Pablo Donoso
Encyclopedia
Pablo Donoso Prado is a professional racing driver from Santiago de Chile. He began racing at 9 years of age. He is currently racing in the Firestone Indy Lights Series and passed the Rookie Test for the Indy Racing League IndyCar Series
on February 29, 2008 at Homestead-Miami Speedway
.
.
Since that year and until 1999, he raced karting in the Chilean and Argentine championships with a total of 18 wins and 32 podiums, with two sub-championships and the 1996 title.
where he raced in the prestigious Fórmula Renault
until 2002. In 2002 he became the 2nd Chilean driver to win a race in Argentina after Eliseo Salazar
who won in 1978 Formula 4. That year, his results took him to the fight for the championship against the Argentine Juan Cruz Alvarez up to the final round, finally with a 2nd place overall.
with a total of 4 wins, 2 poles, and 4 podiums. Again, he matched Salazar to be the second Chilean to win a European race since the Eliseo's 1980 win in the British Formula One Series
.
In 2003 he raced in the World Series Light by Nissan with the Chilean beer brand Cristal as his main sponsor and backed by his manager, former race driver, Cristián Mackenna. That year Donoso got one win at the EuroSpeedway Lausitz
circuit with the Vergani Racing
Team.
In 2004 he moved to the World Series by Nissan. In this series, he was the teammate of Enrique Bernoldi
, a former F1 driver. At this level, he didn't succeed and he was forced to leave his seat in the middle of the season due to budget issues.
to redirect his career to the US. Looking for a small racing series to compete in with specified equipment and lower budgets, he joined the Star Mazda Series
in 2005. He raced in the series with Andersen Walko Racing, competing against drivers like Marco Andretti
, Graham Rahal
, Jonathan Klein
and Raphael Matos
among others.
He won at Infineon Raceway
from the pole position, his only victory of the season, with several podiums.
In a very criticized decision in his native Chile
, he joined the USAC
Silver Crown Series for the 2006 season; one of the oldest open-wheel
series in the United States
. He believed that this series could be a step to finally get to a world-class category like NASCAR
or the IndyCar Series
. That, and additional financial problems made Silver Crown an attractive option in spite of other series like the Infiniti Pro Series or the Champ Car Atlantic Series possibly being better suited to his goals.
The IndyCar team Hemelgarn Racing
fielded a car for him in two rounds of the 2006 USAC Silver Crown season and Donoso delivered two 2nd places at the Iowa Speedway
and Kansas Speedway
.
, A. J. Foyt Enterprises
. He raced the 2007 series with Tracy Hines
as his teammate.
On Friday 29th, Donoso passed the IndyCar Series rookie test at Homestead Miami Speedway using Darren Manning
's car under Johnny Rutherford
's supervision. After that, Foyt said that Donoso would become his second driver for the 2008 IndyCar Series season
. However, he would start the season racing in the Firestone Indy Lights Series for SWE Racing, signing with the team for four races. Donoso was not entered in the Indianapolis 500
with Foyt's team, the seat instead going to Jeff Simmons
. Donoso continued in Indy Lights with Team Moore Racing beginning with the Freedom 100
. At the race after the Freedom 100, Donoso won his first series pole at the Milwaukee Mile
.
Donoso scored his first podium finish in Indy Lights competition in the time-shortened second Mid Ohio 100 race. He finished 3rd in a race won by James Davison
. However, he parted ways with Team Moore after that race and was entered in Brian Stewart Racing's #3 car for the following race. He returned to Team Moore for the next pair of races at Infineon Raceway
and captured his first series win in the weekend's second race as he started from the pole due to the field inversion from race 1.
Donoso signed to race in the Indy Lights in 2009 with Brian Stewart Racing. However, after the Kansas Speedway
race he switched to Genoa Racing for the Freedom 100 and then Team PBIR for the Milwaukee race. He drove for his third team in as many races when he competed for RLR
-Andersen Racing
at Iowa Speedway
and continued with RLR-Andersen on a part-time basis through the August race at Kentucky Speedway
, which is presently his last start in the series.
IndyCar Series
The IZOD IndyCar Series is the premier level of American open wheel racing. The current championship, founded by Indianapolis Motor Speedway owner Tony George, began in 1996 as a competitor to CART known as the Indy Racing League . Citing CART's increasing reliance on expensive machinery and...
on February 29, 2008 at Homestead-Miami Speedway
Homestead-Miami Speedway
Homestead-Miami Speedway is a race track in Homestead, Florida southwest of Miami.Since 2002 Homestead has hosted the final races of the season in all three of NASCAR's series: the Sprint Cup Series, Nationwide Series, and the Camping World Truck Series...
.
Career
In 1994 he began his racing career, in karting, moved by his father, Jorge Donoso, who was also a race driver in ChileChile
Chile ,officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long, narrow coastal strip between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far...
.
Since that year and until 1999, he raced karting in the Chilean and Argentine championships with a total of 18 wins and 32 podiums, with two sub-championships and the 1996 title.
Development in Argentina
He moved to ArgentinaArgentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
where he raced in the prestigious Fórmula Renault
Formula Renault
Formula Renault is a class of formula racing founded in 1971. It is popular in Europe and other countries. Regarded as an entry-level series to motor racing, it is a respected series where drivers can learn advanced racecraft before moving on to Formula Three, World Series by Renault, GP2 or...
until 2002. In 2002 he became the 2nd Chilean driver to win a race in Argentina after Eliseo Salazar
Eliseo Salazar
Eliseo Salazar Valenzuela is a Chilean racing driver, and the only one of his countrymen to compete in Formula One. He participated in 37 Formula One World Championship Grands Prix scoring a total of three championship points...
who won in 1978 Formula 4. That year, his results took him to the fight for the championship against the Argentine Juan Cruz Alvarez up to the final round, finally with a 2nd place overall.
Europe
Donoso then moved to Europe, racing in European Formula BMW JuniorFormula BMW
Formula BMW is a junior racing formula for single seater cars. It is positioned at the bottom of the motorsport career ladder alongside the longer established Formula Ford category...
with a total of 4 wins, 2 poles, and 4 podiums. Again, he matched Salazar to be the second Chilean to win a European race since the Eliseo's 1980 win in the British Formula One Series
British Formula One Series
The British Formula One Series, often abbreviated to British F1, was a Formula One motor racing championship held in the United Kingdom. It was often referred to as the Aurora AFX Formula One series due to the Aurora company's sponsorship of the series for three of the four seasons.The long...
.
In 2003 he raced in the World Series Light by Nissan with the Chilean beer brand Cristal as his main sponsor and backed by his manager, former race driver, Cristián Mackenna. That year Donoso got one win at the EuroSpeedway Lausitz
EuroSpeedway Lausitz
The EuroSpeedway Lausitz is a race track located near Klettwitz in the state of Brandenburg in Eastern Germany, near the borders of Poland and the Czech Republic...
circuit with the Vergani Racing
Vergani Racing
Vergani Racing is an auto racing team based in Italy....
Team.
In 2004 he moved to the World Series by Nissan. In this series, he was the teammate of Enrique Bernoldi
Enrique Bernoldi
Enrique Antônio Langue e Silvério de Bernoldi is a Brazilian racing driver who raced for the Arrows Formula One team...
, a former F1 driver. At this level, he didn't succeed and he was forced to leave his seat in the middle of the season due to budget issues.
Early career in the United States
In 2004, he finished his contract with Mackenna and got in touch with Eliseo SalazarEliseo Salazar
Eliseo Salazar Valenzuela is a Chilean racing driver, and the only one of his countrymen to compete in Formula One. He participated in 37 Formula One World Championship Grands Prix scoring a total of three championship points...
to redirect his career to the US. Looking for a small racing series to compete in with specified equipment and lower budgets, he joined the Star Mazda Series
Star Mazda Series
The Star Mazda Championship presented by Goodyear is an open-wheel racecar driver development series in North America. Competitors use spec Formula Mazda race cars built by Star Race Cars. The original series, using first-generation tube-frame cars started in the early 1990s, with the current,...
in 2005. He raced in the series with Andersen Walko Racing, competing against drivers like Marco Andretti
Marco Andretti
Marco Michael Andretti is an Italian American auto racing driver who drives the #26 car for Andretti Autosport in the IndyCar Series. He is the son of 1991 IndyCar World Series champion Michael Andretti and the grandson of racing legend Mario Andretti...
, Graham Rahal
Graham Rahal
Graham Rahal is an American race car driver. He currently participates in the IZOD IndyCar Series. He is the son of 1986 Indianapolis 500 winner Bobby Rahal.-Early racing:...
, Jonathan Klein
Jonathan Klein (driver)
Jonathan Klein is an American racing driver from Long Grove, Illinois.After racing Formula Atlantic cars in the SCCA he moved up to professional racing in 2005 in Star Mazda, finishing 13th for Andersen Walko Racing. In 2006 he moved to the Indy Pro Series driving for Andretti Green Racing...
and Raphael Matos
Raphael Matos
Raphael Matos is a Brazilian racing driver from Belo Horizonte. He currently participates in the IZOD IndyCar Series for AFS Racing. He was the 2008 Firestone Indy Lights Series champion and the 2007 Champ Car Atlantic Series champion...
among others.
He won at Infineon Raceway
Infineon Raceway
Infineon Raceway, formerly Sears Point Raceway, is a road course and drag strip located on the landform known as Sears Point in the southern Sonoma Mountains near Sonoma, California, USA. The course is a complex series of twists and turns that go up and down the hills...
from the pole position, his only victory of the season, with several podiums.
In a very criticized decision in his native Chile
Chile
Chile ,officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long, narrow coastal strip between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far...
, he joined the USAC
United States Automobile Club
The United States Auto Club is one of the sanctioning bodies of auto racing in the United States. From 1956 to 1979, the USAC sanctioned the United States National Championship, and from 1956 to 1997 the organization sanctioned the Indianapolis 500...
Silver Crown Series for the 2006 season; one of the oldest open-wheel
Open wheel car
Open-wheel car, formula car, or often single-seater car in British English, describes cars with the wheels outside the car's main body and, in most cases, one seat. Open-wheel cars contrast with street cars, sports cars, stock cars, and touring cars, which have their wheels below the body or fenders...
series in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. He believed that this series could be a step to finally get to a world-class category like NASCAR
NASCAR
The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing is a family-owned and -operated business venture that sanctions and governs multiple auto racing sports events. It was founded by Bill France Sr. in 1947–48. As of 2009, the CEO for the company is Brian France, grandson of the late Bill France Sr...
or the IndyCar Series
IndyCar Series
The IZOD IndyCar Series is the premier level of American open wheel racing. The current championship, founded by Indianapolis Motor Speedway owner Tony George, began in 1996 as a competitor to CART known as the Indy Racing League . Citing CART's increasing reliance on expensive machinery and...
. That, and additional financial problems made Silver Crown an attractive option in spite of other series like the Infiniti Pro Series or the Champ Car Atlantic Series possibly being better suited to his goals.
USAC career
With new more formula style cars, Donoso joined the initially struggling series driving for Vance Racing owned by Johnny Vance. At the first races of 2006 he was able to show his potential but suffered from mechanical problems. The criticism in Chile was rising, meanwhile, many oval specialists congratulated him for this natural ability to handle the somewhat unusual cars.The IndyCar team Hemelgarn Racing
Hemelgarn Racing
Hemelgarn Racing was a racing team in the Indy Racing League owned by Ron Hemelgarn. The team won the 1996 Indianapolis 500 and 2000 Series Championship with driver Buddy Lazier. Along with A.J...
fielded a car for him in two rounds of the 2006 USAC Silver Crown season and Donoso delivered two 2nd places at the Iowa Speedway
Iowa Speedway
Iowa Speedway is a 7/8-mile paved oval motor racing track in Newton, Iowa, United States, approximately east of Des Moines. The track was designed with influence from Rusty Wallace and patterned after Richmond International Raceway, a short track where Wallace was very successful...
and Kansas Speedway
Kansas Speedway
Kansas Speedway is a tri-oval race track in Kansas City, Kansas. The speedway was built in 2001 and currently hosts two annual NASCAR race weekends. The IndyCar Series also raced at the speedway until 2011...
.
IndyCar Series test and Indy Lights ride
With the goal of getting closer to the main series, in 2007 Donoso joined the team of the legendary A. J. FoytA. J. Foyt
Anthony Joseph Foyt, Jr., or as he is universally known as in motorsports circles, A. J. Foyt , is a retired American automobile racing driver. He raced in numerous genres of motorsports. His open wheel racing includes USAC Champ cars and midget cars. He raced stock cars in NASCAR and USAC. He won...
, A. J. Foyt Enterprises
A. J. Foyt Enterprises
A.J. Foyt Enterprises is a racing team in the IZOD Indycar Series and formerly NASCAR. It is owned by four-time Indianapolis 500 winner A. J. Foyt. Foyt Enterprises won IRL titles in 1996 with Scott Sharp and 1998 with Kenny Bräck, the latter driver also winning the Indianapolis 500 for the team...
. He raced the 2007 series with Tracy Hines
Tracy Hines
Tracy Lee Hines is an American auto racing driver. He was the 2000 USAC Silver Crown Champion and 2002 USAC National Sprint Car Champion...
as his teammate.
Darren Manning
Darren Manning is a motor racing driver, most recently racing in the IRL IndyCar Series for Dreyer & Reinbold Racing.-Early career:...
's car under Johnny Rutherford
Johnny Rutherford
For the Major League Baseball pitcher, see Johnny Rutherford . For other people with a similar name, see John RutherfordJohn Sherman Rutherford III , better known as Johnny Rutherford, and also known as "Lone Star JR" is a former U.S...
's supervision. After that, Foyt said that Donoso would become his second driver for the 2008 IndyCar Series season
2008 IndyCar Series season
The 2008 IndyCar Series season was the 13th season of the IndyCar Series. Its premier event was the 92nd Indianapolis 500 on May 25. The first race was held March 29 at Homestead. It was the 97th recognized season of top-level American open wheel racing....
. However, he would start the season racing in the Firestone Indy Lights Series for SWE Racing, signing with the team for four races. Donoso was not entered in the Indianapolis 500
Indianapolis 500
The Indianapolis 500-Mile Race, also known as the Indianapolis 500, the 500 Miles at Indianapolis, the Indy 500 or The 500, is an American automobile race, held annually, typically on the last weekend in May at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana...
with Foyt's team, the seat instead going to Jeff Simmons
Jeff Simmons (driver)
Jeff Simmons is an American race car driver, most recently driving open wheel cars in the Indy Racing League IndyCar Series.-Early career:...
. Donoso continued in Indy Lights with Team Moore Racing beginning with the Freedom 100
Freedom 100
The Firestone Freedom 100 is a Firestone Indy Lights Series auto race at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. It is currently held the Friday before the Indianapolis 500...
. At the race after the Freedom 100, Donoso won his first series pole at the Milwaukee Mile
Milwaukee Mile
The Milwaukee Mile is a -long oval race track in West Allis, Wisconsin that seats about 40,000 spectators. It operated as a dirt track until 1953. The track was paved in 1954....
.
Donoso scored his first podium finish in Indy Lights competition in the time-shortened second Mid Ohio 100 race. He finished 3rd in a race won by James Davison
James Davison
James Davison, born 28 August 1986 in Melbourne, Australia, is a third-generation race driver whose father Jon Davison was a Formula 5000 competitor and was the long-running promotor of racing events at Sandown Raceway. Davison's grandfather, Lex Davison, was a four-time winner of the Australian...
. However, he parted ways with Team Moore after that race and was entered in Brian Stewart Racing's #3 car for the following race. He returned to Team Moore for the next pair of races at Infineon Raceway
Infineon Raceway
Infineon Raceway, formerly Sears Point Raceway, is a road course and drag strip located on the landform known as Sears Point in the southern Sonoma Mountains near Sonoma, California, USA. The course is a complex series of twists and turns that go up and down the hills...
and captured his first series win in the weekend's second race as he started from the pole due to the field inversion from race 1.
Donoso signed to race in the Indy Lights in 2009 with Brian Stewart Racing. However, after the Kansas Speedway
Kansas Speedway
Kansas Speedway is a tri-oval race track in Kansas City, Kansas. The speedway was built in 2001 and currently hosts two annual NASCAR race weekends. The IndyCar Series also raced at the speedway until 2011...
race he switched to Genoa Racing for the Freedom 100 and then Team PBIR for the Milwaukee race. He drove for his third team in as many races when he competed for RLR
Rahal Letterman Racing
Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing is an auto racing team that currently races in the American Le Mans Series and part–time in the IndyCar Series. Based in Hilliard, Ohio, it is co–owned by 1986 Indianapolis 500 winner Bobby Rahal, television talk show host David Letterman, and businessman Mike...
-Andersen Racing
Andersen Racing
Andersen Racing was a professional auto racing team that competed in Firestone Indy Lights and Star Mazda competition. It was owned by Dan Andersen, who founded the U.S. F2000 National Championship in 1991 and his brother John Andersen...
at Iowa Speedway
Iowa Speedway
Iowa Speedway is a 7/8-mile paved oval motor racing track in Newton, Iowa, United States, approximately east of Des Moines. The track was designed with influence from Rusty Wallace and patterned after Richmond International Raceway, a short track where Wallace was very successful...
and continued with RLR-Andersen on a part-time basis through the August race at Kentucky Speedway
Kentucky Speedway
Kentucky Speedway is a tri-oval speedway in Sparta, Kentucky, which has hosted ARCA, NASCAR and Indy Racing League racing annually since it opened in 2000. The track is currently owned and operated by Speedway Motorsports, Inc. and Jerry Carroll, who, along with four other investors, owned...
, which is presently his last start in the series.