Björn Wirdheim

Björn Wirdheim

Wirdheim in August 2016
Nationality Sweden Swedish
Born (1980-04-04) 4 April 1980
Växjö, Sweden
Super GT career
Debut season 2006
Current team Gainer
Car no. 11
Former teams Team LeMans, Kondo Racing
Starts 83
Wins 3
Poles 2
Fastest laps 5
Best finish 2nd in 2013, 2014
Previous series
1996
1996–97
1998
1998–99
2000–01
200203
200304
2005
2006
200607
Formula Ford Sweden SSK
Sweden Formula Ford 1600
Formula Three Nordic
Formula Palmer Audi
German Formula Three Championship
International Formula 3000
Formula One testing
Champ Car World Series
Camaro Cup Sweden
Formula Nippon
Championship titles
1997
2003
Swedish Formula Ford 1600
International Formula 3000

Björn Karl Michael Wirdheim (born 4 April 1980) is a Swedish professional racing driver. He is the son of Örnulf Wirdheim, also a racing driver. Björn began racing karts, competing in his first race, at the age of 10. His main achievement to date is becoming the International Formula 3000 Champion in 2003.

Career

Born in Växjö, Wirdheim began racing karts at age ten, until the age of fifteen, winning the Southern Swedish Karting Championship. In 1996, he progressed to single-seaters in Swedish Formula Ford 1600 Junior Championship where he took the championship title in 1997 with a staggering 17 wins. In 1998 and 1999 he raced in the Formula Palmer Audi Championship, but they were two disappointing seasons with only two visits to the podium in total.

International Formula 3000

Wirdheim driving for Arden at the Hungary round of the 2003 International Formula 3000 season.

In 2000, he switched to the German Formula Three Championship. Then, during 2001 in addition to winning at Nürburgring and A1-Ring, he took three pole positions including one at Macau Grand Prix. For the season of 2002 Wirdheim switched, this time to International Formula 3000, joining Arden International. He finished fourth overall, in addition to being named Rookie of the Year, and helping Arden to win the team title in the championship.

Wirdheim stayed with Arden in the following season of 2003 that would prove successful both for the team and driver. He dominated the championship so much that an obligatory pit stop for tire change was introduced at the end of the season in an attempt to level the advantage, but Arden managed to do better pit-stops overall than other teams and still came out on top. Wirdheim became the first Swede to win the championship in its 19-year history, breaking Justin Wilson's previous record of most points won in one season of the series. Wirdheim's season was marred by an embarrassing incident at Monaco when, driving to an easy win on the streets of Monte Carlo, Wirdheim slowed down to wave at his pit-crew believing he already had taken the checkered flag and thus gave away the win to Nicolas Kiesa, metres away from the actual finish line.

Wirdheim as Jaguar's third driver at the 2004 French Grand Prix.

At the end of 2003, the young Swede had been noticed by several Formula One team bosses giving him opportunity to test with both Jordan and BAR. After turning down an offer to drive Champ Car, Wirdheim signed with Jaguar as third-driver performing the Friday-testing for the team at Formula One Grand Prix week-ends during the 2004 season. The team was then bought by Red Bull, effectively ending Wirdheim's chance of remaining with the team, as the soft drinks company had not sponsored him before.

Champ Car

For the 2005 season, Wirdheim turned to the Champ Car World Series to join the HVM racing team. Run by former Pacific F1 team boss Keith Wiggins, the team was underfunded after losing its previous Herdez backing, and a lack of testing made it difficult for the team to be competitive. After mediocre results, Wirdheim and the team decided to part ways after 11 races into the season.

Recent career

Wirdheim has since competed in the Japanese Formula Nippon series. Driving for Team Dandelion, a team with two constructors' championships and one drivers' title, Wirdheim finished 6th in the 2006 championship, with one second place as best and continued with the team in 2007. He has raced in Super GT since 2006, finishing 2nd in the championship in 2013 and 2014. In 2016 he will dovetail his Super GT commitments with a drive for Flash Engineering in the Scandinavian Touring Car Championship.

Racing record

Complete International Formula 3000 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 Points
2002 Arden Team Russia INT
5
IMO
7
CAT
8
A1R
2
MON
Ret
NÜR
6
SIL
6
MAG
Ret
HOC
2
HUN
4
SPA
Ret
MNZ
1
4th 29
2003 Arden International IMO
1
CAT
2
A1R
2
MON
2
NÜR
13
MAG
2
SIL
1
HOC
2
HUN
2
MNZ
1
1st 78

Complete Formula One participations

(key)

Year Entrant Chassis Engine 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 WDC Points
2003 Jordan Ford Jordan EJ13 Ford V10 AUS MAL BRA SMR ESP AUT MON CAN EUR FRA GBR GER HUN ITA
TD
USA
TD
JPN - -
2004 Jaguar Racing Jaguar R5 Cosworth V10 AUS
TD
MAL
TD
BHR
TD
SMR
TD
ESP
TD
MON
TD
EUR
TD
CAN
TD
USA
TD
FRA
TD
GBR
TD
GER
TD
HUN
TD
BEL
TD
ITA
TD
CHN
TD
JPN
TD*
BRA
TD
- -

* did not actually run due to bad weather

Complete Champ Car results

(key)

Year Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 Rank Points
2005 HVM Racing LBH
12
MTY
8
MIL
15
POR
9
CLE
15
TOR
15
EDM
15
SJO
8
DEN
11
MTL
13
LVG
6
SRF MXC 14th 115

Complete Formula Nippon results

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position)

Year Entrant 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 DC Points
2006 Dandelion Racing FUJ
4
SUZ
2
MOT
4
SUZ
Ret
AUT
6
FUJ
6
SUG
6
MOT
11
SUZ
9
6th 13.5
2007 Dandelion Racing FUJ
4
SUZ
13
MOT
11
OKA
11
SUZ
2
FUJ
8
SUG
Ret
MOT
7
SUZ
8
9th 17

Complete Super GT results

Year Team Car Class 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 DC Points
2006 Team LeMans Lexus SC430 GT500 SUZ OKA FUJ SEP SUG SUZ
Ret
MOT AUT FUJ 23rd 11
2007 Team LeMans Lexus SC430 GT500 SUZ
4
OKA
14
FUJ
3
SEP
9
SUG
DNS
SUZ
9
MOT
3
AUT
8
FUJ
16
9th 38
2008 Team LeMans Lexus SC430 GT500 SUZ
9
OKA
13
FUJ
6
SEP
8
SUG
7
SUZ
6
MOT
4
AUT
14
FUJ
3
13th 39
2009 Team LeMans Lexus SC430 GT500 OKA
10
SUZ
4
FUJ
6
SEP
14
SUG
5
SUZ
Ret
FUJ
5
AUT
10
MOT
4
12th 35
2010 Team LeMans Lexus SC430 GT500 SUZ
2
OKA
5
FUJ
3
SEP
4
SUG
3
SUZ
11
FUJ
C
MOT
12
4th 51
2011 Kondo Racing Nissan GT-R GT500 OKA
9
FUJ
7
SEP
4
SUG
4
SUZ
10
FUJ
11
AUT
5
MOT
12
10th 29
2012 Kondo Racing Nissan GT-R GT500 OKA
11
FUJ
14
SEP
Ret
SUG
10
SUZ
3
FUJ
13
AUT
4
MOT
11
15th 22
2013 Gainer Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG GT3 GT300 OKA
1
FUJ
6
SEP
3
SUG
13
SUZ
6
FUJ
7
FUJ
2
AUT
4
MOT
1
2nd 80
2014 Gainer Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG GT3 GT300 OKA
3
FUJ
2
AUT
3
SUG
Ret
FUJ
2
SUZ
10
BUR
8
MOT
1
2nd 78
2015 Gainer Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG GT3 GT300 OKA
12
FUJ
3
CHA
4
FUJ
3
SUZ
11
SUG
3
AUT
Ret
MOT
3
5th 52
2016 Gainer Mercedes-AMG GT GT300 OKA
4
FUJ
Ret
SUG
4
FUJ
7
SUZ
Ret
CHA
9
MOT
4
MOT
10
9th 32

Complete FIA World Endurance Championship results

Year Entrant Class Car Engine 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Rank Points
2013 Greaves Motorsport LMP2 Zytek Z11SN Nissan VK45DE 4.5 L V8 SIL SPA LMS SÃO
4
COA SHA
5
BHR
3
17th 18
GAINER International FUJ
3

Complete European Le Mans Series results

Year Entrant Class Chassis Engine 1 2 3 4 5 6 Rank Points
2015 Greaves Motorsport LMP2 Gibson 015S Nissan VK45DE 4.5 L V8 SIL
1
IMO
4
RBR
4
LEC
1
EST
2
1st 93
2016 Krohn Racing LMP2 Ligier JS P2 Nissan VK45DE 4.5 L V8 SIL
4
IMO
6
RBR LEC SPA EST 16th 20

Complete Scandinavian Touring Car Championship results

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

Year Team Car 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 DC Points
2016 Flash Engineering Saab 9-3 SKÖ
1
SKÖ
2
MAN
1

2
MAN
2

4
AND
1

5
AND
2

4
FAL
1

4
FAL
2

Ret
KAR
1

5
KAR
2

1
SOL
1

2
SOL
2

Ret
KNU
1

4
KNU
2

3
4th 220

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Björn Wirdheim.
Sporting positions
Preceded by
Sébastien Bourdais
International Formula 3000
Champion

2003
Succeeded by
Vitantonio Liuzzi
Preceded by
Oliver Webb
Nelson Panciatici
Paul-Loup Chatin
European Le Mans Series
Champion

2015 with:
Jon Lancaster
Gary Hirsch
Succeeded by
Harry Tincknell
Giedo van der Garde
Simon Dolan
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