Sergey Zlobin Explained

Sergey Zlobin
Nationality: Russian
Full Name:Sergey Yuryevich Zlobin (Серге́й Ю́рьевич Зло́бин)
Birth Date:29 May 1970
Birth Place:Moscow, Russian SFSR
Racing Licence: FIA Bronze
Years Active:2001-2014

Sergey Yuryevich Zlobin (Russian: Серге́й Ю́рьевич Зло́бин|p=sɪrˈɡʲej ˈjʉrʲjɪvʲɪdʑ ˈzlobʲɪn; born 29 May 1970) is a Russian racing driver, who competed twice in the Le Mans 24h Endurance Race alongside being a test driver for Minardi.

Career

Zlobin began racing in 1996 at the later age of 26, and took part in several competitions, such as Danian Cup in rallycross. In 1998, he made a switch to single-seater racing, initially competing in Russian Formula Three Championship and Euro Formula 3000 for several years.[1]

In August 2002, he was announced as a test driver for the Minardi Formula One team, becoming the first Russian to test a Formula 1 car. His signing was a part of the sponsorship deal that Minardi made with Gazprom, brokered by Oksana Kosachenko. However, Gazprom paid only 2 million dollars out the promised 9 million during the season, which led to the contract breaking down.[2] After a one-year hiatus, Zlobin returned to motorsport in 2004, and continued the testing programme with Minardi.[3]

Zlobin competed at Le Mans twice, in 2005 and 2014. He competed in a number of GT and Endurance racing series, including the FIA GT Championship, Blancpain Endurance Series and European Le Mans Series.

Personal life

On 24 September 2007, Zlobin survived a car bomb which had been planted in his Mercedes-Benz G500. The explosion caused minor injuries to Zlobin's legs, but he was able to get out of the vehicle himself to call police.[4]

Career summary

SeasonSeriesTeamRacesWinsPolesF/LapsPodiumsPointsPosition
2001Euro Formula 3000 ChampionshipADM Motorsport100000NC
2002Euro Formula 3000 ChampionshipB&C Competition600000NC
Formula OneMinardiTest driver
2004FIA GT Championship - GTGraham Nash Motorsport30000150th
JMB Racing30000
Euro Formula 3000 ChampionshipNBC Group100000NC
Formula OneMinardiTest driver
200524 Hours of Le MansIntersport Racing/Cirtek Motorsport10000N/A48th
3000 Pro SeriesCEK Racing10000022nd
2006FIA GT ChampionshipBMS Scuderia Italia800000NC
2013Blancpain Endurance SeriesSMP Racing50000132nd
European Le Mans Series - LMP2SMP Racing300092812th
2014FIA World Endurance Championship - LMP2SMP Racing810061461st
European Le Mans Series - GTESMP Racing52003851st
24 Hours of Le Mans - LMP2SMP Racing10000N/A12th

24 Hours of Le Mans results

YearTeamCo-DriversCarClassLaps
2005 Intersport Racing
Cirtek Motorsport
Juan Barazi
Bastien Brière
Courage C65-AERLMP230DNFDNF
2014 SMP Racing Anton Ladygin
Mika Salo
Oreca 03R-NissanLMP230337th12th

Notes and References

  1. Web site: В Москве взорван автомобиль гонщика Сергея Злобина. Kommersant. ru. 24 August 2007. 24 January 2022.
  2. Web site: Drivers take need for speed to Formula 1. Russia Beyond. en. 24 October 2013. 24 January 2022.
  3. Web site: Zlobin to continue Minardi's F1 testing. Raidió Teilifís Éireann. en. 10 August 2004. 24 January 2022.
  4. http://www.grandprix.com/ns/ns19678.html F1 News > Former F1 test driver survives bomb attack