Bryan John Herta (born May 23, 1970) is an American race strategist and former race car driver. He currently runs his own team, Bryan Herta Autosport in the NTT IndyCar Series and is the strategist for the #27 Andretti Autosport in the same series.[1] His team won the 2011 Indianapolis 500 with driver Dan Wheldon and the 2016 Indianapolis 500 with driver Alexander Rossi. He is the father and former strategist of IndyCar driver Colton Herta.
| Bryan Herta | |
|---|---|
 Herta at the 2004 Indianapolis 500 | |
| Nationality |  American |
| Born | May 23, 1970 Warren, Michigan, U.S. |
| Indy Racing League IndyCar Series | |
| Racing licence |  FIA Bronze |
| Years active | 2003–2006 |
| Teams | Andretti Green Racing |
| Starts | 58 |
| Wins | 2 |
| Poles | 3 |
| Best finish | 8th in 2005 |
| CART Championship Car | |
| Years active | 1994–2001, 2003 |
| Teams | A. J. Foyt Enterprises Chip Ganassi Racing Team Rahal Walker Racing Mo Nunn Racing Zakspeed/Forsythe Racing PK Racing |
| Starts | 121 |
| Wins | 2 |
| Poles | 7 |
| Best finish | 8th in 1996 & 1998 |
| Previous series | |
| 2005–2006 1992–1993 1990–1991 | A1 Grand Prix Indy Lights Barber Saab Pro Series |
| Championship titles | |
| 1993 1991 | Indy Lights champion Barber Saab Pro Series champion |
Racing career
editCART/Champ Cars/IndyCars
edit
Herta enjoyed considerable success in the lower formulae, winning the Barber Formula Ford and Barber Saab Pro Series, and dominating the 1993 Indy Lights championship with Tasman Motorsports, race engineered by Gerald Tyler.
He graduated to IndyCar racing in 1994 with team owner A. J. Foyt, where he had several promising races before suffering a season-ending injury at Toronto.
In 1995, Herta was hired to drive for Chip Ganassi Racing. Despite a pole at Phoenix, the association was unsuccessful, with Herta managing only a 20th place in the series standings while his teammate Jimmy Vasser finished 8th. Even so, Herta landed a top ride with Team Rahal for the 1996 season.
During the next few years, Herta developed a reputation for his prowess on road courses, especially at Laguna Seca Raceway. In 1996, he was the leader until the last lap, when Alex Zanardi made a pass through the "Corkscrew" chicane and took the victory. Herta, who rarely qualified below the first row at Laguna Seca, won two events at the circuit in 1998 and 1999. At the height of Herta's career, fan interest in the Shell-sponsored driver was dubbed "Hertamania" by team owner David Letterman.
In the opening laps of the 1998 event at Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin's Road America circuit, Herta was involved in a major accident. In the 4-mile (6.4 km) road course's fifth turn, Herta got too close to the back of the car of co-owner Rahal, and spun out into a paved runoff area, facing oncoming traffic. A few seconds later, Alex Barron slid into the front of Herta's car and rode up on top of it. Both drivers were uninjured; Herta reported that Barron's car had actually hit his hands, only inches from his face.
From 2000 to 2003, Herta drove for a variety of Champ Car teams including Forsythe Championship Racing, Mo Nunn Racing, and PK Racing, but never quite regained his form from the late 1990s. In 2002 Herta drove an F1 car for the first time, piloting a Minardi at the "Thunder in the Park" event held at Donington Park. This led to speculation that he would test and even race for Minardi in F1.[citation needed]
IRL IndyCar Series
editAfter dabbling in sports cars, he revitalized his open-wheel racing career by substituting for an injured Dario Franchitti halfway through the 2003 IRL season.
In just his third IRL start, Herta picked up his first IndyCar Series win at Kansas Speedway for Andretti Green Racing. He was retained in an expanded four-car squad in 2004, usually running development engines. On July 31, 2005, Herta took his second IndyCar Series win, defeating AGR teammate Dan Wheldon in a close finish in the Firestone Indy 400 at the Michigan International Speedway.
In early 2006, he drove at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca and Fundidora Park for A1 Team USA in the A1 Grand Prix series before returning to Andretti Green for the IRL season.
As of 2006, Herta has started in the Indianapolis 500 five times (1994–1995, 2004–2006) with three top ten finishes, including a best of 3rd in 2005. Bryan has his helmets painted by AliveDesignCo.com
Sports cars
editOn October 31, 2006, Herta was confirmed as a driver for Andretti Green Racing's new Acura Le Mans prototype program for the 2007 American Le Mans Series season. He shared the car with Marino Franchitti, brother of his former teammate Dario Franchitti. On January 3, 2007, it was announced that Dario would also drive a limited ALMS programme with both Marino and Herta. Herta finished the season 7th in driver points with 1 class win. He also drove for A1 Team USA. At the event in Australia, Herta scored a 10th-place finish.
After racing
editSince retiring from racing, Herta served as a driver coach for Vision Racing and founded a Firestone Indy Lights Series team named Bryan Herta Autosport, which has a technical alliance with Vision Racing's Indy Lights team. In 2009, the team fielded a full-time entry for Daniel Herrington. The team campaigned Sebastián Saavedra for eleven races of the 2010 Firestone Indy Lights season and the Indianapolis 500. In 2011 the team fielded a car for Dan Wheldon in the 2011 Indianapolis 500 which resulted in a stunning victory, and a full-time entry in Indy Lights for Duarte Ferreira.
For the 2012 IZOD IndyCar Series season, Alex Tagliani ran the 500. The team switched to a Honda powered DW12 in May 2012 for the remainder of the season.
In 2016 Herta partnered with Michael Andretti as a co-owner and won the 2016 Indianapolis 500. Their car was driven by series rookie Alexander Rossi.
Herta's son, Colton, is also a racing driver, and made his IndyCar debut in 2019 with Harding Steinbrenner Racing. In March 2019, Colton became the youngest ever IndyCar winner in the second round at the Circuit of the Americas.[2]
Personal life
editHerta and his wife Janette Michele (née Fountaine) have three children: Calysta, Colton, and Caden.[3]
Career racing results
editAmerican Open Wheel
edit(key)
Indy Lights
edit| Year | Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | Rank | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1992 | Landford Racing | PHX 16 |
LBH 13 |
DET 7 |
POR 7 |
MIL 6 |
NHA 4 |
TOR 1 |
CLE 2 |
VAN 5 |
MDO 4 |
NAZ 3 |
LS 2 |
5th | 120 |
| 1993 | Tasman Motorsports | PHX 2 |
LBH 3 |
MIL 1 |
DET 2 |
POR 4 |
CLE 1 |
TOR 1 |
NHA 13 |
VAN 1 |
MDO 1 |
NAZ 1 |
LS 1 |
1st | 213 |
CART results
edit| Year | Team | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1994 | A. J. Foyt Enterprises | Lola T94/00 | Ford XB V8t | SRF | PHX | LBH | INDY 9 |
MIL 10 |
DET 9 |
POR 27 |
CLE 13 |
TOR DNS |
MIS | MDO | NHM | VAN | ROA | NZR | LS | 23rd | 11 | [4] | |||||
| 1995 | Chip Ganassi Racing | Reynard 95i | Ford XB V8t | MIA 10 |
SRF 15 |
PHX 20 |
LBH 26 |
NZR 23 |
INDY 13 |
MIL 24 |
DET 27 |
POR 26 |
ROA 14 |
TOR 27 |
CLE 2 |
MIS 15 |
MDO 5 |
NHM 19 |
VAN 16 |
LS 25 |
20th | 30 | [5] | ||||
| 1996 | Team Rahal | Reynard 96i | Mercedes-Benz IC108C V8t | MIA 10 |
RIO 13 |
SRF 17 |
LBH 12 |
NZR 11 |
500 15 |
MIL 14 |
DET 13 |
POR 26 |
CLE 5 |
TOR 6 |
MIS 2 |
MDO 4 |
ROA 5 |
VAN 6 |
LS 2 |
8th | 86 | [6] | |||||
| 1997 | Team Rahal | Reynard 97i | Ford XD V8t | MIA 10 |
SRF 22 |
LBH 6 |
NZR 7 |
RIO 6 |
STL 22 |
MIL 15 |
DET 7 |
POR 21 |
CLE 3 |
TOR 17 |
MIS 5 |
MDO 24 |
ROA 11 |
VAN 8 |
LS 6 |
FON 21 |
11th | 72 | [7] | ||||
| 1998 | Team Rahal | Reynard 98i | Ford XD V8t | MIA 8 |
MOT 28 |
LBH 3 |
NZR 8 |
RIO 4 |
STL 23 |
MIL 11 |
DET 21 |
POR 3 |
CLE 13 |
TOR 5 |
MIS 10 |
MDO 25 |
ROA 23 |
VAN 22 |
LS 1* |
HOU 8 |
SRF 10 |
FON 15 |
8th | 97 | [8] | ||
| 1999 | Team Rahal | Reynard 99i | Ford XD V8t | MIA 12 |
MOT 23 |
LBH 3 |
NZR 22 |
RIO 13 |
STL 23 |
MIL 25 |
POR 6 |
CLE 6 |
ROA 15 |
TOR 15 |
MIS 20 |
DET 9 |
MDO 21 |
CHI 8 |
VAN 24 |
LS 1* |
HOU 5 |
SRF 4 |
FON 14 |
12th | 84 | [9] | |
| 2000 | Walker Racing | Reynard 2Ki | Honda HR-0 V8t | MIA | LBH 5 |
RIO 20 |
MOT | NZR | MIL | DET | 18th | 26 | [10] | ||||||||||||||
| Mo Nunn Racing | Mercedes-Benz IC108F V8t | POR 16 |
CLE 9 |
TOR 18 |
MIS | CHI | MDO | ROA | VAN | ||||||||||||||||||
| Forsythe Championship Racing | Ford XF V8t | LS 4 |
STL | HOU | SRF | FON | |||||||||||||||||||||
| 2001 | Zakspeed Forsythe Championship Racing |
Reynard 01i | Ford XF V8t | MTY 16 |
LBH 10 |
TXS NH |
NZR 21 |
MOT 21 |
MIL 22 |
DET 15 |
POR 14 |
CLE 3 |
TOR 18 |
22nd | 28 | [11] | |||||||||||
| Forsythe Championship Racing | MIS 5 |
CHI 21 |
MDO 25 |
ROA 24 |
VAN 17 |
LAU 27 |
ROC 15 |
HOU 13 |
LS 12 |
SRF 18 |
FON 25 | ||||||||||||||||
| 2003 | PK Racing | Lola B02/00 | Ford XFE V8t | STP | MTY | LBH | BRH | LAU | MIL | LS 11 |
POR | CLE | TOR | VAN | ROA | MDO | MTL | DEN | MIA | MXC | SRF | 25th | 2 | [12] |
CART career summary
edit| Year | Team | Wins | Points | Championship Finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1994 | A. J. Foyt Enterprises | 0 | 11 | 23rd |
| 1995 | Chip Ganassi Racing | 0 | 30 | 20th |
| 1996 | Team Rahal | 0 | 86 | 8th |
| 1997 | Team Rahal | 0 | 72 | 11th |
| 1998 | Team Rahal | 1 | 97 | 8th |
| 1999 | Team Rahal | 1 | 84 | 12th |
| 2000 | Forsythe/Walker/Mo Nunn | 0 | 26 | 18th |
| 2001 | Forsythe Championship Racing | 0 | 28 | 22nd |
| 2003 | PK Racing | 0 | 2 | 25th |
2 wins, Best championship result: 8th
IndyCar Series results
edit| Year | Team | Chassis | No. | Engine | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | Rank | Points | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | Andretti Green Racing | Dallara IR-03 | 27 | Honda HI3R V8 | HMS | PHX | MOT | INDY | TXS 5 |
PPIR | RIR 14 |
KAN 1 |
NSH 12 |
MIS 19 |
STL 21 |
KTY 3 |
NZR 3 |
CHI 3 |
FON 22 |
TX2 5 |
13th | 277 | [13] | |
| 2004 | Dallara IR-04 | 7 | Honda HI4R V8 | HMS 13 |
PHX 7 |
MOT 14 |
INDY 4 |
TXS 19 |
RIR 4 |
KAN 5 |
NSH 18 |
MIL 9 |
MIS 6 |
KTY 9 |
PPIR 9 |
NZR 8 |
CHI 2 |
FON 17 |
TX2 16 |
9th | 362 | [14] | ||
| 2005 | Dallara IR-05 | Honda HI5R V8 | HMS 14 |
PHX 7 |
STP 4 |
MOT 5 |
INDY 3 |
TXS 10 |
RIR 8 |
KAN 15 |
NSH 22 |
MIL 6 |
MIS 1 |
KTY 19 |
PPIR 12 |
SNM 13 |
CHI 14 |
WGL 8 |
FON 11 |
8th | 397 | [15] | ||
| 2006 | Dallara IR-05 | Honda HI6R V8 | HMS 13 |
STP 4 |
MOT 6 |
INDY 20 |
WGL 13 |
TXS 11 |
RIR 6 |
KAN 13 |
NSH 11 |
MIL 7 |
MIS 11 |
KTY 10 |
SNM 10 |
CHI 15 |
11th | 289 | [16] | |||||
IndyCar Series career summary
edit| Year | Team | Wins | Points | Championship Finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | Andretti Green Racing | 1 | 277 | 13th |
| 2004 | Andretti Green Racing | 0 | 362 | 9th |
| 2005 | Andretti Green Racing | 1 | 397 | 8th |
| 2006 | Andretti Green Racing | 0 | 289 | 11th |
2 wins, best championship result: 8th
Indianapolis 500
edit| Year | Chassis | Engine | Start | Finish | Team |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1994 | Lola T94/00 | Ford XB V8t | 22 | 9 | A. J. Foyt Enterprises |
| 1995 | Reynard 95i | Ford XB V8t | 33 | 13 | Chip Ganassi Racing |
| 2004 | Dallara IR-04 | Honda HI4R V8 | 23 | 4 | Andretti Green Racing |
| 2005 | Dallara IR-05 | Honda HI5R V8 | 18 | 3 | Andretti Green Racing |
| 2006 | Dallara IR-05 | Honda HI6R V8 | 16 | 20 | Andretti Green Racing |
Complete American Le Mans Series results
edit| Year | Entrant | Class | Chassis | Engine | Tyres | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | Rank | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2002 | Panoz Motor Sports | LMP900 | Panoz LMP01 Evo | Élan 6L8 6.0L V8 | M | SEB ovr:8 cls:7 |
SON ovr:3 cls:3 |
MID ovr:4 cls:4 |
AME ovr:Ret cls:Ret |
WAS ovr:6 cls:6 |
TRO ovr:4 cls:4 |
MOS ovr:5 cls:5 |
MON ovr:6 cls:6 |
MIA ovr:11 cls:8 |
PET ovr:5 cls:5 |
10th | 153 | ||
| 2003 | Team Nasamax | LMP900 | Reynard 01Q | Cosworth XDE 2.6L Turbo V8 (Bio-ethanol) |
G | SEB ovr:Ret cls:Ret |
ATL | SON | TRO | MOS | AME | MON | MIA | PET | NC | 0 | |||
| 2007 | Andretti Green Racing | LMP2 | Acura ARX-01a | Acura 3.4L V8 | M | SEB ovr:2 cls:1 |
STP ovr:21 cls:7 |
LNB ovr:6 cls:6 |
TEX ovr:2 cls:2 |
UTA ovr:Ret cls:Ret |
LIM ovr:7 cls:6 |
MID ovr:10 cls:7 |
AME ovr:9 cls:7 |
MOS ovr:5 cls:3 |
DET ovr:19 cls:8 |
PET ovr:Ret cls:Ret |
MON ovr:6 cls:4 |
13th | 98 |
| 2008 | Andretti Green Racing | LMP2 | Acura ARX-01b | Acura 3.4L V8 | M | SEB ovr:18 cls:6 |
STP ovr:6 cls:5 |
LNB ovr:6 cls:4 |
UTA ovr:8 cls:7 |
LIM | MID | AME | MOS | DET | PET | MON | 24th | 38 |
24 Hours of Le Mans results
edit| Year | Team | Co-Drivers | Car | Class | Laps | Pos. | Class Pos. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2002 | Panoz Motor Sports
|
 David Brabham Jan Magnussen
|
Panoz LMP01 Evo | LMP900 | 90 | DNF | DNF |
Complete A1 Grand Prix results
edit(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)
| Year | Entrant | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | DC | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2005–06 | USA | GBR SPR |
GBR FEA |
GER SPR |
GER FEA |
POR SPR |
POR FEA |
AUS SPR 15 |
AUS FEA 10 |
MYS SPR 10 |
MYS FEA 7 |
UAE SPR |
UAE FEA |
RSA SPR |
RSA FEA |
IDN SPR |
IDN FEA |
MEX SPR 6 |
MEX FEA 13 |
USA SPR 9 |
USA FEA Ret |
CHN SPR |
CHN FEA |
16th | 23 |
References
edit- ^ "Andretti swaps IndyCar strategists for Herta, Kirkwood". us.motorsport.com. 2023-04-01. Retrieved 2023-08-01.
- ^ Malsher, David (March 24, 2019). "COTA IndyCar: Herta becomes series' youngest ever winner". Motorsport.com. Motorsport Network. Retrieved March 25, 2019.
- ^ "Honda Newsroom". 14 December 2023.
- ^ "Bryan Herta – 1994 CART Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved August 15, 2023.
- ^ "Bryan Herta – 1995 CART Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved August 15, 2023.
- ^ "Bryan Herta – 1996 CART Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved August 15, 2023.
- ^ "Bryan Herta – 1997 CART Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved August 15, 2023.
- ^ "Bryan Herta – 1998 CART Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved August 15, 2023.
- ^ "Bryan Herta – 1999 CART Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved August 15, 2023.
- ^ "Bryan Herta – 2000 CART Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved August 15, 2023.
- ^ "Bryan Herta – 2001 CART Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved August 15, 2023.
- ^ "Bryan Herta – 2003 CART Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved August 15, 2023.
- ^ "Bryan Herta – 2003 IndyCar Series Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved August 2, 2023.
- ^ "Bryan Herta – 2004 IndyCar Series Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved August 2, 2023.
- ^ "Bryan Herta – 2005 IndyCar Series Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved August 2, 2023.
- ^ "Bryan Herta – 2006 IndyCar Series Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved August 2, 2023.