Nelson Philippe

Nelson Philippe (born July 23, 1986 in Valence, Drôme) is a French race car driver.

Nelson Philippe
Nelson Philippe at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in May 2009.
Nationality French
BornValence, Drôme
Related toRichard Philippe (brother)
IRL IndyCar Series
Years active2009
TeamsHVM Racing
Conquest Racing
Starts2
Wins0
Poles0
Best finish35th in 2009
Nelson Philippe
Champ Car World Series
Years active2004-2007
TeamsRocketsports Racing
Conquest Racing
CTE-HVM Racing
Starts41
Wins1
Poles0
Best finish4th in 2006
Previous series
2008
2003		Superleague Formula
Barber Dodge Pro Series
Awards
2005 & 2006Champ Car Most Improved Driver

Career

Early career

Philippe raced go-karts from 1998-2002. In 2003, he raced in the Barber Dodge Pro Series, finishing the season with one podium, and four top five finishes.

With just one year of experience in cars, Philippe tested with two Champ Car teams, before signing with Paul Gentilozzi's Rocketsports Racing team. At 17, he became the youngest driver to ever race in Champ Car.

Through the first five races of the 2004 season, Philippe generally stayed out of trouble but usually ran at the back of the pack. Philippe was abruptly dropped from the Rocketsports team before the Molson Indy Toronto. After sitting out several races, Philippe rejoined the series later in the year for Mi-Jack Conquest Racing. In 2005, he continued to race for the Conquest team alongside fellow teenager Andrew Ranger. Philippe made a total of 19 starts for Eric Bachelart's Conquest Racing in 2004 and 2005. Although he struggled with consistency, Phillippe often qualified and ran mid-pack, outpacing the more highly regarded Ranger towards the end of the year. While driving for Conquest in 2005, Philippe was voted by his peers as the Bosch Most Improved Driver in the Series, and won the award in 2006 as well.

Success at CTE-HVM

For the 2006 season, Philippe moved to CTE-HVM Racing and earned his first podium finishes at Milwaukee and Montreal before claiming his first victory at Surfers Paradise. With his victory at Surfers Paradise, Philippe became the youngest winner in Champ Car World Series history, and again being awarded most improved driver in 2006. However, this success was not enough to find Philippe a drive in 2007, whose financial climate stipulated that most drivers had to bring money to the team to race, something Philippe refused to do after his 2006 success.

But on October 3, 2007 it was announced that Nelson Philippe would return to Champ Car and drive for his former team, Conquest Racing. Philippe would race at Surfers Paradise and Mexico City. He said at the time: "I'm thrilled to be back, and no better time than now with Surfers Paradise around the corner [October 21]. It's been a challenge to be sidelined this year, but things happen for a reason and right now it's full steam ahead for Australia and Mexico." Despite having sat out the entire season, Philippe qualified a respectable 13th and then recorded an even more respectable sixth-place finish at Surfers Paradise. "Even though the results may not show it, it was probably one of the best races of my career," said Philippe of the race.

In the season finale at Mexico City, Philippe again qualified 13th, but was one of three cars that stalled at the start. He was able to get the car going and ultimately finished in 12th position, a lap down to the leaders.

After Champ Car

Nelson Philippe returned to race with Minardi/HVM Racing in the 2008 Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach. This was the final Champ Car World Series race after the merger with the Indy Racing League. He gave tribute to the series that made his career wearing a race suit with past and present Champ Car logos and "Thank you Champ Car staff and fans" inscribed on the back. He finished 15th in the race.

In 2008, Nelson Philippe drove in the inaugural Superleague Formula season for the Borussia Dortmund team. He also competed in the opening round of the 2008–09 GP2 Asia Series season for ART Grand Prix before being replaced by Pastor Maldonado.[1]

Nelson Philippe announced on April 24, 2009 on Fox News that his new "i Drive Green" race team would be fielding the first-ever carbon neutral entry in the Indianapolis 500 in conjunction with HVM Racing.[2] Philippe struggled in practice and qualifying but ultimately made the field. He made light contact with the wall which was enough to end his race on lap 130. He was credited with 25th.

During practice for the 2009 Indy Grand Prix of Sonoma, Nelson Philippe, who was returning to the series for a few late-season road course races with Conquest Racing, spun exiting Turn 3 and stalled on the track. E. J. Viso barely avoided him but Will Power had nowhere to go and crashed into the stationary Frenchman. Power suffered two fractured vertebrae while Philippe suffered a fractured ankle. Both also suffered concussions and were subsequently hospitalized.[3]

Philippe’s younger brother, Richard Philippe, also a racer, died in a helicopter crash in the Dominican Republic in November 2018.

Motorsports career results

American Open-Wheel racing results

(key)

Barber Dodge Pro Series
Year 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Rank Pts
2003 STP
10		 MTY
5		 MIL
15		 LAG
18		 POR
7		 CLE
15		 TOR
16		 VAN
3		 MDO
4		 MTL
4		 9th 66

Champ Car
Year Team Chassis Engine 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 Rank Pts
2004 Rocketsports Racing Lola B02/00 Ford XFE V8t LBH
13		 MTY
10		 MIL
14		 POR
15		 CLE
10		 TOR VAN ROA 16th 89
Conquest Racing Reynard 02i DEN
13
Lola B02/00 MTL
17		 LAG
16		 LVS
9		 SRF
10		 MXC
16
2005 Conquest Racing Lola B02/00 Ford XFE V8t LBH
18		 MTY
12*		 MIL
12		 POR
12		 CLE
13		 TOR
10		 EDM
9		 SJO
15		 DEN
9		 MTL
15		 LVS
16		 SRF
14		 MXC
7		 13th 117
2006 CTE-HVM Racing Lola B02/00 Ford XFE V8t LBH
13		 HOU
4		 MTY
17		 MIL
3		 POR
8		 CLE
10		 TOR
13		 EDM
14		 SJO
4		 DEN
5		 MTL
3		 ROA
14		 SRF
1		 MXC
7		 4th 231
2007 Conquest Racing Panoz DP01 Cosworth XFE V8t LVS LBH HOU POR CLE MTT TOR EDM SJO ROA ZOL ASN SRF
6		 MXC
12		 19th 28

IndyCar Series
Year Team Chassis Engine 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 Rank Pts
2008 HVM Racing Panoz DP01 Cosworth XFE V8t HMS STP MOT1
DNP		 LBH1
15		 KAN INDY MIL TXS IOW RIR WGL NSH MDO EDM KTY SNM DET CHI SRF2 44th 0
2009 HVM Racing Dallara IR-05 Honda HI7R V8 STP LBH KAN INDY
25		 MIL TXS IOW RIR WGL TOR EDM KTY MDO 35th 16
Conquest Racing SNM
DNS		 CHI MOT HMS
1 Run on same day.
2 Non-points-paying, exhibition race.

Indianapolis 500
Year Chassis Engine Start Finish Team
2009 Dallara Honda 31 25 HVM Racing

Superleague Formula

(key)

Year Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Rank Pts
2008 Borussia Dortmund
Zakspeed		 DON
15		 DON
4		 NÜR
15		 NÜR
DNS		 ZOL ZOL EST EST VAL VAL JER JER 14th 218

Complete GP2 Asia Series results

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

Year Entrant 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 DC Pts
2008–09 ART Grand Prix SHI
FEA
17		 SHI
SPR
13		 DUB
FEA		 DUB
SPR		 BHR
FEA		 BHR
SPR		 LSL
FEA		 LSL
SPR		 SEP
FEA		 SEP
SPR		 BHR
FEA		 BHR
SPR		 34th 0
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References
  1. "Driver changes aplenty in Dubai". crash.net. 2008-12-04. Retrieved 2008-12-04.
  2. Driver Hopes to Shift the Indy 500 Into Neutral (Dead Link), Fox News, April 24, 2009
  3. Power breaks two vertebrae in accident, AP via ESPN, August 23, 2009, Retrieved 2010-01-17
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