Per Cenny "Kenny" Bräck (born 21 March 1966) is a Swedish formerrace car driver. Until his retirement from racing, he competed in theCART,Indy Racing League and theIROC series. He won the1998 Indy Racing League championship and the1999 Indianapolis 500, becoming the first Swedish driver to win the race.[1]
Bräck survived one of the racing sport's biggest crashes atTexas Motor Speedway in 2003, where he recorded the highest horizontalg-force ever survived by a human being at214 g0.[2][3] Eighteen months later he made a comeback at the Indy 500 and set the fastest qualifying time of the field. He retired from IndyCar racing after the race.
In 2009, Bräck made a comeback to rally, competing in Rally X atX-Games 15 and winning Gold. Bräck no longer races, his last win being The Dukerie's Stage Rally inNottingham, England with co-driver Emil Axelsson in June 2011. The duo also won the Swedish classic The Midnight Sun Rally in July 2011. In September of that year, Bräck took pole position and won theRAC Tourist Trophy race at the Goodwood Revival in aShelby Daytona Coupé 1964 together with nine-time24 Hours of Le Mans winnerTom Kristensen. In September 2013, Bräck won The Whitsun Trophy race at the Goodwood Revival in aFord GT40 together withRed Bull Racing'sAdrian Newey.
Born inArvika, Sweden, he grew up in the small village ofGlava, where his father taught him to drive cars on the lake-ice in the winters. A neighbor introduced Bräck to racing when he was thirteen years of age, working in his business one summer, buying him ago-kart. Apart from the beginning of Bräck's career, he has managed his career himself, from finding sponsors, negotiating contracts to winning races.[citation needed]
Bräck raced in Britain andSweden inFormula Ford andFormula 3 (he was Swedish junior Formula Ford Champion in 1986), in Europe inFormula Opel Lotus and theRenault Clio Cup (Scandinavian Champion 1992) and in the US in theBarber Saab Pro Series (Champion in1993).
In 1994, Bräck competed in theInternational Formula 3000. In 1995, he finished third in the International F3000 championship for Madgwick Racing. In 1996, he wasArrows Formula One test driver but decided to leave the team after mid season concentrating on his European F3000 campaign. Despite winning the last race on the road, after a controversial Clerk of the Course decision he eventually was disqualified from the event and had to settle for the runner-up position in the championship, driving for the British teamSuper Nova. Had he not been disqualified, Bräck would have been champion.
Bräck debuted in the IRL in 1997, making his first start forGalles Racing atPhoenix, replacingJeff Ward, and finishing eleventh after an accident. Over seven starts, he had two top-five finishes atCharlotte andNew Hampshire.
Leading up to hisIndianapolis 500 debut in 1997, Bräck showed initial promise early in May. He posted the fastest time on the second day of Rookie Orientation, posting a lap speed of 205.597 mph.[4] He ended up qualifying fifteenth for the race, in a unique year in which 35 cars formed the starting grid. Unfortunately, on Race Day, in the final pace lap before the green flag, Bräck was caught up in an accident withStéphan Grégoire andAffonso Giaffone and finished 33rd after being unable to continue.
In 1998, Bräck moved to drive for American racing legendA. J. Foyt. The new team paid dividends, as he won three consecutive races on his way to the IRL championship in 1998. In his 1999 title defense, he finished runner-up toGreg Ray, including a win at the1999 Indianapolis 500. After the 1999 season, he left Foyt's team to compete in theCART FedEx Championship Series.
| Kenny Bräck | |
|---|---|
| CART World Series | |
| Years active | 2000–2002 |
| Teams | Team Rahal Chip Ganassi Racing |
| Starts | 59 |
| Wins | 5 |
| Poles | 7 |
| Best finish | 2nd in2001 |
| Awards | |
| 2000 | CART Rookie of the Year |
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In 2000, Bräck switched to theCART series, joiningTeam Rahal and being awarded the Rookie of the Year, finishing fourth in the overall standings.
In 2001, Bräck finished second in the driver's championship, winning a season-high four races and taking six pole positions. However, he did not have much success on road circuits which is what ultimately cost him that year's title toGil de Ferran.
In 2001, Bräck also had a minor role in theHollywoodmotion pictureDriven, which starredSylvester Stallone andBurt Reynolds.
In 2002, Bräck raced forChip Ganassi Racing, and he ended the season by winning the CART season finale Mexico City G.P., which turned out to be his only win in major North American open-wheel racing on a road or street circuit.
In 2001, Bräck competed in theInternational Race of Champions series in the season calledIROC XXV. The series is a stock car invitational in the United States. He finished third in the championship, the highest points position for a non-stock car driver.
Bräck moved back to the IRL in 2003 with previous CART team owner, Bobby Rahal and hisRahal Letterman Racing team. Bräck finished second place at theTwin Ring Motegi circuit in Japan. In thefinal race atTexas Motor Speedway, he suffered a serious crash that almost cost him his life. His car locked wheels withTomas Scheckter's, flew into the catch fencing, and broke apart leaving the cockpit still intact. Bräck's crash saw the highest recorded g-forces since the introduction of crash violence recording systems, peaking at 214 g[5][6] (while death may occur at >50g). He suffered multiple fractures, breaking hissternum,femur, shattering avertebra in hisspine and crushing his ankles. He spent eighteen months recovering from his injuries. Though Bräck would return for one additional race, the Texas wreck essentially ended his racing career in IRL.
Bräck made his comeback at the2005 Indianapolis 500, replacing an injuredBuddy Rice (who, coincidentally, had replaced Bräck in 2004). He set the fastest qualification time in the field with an average speed of 227.598 mph (366.283 km/h), but started 23rd due to not qualifying on the first day. He retired from the race with a mechanical problem, finishing in 26th place.
As of 2011, Bräck lives in England and has retired from open wheel racing. Since 2015, Bräck has helpedMcLaren Automotive working with dynamic car development for their road cars. In May 2018, he took the role as chief test driver. In May 2017 Kenny set the lap record for road legal cars at theNürburgring Nordschleife with a lap time of 6'43.22, in aMcLaren P1 LM, a project he helped develop with Team Lanzante. He continued to occasionally drive in rallying.
For a time, Bräck managed future Formula One and IndyCar driverMarcus Ericsson, who became the second Swede after Bräck to win the Indianapolis 500 in2022.
Bräck also spends his time currently as the lead member and songwriter of his rock band "Bräck", together with lead singer Franc Aledia. At the2007 Indianapolis 500 the band Bräck cooperated with the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in celebrating American racing legend A. J. Foyt as part of his 50th anniversary at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. In May 2007 the band released its first album "Greatest hits, volume 1" featuring the song "Legend of the Speedway". A rock video, featuring Foyt's Indianapolis winning cars including the car Bräck won the race with in 1999 while driving for Foyt was also recorded. The video was directed by Allen Farst of Niche Productions, Dayton, Ohio.
Bräck is also on the board of directors ofMekonomen, Scandinavia's biggest distributor of car spare parts, listed on the Swedish stock exchange.[7]
In July 2013,Autosport named Bräck one of the top 50 greatest drivers to have never raced in Formula One.[citation needed]
Bräck was employed byLanzante Motorsport to drive one of the most prestigious cars, a 1964 Shelby Daytona Coupé, in the RAC Tourist Trophy race at the Goodwood Revival in September 2011. Only six original cars exist. Sharing the driving duties with nine-time Le Mans winnerTom Kristensen, Bräck qualified the car on pole position. The duo also won the race. In September 2013 Bräck, in partnership with Red Bull F1 Racing's Adrian Newey won the Goodwood revival fifty-year anniversary The Whitsun Trophy, where Bräck performed a rain qualifying that went viral on social media. The duo went on to win the race. Also in September Bräck co-drove Christian Glaesel's Ford GT40 in the Spa 6-Hours race, together with the owner and Olivier Ellerbrock. Bräck qualified the car on pole. Eventually the car finished in fifth place.
In 2009, four years after retiring from IndyCar racing, Bräck made a surprise return to the wheel after receiving a special invitation to compete in the annualESPNX Games 15 in Los Angeles. Bräck drove a Ford Fiesta prepared by Swedish teamOlsbergs MSE. Bräck was the fastest qualifier and went on to win the competition outright in a head-to-head final against previous Rally Gold Medal winner and nine time overall X-Games Gold Medal winnerTravis Pastrana. Bräck became the first specially invited driver to win the Rally Gold Medal. The lateWRC starColin McRae previously held the top spot with a second-place finish.
In 2011, Bräck won his second stage rally in his career, Dukerie's Rally outsideNottingham, England, in a Ford Escort Mk II BDG with Swedish co-driver Emil Axelsson. In July 2011, the duo won the Swedish classic The Midnight Sun Rally in the same car, in front of the previous year's winner Kenneth Bäcklund and rally world championBjörn Waldegård.
(key) (Races inbold indicate pole position) (Races initalics indicate fastest lap)
| Year | Entrant | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | DC | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1994 | Madgwick International | SIL 12 | PAU DNS | CAT 11 | PER 11 | HOC 9 | SPA 3 | EST 6 | MAG 10 | 11th | 5 | ||
| 1995 | Madgwick International | SIL 5 | CAT 13† | PAU 4 | PER Ret | HOC 2 | SPA Ret | EST 3 | MAG 1 | 4th | 24 | ||
| 1996 | Super Nova Racing | NÜR 1 | PAU 2 | PER Ret | HOC 1 | SIL 1 | SPA 5 | MAG 2 | EST 3 | MUG 3 | HOC DSQ | 2nd | 49 |
(key)
| Year | Team | No. | Chassis | Engine | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | Rank | Points | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1996–97 | Galles Racing | 4 | G-Force GF01 | OldsmobileAuroraV8 | NHM | LVS | WDW | PHX 11 | INDY 33 | TXS 18 | PPIR 14 | CLT 5 | NH2 5 | LV2 20 | 19th | 139 | [10] | |||||||
| 1998 | A. J. Foyt Enterprises | 14 | Dallara IR8 | WDW 13 | PHX 14 | INDY 6 | TXS 3 | NHM 18 | DOV 10 | CLT 1 | PPIR 1 | ATL 1 | TX2 5 | LVS 10 | 1st | 332 | [11] | |||||||
| 1999 | Dallara IR9 | WDW 22 | PHX 24 | CLT C | INDY 1 | TXS 13 | PPIR 7 | ATL 3 | DOV 3 | PPI2 10 | LVS 2 | TX2 16 | 2nd | 256 | [12] | |||||||||
| 2002 | Chip Ganassi Racing | 22 | G-Force GF05C | Chevrolet IndyV8 | HMS | PHX | FON | NZR | INDY 11 | TXS | PPIR | RIR | KAN | NSH | MIS | KTY | STL | CHI | TX2 | 42nd | 19 | [13] | ||
| 2003 | Team Rahal | 15 | Dallara IR-03 | HondaHI3RV8 | HMS 11 | PHX 5 | MOT 2 | INDY 16 | TXS 4 | PPIR 7 | RIR 7 | KAN 5 | NSH 6 | MIS 18 | STL 19 | KTY 19 | NZR 5 | CHI 21 | FON 20 | TX2 16 | 9th | 342 | [14] | |
| 2005 | Rahal Letterman Racing | Panoz GF09C | HondaHI5RV8 | HMS | PHX | STP | MOT | INDY 26 | TXS | RIR | KAN | NSH | MIL | MIS | KTY | PPIR | SNM | CHI | WGL | FON | 34th | 10 | [15] | |
| Year | Team | No. | Chassis | Engine | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | Rank | Points | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | Team Rahal | 8 | Reynard 2Ki | FordXFV8t | MIA 18 | LBH 17 | RIO 10 | MOT 5 | NZR 3 | MIL 4 | DET 24 | POR 6 | CLE 2 | TOR 10 | MIS 22 | CHI 4 | MDO 5 | ROA 3 | VAN 9 | LS 5 | STL 11 | HOU 15 | SRF 2 | FON 13 | 4th | 135 | [16] | |
| 2001 | Team Rahal | Lola B01/00 | FordXFV8t | MTY 5 | LBH 25 | TXS NH | NZR 2 | MOT 1 | MIL 1 | DET 9 | POR 11 | CLE 6 | TOR 20 | MIS 17 | CHI 1 | MDO 20 | ROA 14 | VAN 8 | LAU 1 | ROC 2 | HOU 7 | LS 25 | SRF 5 | FON 26 | 2nd | 163 | [17] | |
| 2002 | Chip Ganassi Racing | 12 | Lola B02/00 | ToyotaRV8FV8t | MTY 18 | LBH 5 | MOT 17 | MIL 8 | LS 3 | POR 15 | CHI 18 | TOR 2 | CLE 4 | VAN 18 | MDO 6 | ROA 14 | MTL 18 | DEN 7 | ROC 8 | MIA 13 | SRF 4 | FON 12 | MEX 1 | 6th | 114 | [18] | ||
| Year | Chassis | Engine | Start | Finish | Team |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1997 | G-Force GF01 | OldsmobileAuroraV8 | 15 | 33 | Galles Racing |
| 1998 | Dallara IR8 | OldsmobileAuroraV8 | 3 | 6 | A. J. Foyt Enterprises |
| 1999 | Dallara IR9 | OldsmobileAuroraV8 | 8 | 1 | A. J. Foyt Enterprises |
| 2002 | G-Force GF05C | Chevrolet IndyV8 | 21 | 11 | Chip Ganassi Racing |
| 2003 | Dallara IR-03 | HondaHI3RV8 | 6 | 16 | Team Rahal |
| 2005 | Panoz GF09C | HondaHI5RV8 | 23 | 26 | Rahal Letterman Racing |
| Year | Entrant | Car | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | ERX | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | Kenny Bräck | Citroën C4 T16 | GBR | POR | FRA | HUN | AUT | SWE 10 | BEL | GER | POL | CZE | 27th | 7 |
Source:[20] | ||||||||||||||
(key) (Bold – Pole position. * – Most laps led.)
| International Race of Champions results | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Make | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Pos. | Points | Ref |
| 1999 | Pontiac | DAY 4 | TAL 5 | MCH 8 | IND 10 | 6th | 34 | [21] |
| 2001 | Pontiac | DAY 4 | TAL 2 | MCH 3 | IND 3 | 3rd | 57 | [22] |
| Sporting positions | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Barber Saab Pro Series Champion 1993 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Pep Boys Indy Racing LeagueChampion 1998 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Indianapolis 500 Winner 1999 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | CART Rookie of the Year 2000 | Succeeded by |
| Awards | ||
| Preceded by | Scott Brayton Award 2005 | Succeeded by |
| Personnel |
|
|---|---|
| IndyCar Series | |
| Vehicles | |
| Partnerships and affiliations | |
