Patrick Carpentier

13/8/1971

Record updated 13-Aug-06

Canadian racing driver who spent eight years driving Champ cars. Now racing in the A1 GP Series and expected to switch to NASCAR in 2006.

Patrick Carpentier is French-Canadian, born in Lasalle, Quebec. He started out as a competitive speedskater, but he chose motor racing though he could have been a successful skater.

He starting racing in karts, winning Canadian national championship before moving to single seaters in 1987 when he earned a three-day Spenard/David Racing School Course by working as a mechanic. He won the School Formula Ford 2000 runoffs that year and then finished seventh in the racing school's Formula Ford 2000 championship with two wins and two poles the following year. He went on to win the championship with three wins and five poles in six races in 1989. He also entered three rounds of the Canadian Formula Ford 1600 championship, winning his class twice and finishing second in his other start.

From 1990 to 1993 he ran a very limited programme in Canadian Formula Ford 2000 championship and the Formula Atlantic championship.

In 1994 he debuted in the Dayton Indy Lights Championship, competing in events at Toronto and Mid-Ohio and took in five races in the Toyota Atlantic Championship.

Staying with Toyota Atlantic in 1995 he finished third in the championship with victories at Miami and Nazareth and four poles. Then followed that up in 1996 by winning the championship with nine victories and eight poles in 12 races.

He moved up to CART in 1997 and over the next few years gradually improved his championship performance: 17th in 1997, 19th in 1998, 13th in 1999, 11th in 2000. During this time he was prone to missing races through injuries, some of which originated off-track.

His first ChampCar victory came in 2001 at Michigan, and he then took third in the championship in 2002.

Finishing 5th overall in 2003 was disappointing as his team-mate, Paul Tracy, won the title.

He was briefly fired in 2004, before being reinstated with the addition of a third car. Despite beating Tracy to third in the championship, he left the team and the series for 2005, and joined Eddie Cheever's IRL team. Due to his excellent record in oval races, he was expected to do well, but uncompetitive Toyota engines prevented this.

Left without a ride in 2006 when the team closed, he went to race for Team Canada in the inaugural A1 GP Series as well as racing in the Daytona Rolex 24 hours driving a Cheever Racing Toyota Crawford Daytona Protoype.

Currently, he is rumored to be joining the NASCAR Busch Series in 2007. Official announcement of his participation should follow the unveiling of the 2007 NASCAR Busch Series Calendar in July 2006 and the addition of a Busch series race in Montreal, Canada. The Montreal Busch race would be held at the Gilles Villeneuve circuit the third Saturday in July, a date currently held by the Martinsville Speedway and the same weekend NASCAR Nextel Cup teams are in Pocono International Raceway, less than 500 km [approx 310miles] south of Montreal.

Patrick lives in Quebec with his wife and daughter

Away from the track, Carpentier splits his time between Las Vegas and his ranch in his native Quebec, where he hopes to raise bison after his driving career ends. He enjoys music and has a recording studio in his Las Vegas home. He plays drums. Carpentier also is an avid adventure sportsman who enjoys Sno-Cross and desert cycling.