Patrick Bedard (born August 20, 1941, in

La Porte City, Iowa La Porte City is a city in Black Hawk County, Iowa, United States. The population was 2,284 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Waterloo– Cedar Falls Metropolitan Statistical Area. History La Porte City was platted in 1855. It is named ...

) is an American automobile racing driver and journalist. In the early 1970s, '' Car and Driver'' magazine challenged its readers to a series of

Sports Car Club of America The Sports Car Club of America (SCCA) is a non-profit American automobile club and sanctioning body supporting road racing, rallying, and autocross in the United States. Formed in 1944, it runs many programs for both amateur and professional r ...

(SCCA)-sanctioned, 25-lap "showroom stock sedan" races. In the ''Car and Driver SS/Sedan Challenge II'', Bedard finished first, driving ''Car & Driver's'' own Opel 1900 sedan. In the ''Car and Driver SS/Sedan Challenge III'' in 1974, Bedard drove a 1973 Chevy Vega GT No. 0, winning the tie-breaker race. This lone Vega beat 31 other well-driven showroom stocks.Car and Driver-January 1975. An unlikely victory in an unlikely car. The first racing victory by a

Wankel Wankel may refer to: * Wankel engine, a type of internal combustion engine using an eccentric rotary design instead of reciprocating pistons * Wankel AG, a German company that produces Wankel engines for ultralight aircraft and racing cars People ...

-engined car in the United States was in 1973, when Bedard won an IMSA RS race at Lime Rock Park in a Mazda RX-2."The Rotary Club", Don Sherman, '' Automobile Magazine'', February 2008, pp 76-79 In the

1984 Indianapolis 500 The 68th Indianapolis 500 was held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana on Sunday May 27, 1984. Rick Mears, who previously won in 1979, won his second (of four) Indy 500 victories driving for Penske. Contenders Tom Sneva and ...

Bedard's car slammed the inside wall and then flipped multiple times in the grass. He remarkably survived the crash. Bedard drove for

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in endurance racing, and later drove in the Indianapolis 500 in 1983 and 1984. He finished 30th both times, the second time retiring through a colossal accident where his car flipped several times. Bedard then retired from motor racing but continued to write for ''Car and Driver'' magazine, where he had been employed since March, 1968. After nearly 42 consecutive years of employment with ''Car and Driver'', Bedard announced he was leaving the magazine in his regular column after the August 2009 issue.

Racing record

USAC Mini-Indy Series results

Indianapolis 500 results

(

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) (Races in bold indicate pole position)

24 Hours of Le Mans results

References

Motoring journalists American racing drivers Indianapolis 500 drivers 24 Hours of Le Mans drivers 1941 births Living people People from La Porte City, Iowa Racing drivers from Iowa 20th-century American journalists American male journalists {{US-journalist-1940s-stub