Canadian De Melo confident heading into first Indy 500
Canadian Zachary Claman De Melo isn’t apprehensive about qualifying 13th for this weekend’s Indianapolis 500.
After all, 13 has been a meaningful number for the 20-yearold Montreal native, who will be making his Indy 500 debut Sunday. His late grandmother was released from a Nazi concentration camp on a Friday the 13th and the camp tattoo numbers on her arm all added up to 13. He claims on his website that 13 is his lucky number.
“I pick and choose my moments (about being superstitious),” Claman De Melo said via telephone Thursday. “For the qualifying draw I didn’t want to go first so I wouldn’t let anyone draw for me because if I did I was definitely going to go first.
“And then I ended up picking myself first. I don’t believe it’s a coincidence I’m 13th but it does mean something to me and so hopefully it turns into something special.”
Claman De Melo will start Sunday’s race in the fifth row with Ryan Hunter-reay, Charlie Kimball. Toronto’s Robert Wickens — the other Canadian in the field — is scheduled to open in the sixth row with Takuma Sato and Kyle Kaiser.
Claman De Melo will drive at Indianapolis Motor Speedway for Dale Coyne Racing as Brazilian Pietro Fittipaldi’s replacement. The grandson of former Formula 1 star Emerson Fittipaldi suffered serious injuries in a crash earlier this month.
Despite entering the race unconventionally, Claman Demelo isn’t content with just being there.
“I’m a pretty competitive person and that’s not how I look at it,” he said. “After our qualifying result and seeing what we can do in traffic ... I’m going for a win here.
“I believe I can win this thing.” Claman De Melo began driving in 2008, competing in regional and national karting events. In 2010 at age 12 he clinched the first of three Canadian kart titles and at 16 was third at the world kart championship.
In 2015, he made the jump to open-wheel racing in Europe’s Formula 3 MSV Cup before landing with defending Indy Lights champion Juncos Racing in 2016.
The following year, he raced for Carlin Motorsport. Claman De Melo earned his first series win and posted four podium finishes to secure fifth in the driver’s standings. Following the Indy Lights campaign, Claman De Melo made his Verizon Indycar Series debut in the season-ending Gopro Grand Prix of Sonoma. He finished 17th in the 22-car field for Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing.
Claman De Melo credits family for his progress.
“I get my aggressive side on the track from my dad, Carlos, and it’s because of him I got into racing,” Claman De Melo said. “Everyone knows racing is an expensive sport and my mom (Catherine) spent almost everything she has on me and always believed in me even when no one else did and thought I was talented even at those times when I doubted myself.
“Being kind of the sports kid in the family I got a lot of the attention ... and for my sister (Zoe) to always be super supportive and never jealous of what I did was also great. I struggled with school when I was younger and needed a lot of tutoring with all the travelling and racing I did and she always helped me with school. My whole family has always been so supportive, I can’t thank them enough.”