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Stéphane Sarrazin
Date of Birth : 02/11/75
Place of Birth : Ales, France
Lives : Switzerland
Marital Status :Single
Role : Driver
Co-Driver : Denis Giraudet
Hobbies : Cycling, tennis, swimming, computers
Website : www.stephane-sarrazin.com
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HISTORY
First Rally : 1995
WRC Debut : 2004 Germany
Career highlights :
2005 - 17th Drivers' World Rally Championship
2005 - Signed to Subaru World Rally Team
2004 - Winner, French Rally Championship
1999 - F1 debut with Minardi at Brazilian Grand Prix
1997 - 2nd, French Formula Three Championship
1994 - French Formula Renault Champion
1992 - Winner, French National 1 Karting Championship
1991 - Winner, French Junior Karting Championship
Sarrazin exploded onto the World Rally Championship scene in 2004 when he grabbed a top 10 finish on his WRC debut in Germany. The Frenchman is no stranger to global motorsport, having already competed at the highest level in circuit racing, driving for the Minardi Formula One team in the 1999 Brazilian Grand Prix. Stéphane has joined an elite band of drivers to have tackled both disciplines at the very top and is the another driver to benefit from the Subaru World Rally Team s philosophy of developing fresh driver talent for the WRC.
Learning the craft
Like many of his racing compatriots, Stéphane cut his teeth racing karts. From his first event in 1987, he has displayed a natural flair for four-wheeled competition. Evidence of that ability came with the 1991 French Junior Kart Championship title. Twelve months on, he was winning again, this time the silverware was for the French National 1 Karting Championship.
The right formula
Sarrazin s career moved up a gear when he entered the 1993 French Formula Renault Championship, finishing the season in fifth place. He returned the following year and took five wins and 11 podium finishes to clinch the championship. By 1995 Sarrazin had progressed to the French Formula Three Championship and at the end of the year made his rally debut, driving a Group N Renault Clio on the Rallye du Var. Over the next two years he further developed his F3 race craft to become a regular pacesetter in the series, with a record of three wins and nine podiums.
In 1998, he stepped up to the FIA Formula 3000 Championship, winning one round and finishing fourth over the season. The same year, Sarrazin joined the Prost Formula One team as its official test driver, a job he undertook for the next four years. In 1999 Stéphane finished fourth in the FIA Formula 3000 Championship and made his Formula One debut driving for Minardi at the Brazilian Grand Prix, where he retired after a brake problem.
Rallying beckons
Since his first event in 1995, rallying remained a passion for Stéphane and after winning the Group N class on the Rally du Var in 2000, he won the event outright in 2001 in an Impreza WRC. But while his rallying ambitions grew stronger, his circuit racing talents were more in demand than ever. In 2001 he contested the 24-hour race at Le Mans for Chrysler; in 2002 he completed another year as an F1 test driver, this time for the Toyota team, and finished sixth at Le Mans for Oreca. A season on and Sarrazin secured two wins in the Dallara Nissan World Series, but worked hard to find a way to move permanently from the racetrack to the special stage. His big break came in 2004 when he secured an annual rally scholarship supported by Subaru France. His programme for last season included the French Rally Championship and three rounds of the World Rally Championship.
Scholarship success
People sat up and took notice of Sarrazin after his WRC debut and ninth place on Rally Deutschland. If they hadn t, they certainly did after his sixth place on the Tour de Corse. If there was anybody left in the world championship who hadn t heard of the exploits of the Sarrazin Subaru, there certainly wasn t after Catalunya. Stéphane was an astonishing fourth overall in Spain. On top of that trio of top results, he also dominated his domestic title race, winning three rallies on his way to the silverware.
A works drive with Subaru
For 2005, Sarrazin joined the Subaru World Rally team and broadened his WRC experience with the backing and support of one of the most successful teams in the sport. Making his gravel rally debut on the rough roads of Sardinia, Stéphane competed in eight WRC events and recorded another career best fourth overall, this time in Corsica. In 2006 Stéphane will stay with Subaru, concentrating exclusively on the four asphalt rallies of the season. Accompanied by new co-driver Stéphane Prevot, he will also spearhead asphalt tyre development in collaboration with Subarufs tyre partner Pirelli.
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