2015 Indy 500 Entrants - Where Are They Today? - Tragedy and Trajectory
INDIANAPOLIS – RIS – There are a group of drivers entered in this year’s 100th Running of the Indianapolis 500 presented by PennGrade Motor Oil that, if history repeats itself, will not participate next year. The reasons why are varied and sometimes heartbreaking. Yes, money is the number one answer - but luck is another. Only fate and time will tell.
Where are those drivers that participated in last year’s 99th running and not entered in this year’s event?
Justin Wilson (8 starts, Best Finish 5) finished 21st in the 2015 Indy 500. The popular 37 year-old Briton tragically lost his life after suffering injury in the IndyCar race at Pocono Raceway. He was struck by debris from another car that crashed ahead of him. He was driving for Andretti Motorsports. His younger brother Stefan is entered in this year’s Indy 500. He is making his rookie start driving the No. 25 Driven2savelines – KVRT Chevrolet for KV Racing Technology.
Ryan Briscoe (10 starts, 2012 Pole winner, Best Finish 5) finished 12th in the 2015 Indy 500, driving for Schmidt Peterson Motorsports. Briscoe is driving the IMSA No. 67 Ford GT, for the Ford Chip Ganassi Racing IMSA team. The Australian is headed for Le Mans with the Ford/Ganassi team that has set its sights on winning the historic 24 hours’ race. Fifty years ago Ford took their GTs to Le Mans to do battle with Ferrari. They accomplished their goal and finished first, second and third in the 1966 24-hour race. Ford is touting their new 600 horsepower Ford GT Supercar and called on Chip Ganassi to win Le Mans again. What is the price of the street version of the Ford GT? If you have to ask, you can’t afford it….
James Jakes (3 starts, Best Finish 15) finished 18th in the 2015 Indy 500. He drove for Schmidt Peterson Motorsports. The 28-year old Briton is in Europe racing for Manor Motorsport in the World Endurance Championship.
Simona de Silvestro (5 starts, Best Finish 14) finished 19th in the 2015 Indy 500, driving for Andretti Autosport. The Swiss-Miss is travelling the world driving in the FIA Formula E Championship for the Andretti Formula E team.
Sebastian Saavedra (5 starts, Best Finish 15) finished 23rd in the 2015 Indy 500. Saavedra drove for Chip Ganassi Racing. The Colombian will drive the #77 BFGoodrich Ford Fiesta in his first-ever Red Bull Global Rallycross event May 21 and 22 in Phoenix, Arizona.
Stefano Coletti (1 start, Best Finish 25) finished 25th in the 2015 Indy 500. Coletti drove for KV Racing Technology. The 27 year-old from Monaco is driving the BR01 – Nissan for SMP Racing in the LM P2 Class of the European Le Mans Series.
James Davison (2 starts, Best Finish 16) finished 27th in the 2015 Indy 500, driving for Dale Coyne Racing. The Australian drives in the Pirelli World Challenge for the Nissan Motorsport team.
Tristan Vautier (2 starts, Best Finish 16) finished 28th in the 2015 Indy 500, driving for Dale Coyne Racing. The Frenchman is with Team Akka-ASP in the European Blancpain GT Series Sprint Cup.
Sometimes a year-long effort to enter the race falls short. Grace Autosport announced at the 2015 Indianapolis 500 that they were going to field a car in the 2016 Indianapolis 500. It would be an all-women team with driver Katherine Legge (2 starts, Best finish 30). On May 18, 2016 Grace Autosport tweeted, “We’re sorry to say we won’t run in the 2016 Indy 500.” The press release stated that they could not obtain and assemble a car in time for the race. Legge has been driving the DeltaWing prototype, racing in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship.
Dave Chess
Dave Chess has been writing for RIS since the late 1980s during the CompuServe days. His work has also appeared in Auto Week magazine, Chicago Gearhead News newspaper, ATA airlines in-flight magazine, National Speed Sport News and on many websites.