Former F1 and IndyCar driver Eliseo Salazar will make his WRC debut this weekend during Rally Argentina aboard a MINI John Cooper Works.
After having spent three seasons in Formula 1, from 1981 to 1983, the driver from Santiago, Chile raced in various championships until he moved to United States to run a full CART program, starting in 1995. He then switched to the IndyCar series from 1997 to 2002. He then moved on to rallying in his country, and also ran the Dakar rally for the last three years.
The 57-year-old Salazar will make his World Rally Championship debut this weekend.
“After the triple crown that is the Indy 500, Le Mans and the Monaco Grand Prix I did the Dakar and it became the magic square. I’ve been racing rallies in Chile for the last seven years when I retired from IndyCar,” Salazar explained to wrc.com.
“I had this opportunity suddenly from Prodrive, from David Richards who I know from the Formula 1 days, to race in Argentina. If I was 30 years younger I would do the full season but I’m not. Maybe if we can do a decent job I’d love to do Argentina again next year but as of now I’m treating it as the last point of that racing star, that’s what I want to do, he added,” he added.
After having spent three seasons in Formula 1, from 1981 to 1983, the driver from Santiago, Chile raced in various championships until he moved to United States to run a full CART program, starting in 1995. He then switched to the IndyCar series from 1997 to 2002. He then moved on to rallying in his country, and also ran the Dakar rally for the last three years.
The 57-year-old Salazar will make his World Rally Championship debut this weekend.
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| Eliseo Salazar (Photo: BMW Motorsport) |
“After the triple crown that is the Indy 500, Le Mans and the Monaco Grand Prix I did the Dakar and it became the magic square. I’ve been racing rallies in Chile for the last seven years when I retired from IndyCar,” Salazar explained to wrc.com.
“I had this opportunity suddenly from Prodrive, from David Richards who I know from the Formula 1 days, to race in Argentina. If I was 30 years younger I would do the full season but I’m not. Maybe if we can do a decent job I’d love to do Argentina again next year but as of now I’m treating it as the last point of that racing star, that’s what I want to do, he added,” he added.