John de Vries
Encyclopedia
John de Vries is a former driver in the Indy Racing League and Australian Formula Holden
. He raced in the 2002 IRL season
, where he began the season with Brayton Racing. De Vries competed in the first three races, and arrived but withdrew from the Nazareth Speedway
race. He attempted to qualify for the 2002 Indianapolis 500
, but was not among the 33 drivers who made the field. He returned after the Indianapolis 500 to compete in the Chevy 500 at Texas Motor Speedway
and logged his best career IRL finish, an 11th place, in what would be his final IRL race. Previously, de Vries had spent four years in Formula Holden and the Australian Formula Ford Championship
.
De Vries spent his youth in Newport Beach, California
. Prior to beginning his racing career, he owned several Subway
restaurants in California, the first of which was in Corona del Mar
. While in Australia for business reasons, he developed an interest in racing.
Formula Holden
Formula Holden was an Australian open wheel racing category.-History:Known during its development as Formula Australia, it was initially for chassis constructed from aluminium only, running a 3.8 litre Buick V6 engine as it was then utilised in the new versions of the Holden Commodore...
. He raced in the 2002 IRL season
2002 in IRL
The 2002 Indy Racing League season was one of transition, with many CART teams participating in a partial IRL schedule while retaining "lame duck" status in their original series with their CART engine suppliers Toyota and Honda...
, where he began the season with Brayton Racing. De Vries competed in the first three races, and arrived but withdrew from the Nazareth Speedway
Nazareth Speedway
Nazareth Speedway was an auto racing track in Lehigh Valley, Pennsylvania which operated from 1910 to 2004. The track is often associated with local drivers Mario and Michael Andretti. It was associated with Frankie Schneider in its earlier dirt track history....
race. He attempted to qualify for the 2002 Indianapolis 500
2002 Indianapolis 500
The 86th Indianapolis race was held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Sunday, May 26, 2002. It was the seventh Indianapolis 500 held as part of the Indy Racing League IndyCar Series schedule, and was part of the 2002 Indy Racing League season....
, but was not among the 33 drivers who made the field. He returned after the Indianapolis 500 to compete in the Chevy 500 at Texas Motor Speedway
Texas Motor Speedway
Texas Motor Speedway is a speedway located in the northernmost portion of the U.S. city of Fort Worth, Texas – the portion located in Denton County, Texas....
and logged his best career IRL finish, an 11th place, in what would be his final IRL race. Previously, de Vries had spent four years in Formula Holden and the Australian Formula Ford Championship
Australian Formula Ford Championship
The Australian Formula Ford Championship is a CAMS sanctioned national motor racing title for drivers of Formula Ford racing cars. It has been held annually since 1970, originally as a national series, and later as the 'Driver-to-Europe' series...
.
De Vries spent his youth in Newport Beach, California
Newport Beach, California
Newport Beach, incorporated in 1906, is a city in Orange County, California, south of downtown Santa Ana. The population was 85,186 at the 2010 census.The city's median family income and property values consistently place high in national rankings...
. Prior to beginning his racing career, he owned several Subway
Subway (restaurant)
Subway is an American restaurant franchise that primarily sells submarine sandwiches and salads. It is owned and operated by Doctor's Associates, Inc. . Subway is one of the fastest growing franchises in the world with 35,519 restaurants in 98 countries and territories as of October 25th, 2011...
restaurants in California, the first of which was in Corona del Mar
Corona del Mar, Newport Beach, California
Corona del Mar or CdM is a neighborhood in the affluent city of Newport Beach, California. It generally consists of all land on the seaward face of the San Joaquin Hills south of Avocado Avenue to the city limits, as well as the development of Irvine Terrace, just north of Avocado...
. While in Australia for business reasons, he developed an interest in racing.
Career summary
| Season | Series | Position | Car | Team |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 1998 Australian Drivers' Championship The 1998 Australian Drivers' Championship was a CAMS sanctioned national motor racing title for drivers of cars conforming to Formula Holden regulations... |
Australian Drivers' Championship Australian Drivers' Championship The Australian Drivers' Championship is a motor racing championship which has been contested annually since 1957 by drivers of cars complying with Australia's premier open-wheeler racing category as determined by the Confederation of Australian Motor Sport. Since 2005 this category has been Formula... |
6th | Reynard Reynard Motorsport Reynard Motorsport was at one time the world's largest racing car manufacturer. Initially based at Bicester and latterly at Reynard Park, Brackley, England the company built successful cars in Formula Ford 1600, Formula Ford 2000, Formula Vauxhall Lotus, Formula Three, Formula 3000 and Indy... 91D Holden |
|
| 2002 | Indy Racing League | 33rd | Dallara Dallara Dallara Automobili is an Italian chassis manufacturer for various motor racing series, being most notable for its near-monopoly in Formula 3 since 1993... IR2 Chevrolet |
Brayton Racing PDM Racing PDM Racing PDM Racing is a racing team in the Indy Racing League and USAC Silver Crown series owned by Paul Diatlovich. Almost always a low budget team and affectionately dubbed "Poor Dumb Mechanics" by one of its former owners, it is known to make the most out of mediocre equipment... |
IndyCar
| Year | Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | Rank | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2002 | Brayton Racing |  HMS 17 |
PHX 22 |
FON 23 |
NZR Wth |
INDY 2002 Indianapolis 500 The 86th Indianapolis race was held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Sunday, May 26, 2002. It was the seventh Indianapolis 500 held as part of the Indy Racing League IndyCar Series schedule, and was part of the 2002 Indy Racing League season.... DNQ |
33rd | 53 | ||||||||||
| PDM Racing PDM Racing PDM Racing is a racing team in the Indy Racing League and USAC Silver Crown series owned by Paul Diatlovich. Almost always a low budget team and affectionately dubbed "Poor Dumb Mechanics" by one of its former owners, it is known to make the most out of mediocre equipment... |
TXS 11 |
PPIR |
RIR |
KAN |
NSH |
MIS |
KTY |
STL |
CHI |
TX2 |