Unknown Edmonton driver makes racing world take notice
Canadian salesman blasts past Indy racer Alexander Rossi, ex-Formula One driver in Miami
MIAMI— When 24-year-old Stefan Rzadzinski of Edmonton entered an online contest to race against some of the best drivers in the world, little did he know he would wind up being one of the stars of the show.
Last weekend, the 28th Race of Champions, in which drivers from Formula One, world sports cars, NASCAR and IndyCar all go up against each other in a series of races in different cars on an indoor track, was held for the first time in North America at Marlins Park in Miami, Fla.
Racing stars Sebastian Vettel — he’s a four-time world driving champion — nine-time Le Mans winner Tom Kristensen, NASCAR champions Kurt and Kyle Busch, a gaggle of IndyCar drivers (James Hinchcliffe of Oakville, Ryan Hunter-Reay, Juan Pablo Montoya and 2016 Indy 500 winner Alexander Rossi) plus Jenson Button and David Coulthard from F1went head-to-head in a knockout competition to determine the champion of champions.
They then teamed up with countrymen to race for the Nations Cup.
Rzadzinski, who competes in an affordable Canadian series, the Nissan Micra Cup, didn’t get to compete in the individual runoff — that title was won last Saturday by Montoya — but did race Sunday in the Nations Cup as Hinchcliffe’s partner, and it was in that forum where he made the racing world sit up and take notice.
After the dust had settled Sunday, the Canadian had beaten Indy champion Rossi and ex-Formula One driver Scott Speed (HunterReay’s reaction as he stood on the sideline watching the upsets: “Oh, no”) and came this close to beating Kyle Busch.
Somebody give this guy a professional ride, tweeted RoC founder (with rally racer Michele Mouton) Fredrik Johnsson, who used the Race of Champions’ official Twitter account to praise the Canadian.
A slight error at the start of the second lap made the difference.
“I’m thrilled that I won those two races, but I’m angry with myself for not winning the third,” Rzadzinski said. “I had it, and I let it get away. If I hadn’t made that slip at the start of the second (and final) lap, I would have had him.”
Unfortunately for Canada, Hinchcliffe was only able to win one of his three races, and the team didn’t advance to the final round — and more about that in a minute. But being unable to race for the title disappointed Rzadzinski, whose day job is in sales for a computer-software company. “I know that when I go home — and I’m so proud that I could represent Canada and Edmonton at this event — I’ll probably appreciate what I’ve done more than I do now. Right now, I’m mad at myself for not doing better.”
So, how did this story of ambition, determination, a lead foot and noseto-the-grindstone hard work all come about?
Because the Nations Cup was being held in the Americas for the first time (London, Paris and Beijing were previous locations), Helio Castroneves of Brazil and Canada’s Hinchcliffe were each allowed to advertise for a teammate. The North and South Americans who received the most votes via a social media contest would earn the chance to race on the same team as the pros. In Hinchcliffe’s case, Rzadzinski was the top vote-getter, so they joined forces.
Now, a fact of life of modern motor racing is that a driver has to be able to be all things to all people. He or she has to be able to drive a race car quickly, but also to generate financial sponsorship and, if necessary, community support. Rzadzinski works hard at all of those prerequisites and, in this case, pulled out all the stops to generate the number of votes required to win the opportunity.
He went after the politicians first, and Alberta Premier Rachel Notley stepped up and tweeted out to her followers a request that they vote for him. So did Edmonton and Calgary mayors Don Iveson and Naheed Nenshi. The entire Edmonton Oilers hockey team got behind him, as did race fans across the country.
In the end, nearly 10,000 votes got him the nod over second-place Conor Daly, who races against Hinchcliffe in the IndyCar Series. Seven other race drivers — including former Wheels contributor Gary Grant — were also in contention.
Once in Miami, Rzadzinski never stopped talking to people, seeking advice. When he and a couple of his friends missed the last shuttle to the baseball stadium on Saturday, Vettel was just leaving in his limousine, so Rzadzinski and his group hitched a ride with the racer.
Rzadzinski then peppered the F1 legend with questions all the way to the ballpark.
Vettel, meantime, was embarrassed on Saturday when he was eliminated from the Race of Champions early in the competition. Upset, he left the stadium and returned to his hotel.
Sunday, he had that look. His teammate, fellow F1driver Pascal Wehrlein, couldn’t race because of a crash Saturday, so Vettel went it alone and won every race he contested on the way to winning the Nations Cup single-handedly.
Rzadzinski — always observing, always learning — noticed the set of Vettel’s jaw and the look of total concentration and determination on the champion’s face every time he settled into a car to race. The Canadian adopted that persona every time he went out, and there’s no doubt the questions he asked and the observations he took in contributed to his success.
“I didn’t want to be here just because of the social media votes,” he told reporters afterward. “I wanted to prove that I can drive proficiently in any environment and hopefully, I was able to do that. I still have a lot to learn, but this has been an invaluable learning experience.”
Rzadzinski started racing karts when he was 8 and ran Ontario Formula Fords for two seasons. He was a Star Mazda Series driver in support events at IndyCar races, did a couple of one-off Indy Lights races and has been competing in the Nissan Micra Cup Series the last two years, finishing third and fourth in points.
Racing takes money, and Rzadzinski’s talent level is way above what’s in his wallet.
Although Montoya and Vettel won big (as did Kurt Busch, who led Team NASCAR to victory in the consolation “USA vs. The World” round to end the competition), they are full-time pros who are expected to perform, and the Micra Cup racer’s on-track success against them made him the story of the weekend.
But that and a toonie will get you a cup of coffee.
He did, however, receive some good news. When he arrived in Miami Thursday, Rzadinski had “nothing concrete” lined up for the 2017 season.
But the fellow who sponsored him in the Nissan series the past two years was in town and announced during dinner Saturday night that he wanted the Edmontonian to drive for him again in 2017.
Nicolas Touchette of Montreal, CEO of Groupe Touchette (a transCanada tire distributor) and a Micra Cup driver himself, said the two of them would be teammates again this season.
The Nissan Micra Cup Series will be part of the program at the May 24 Victoria Day Speedfest at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park along with the NASCAR Pinty’s Series and the Pirelli-sponsored Canadian Touring Car Championship.
Perhaps by that time, Rzadzinski will know whether his Race of Champions notoriety had been turned into something more concrete. “I’d like to race internationally, if possible,” he said.
Maybe he’ll get his wish. He did his bit in Miami. Now, it’s up to racing’s movers and shakers to reward him for it. nmcdonald@thestar.ca