ELK PET 17th32
2022 Team HardpointGTD Porsche 911 GT3 R Porsche MA1.76/MDG.G 4.0 L Flat-6 DAY
10
SEB
8
LBH LGA MDO DET WGL
14
MOS LIM ELK VIR PET 35th627

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References

  1. Freeman, Glenn (2 December 2007). "McLaren Autosport BRDC: Stefan Wilson". autosport.com. Retrieved 3 December 2007.
  2. Glendenning, Mark (13 November 2009). "Wilson gets prize Formula 1 test". autosport.com. Haymarket Publications . Retrieved 13 November 2009.
  3. "Bryan Herta Autosport signs Stefan Wilson". motorsport.com. via Bryan Herta Autosport. 3 February 2010. Retrieved 24 August 2015.
  4. Glendenning, Mark (27 June 2014). "Stefan Wilson gets 2015 IndyCar deal with Fan Force United". autosport.com . Retrieved 2 July 2014.
  5. "Stefan Wilson – 2013 IZOD IndyCar Series Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved 1 August 2023.
  6. "Stefan Wilson – 2016 Verizon IndyCar Series Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved 1 August 2023.
  7. "Stefan Wilson – 2018 Verizon IndyCar Series Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved 1 August 2023.
  8. "Stefan Wilson – 2021 NTT IndyCar Series Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved 1 August 2023.
  9. "Stefan Wilson – 2022 NTT IndyCar Series Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved 1 August 2023.
  10. "Stefan Wilson – 2023 NTT IndyCar Series Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved 1 August 2023.
Awards
Preceded by McLaren Autosport BRDC Award
2007
Succeeded by