Steve Rikert (born August 5, 1969 in Rhinebeck,

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

) is a former racing driver who competed in the

Barber Dodge Pro Series The Barber Dodge Pro Series was a professional open-wheel auto racing series from 1986 to 2003. It was one of the first professional spec series for open-wheel racecars in North America. The races were primarily on road and street courses in Nor ...

and the

USF2000 The USF2000 Championship Presented by Cooper Tires is an American racing series using the American variation of the Formula Ford formula, "F2000", that resumed operation for the 2010 season. As of 2022, it is sanctioned by the United States Auto ...

Career

After racing in the regional Skip Barber Eastern Series, Rikert moved to the

Barber Saab Pro Series The Barber Dodge Pro Series was a professional open-wheel auto racing series from 1986 to 2003. It was one of the first professional spec series for open-wheel racecars in North America. The races were primarily on road and street courses in Nor ...

in 1994. The New Yorker finished outside the top ten in the 1994 Barber Saab Pro Series season. The

Skip Barber Racing School The Skip Barber Racing School is an American racing and driving school. Skip Barber founded the school in 1975. History In 1975, Skip Barber started the Skip Barber School of High Performance Driving at Riverside International Raceway. In 1976, ...

graduate had a decent run in the

1996 Barber Dodge Pro Series season The 1996 Barber Dodge Pro Series season was the eleventh season of the series. All drivers used Dodge powered Goodyear shod Mondiale chassis. Derek Hill and Tony Renna Anthony James Renna (November 23, 1976 – October 22, 2003) was an Ame ...

. Rikert finished fifth at

Watkins Glen International Watkins Glen International, nicknamed "The Glen", is an automobile race track located in the town of Dix just southwest of the village of Watkins Glen, New York, at the southern tip of Seneca Lake. It was long known around the world as the hom ...

. He earned points on several occasions finishing thirteenth in final standings. Rikert ran only six Barber Dodge Pro Series races in 1997. The New York native first made his

debut at

Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course is a road course auto racing facility located in Troy Township, Morrow County, Ohio, United States, just outside the village of Lexington. Mid-Ohio has also colloquially become a term for the entire north-central regio ...

Lexington, Ohio Lexington is a village along the Clear Fork River in Troy Township and Washington Township in Richland County in the U.S. state of Ohio. It is part of the Mansfield, Ohio Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 4,822 at the 2010 cen ...

. In a field of fifty drivers, Rikert finished seventeenth. He also participated in the season finale at Watkins Glen. For 1998 Rikert signed with the factory

Tatuus Tatuus is an Italian chassis manufacturer for a series of formula racing series, being first founded in 1980. The company is known for its association with Renault Sport for its production of the Formula Renault chassis. History The Tatuus ...

team in the USF2000. The New Yorker finished tenth in the standings, best of the factory entered Tatuus chassis. For 1999 Rikert made the switch to the dominant

Van Diemen Van Diemen International, Ltd. was a British race car manufacturer based in Snetterton, Norfolk, United Kingdom. The company had a reputation for high-volume production runs of its cars, the most well-known of which is its series of Formula For ...

chassis. The American won one race at

Atlanta Motor Speedway Atlanta Motor Speedway (formerly known Atlanta International Raceway from 1960 to 1990) is a 1.54-mile entertainment facility in Hampton, Georgia, United States, 20 miles (32 km) south of Atlanta. It has annually hosted NASCAR Cup Series ...

from start to finish. The race was marred by a red flag after a heavy crash involving

Larry Foyt Lawrence Joseph Roberds Foyt (born February 22, 1977) is an American former NASCAR and IndyCar driver. He is the biological grandson and adopted son of A. J. Foyt, and a biological cousin (and uncle by adoption) of A. J. Foyt IV. His biological ...

and five other. The Richard Morgan Racing driver scored another two podium finishes. He eventually finished third in the championship standings, behind

Marc-Antoine Camirand Marc-Antoine Camirand (born 30 April 1979) is a Canadian racing driver. He currently competes in the NASCAR Pinty's Series and is the 2022 NASCAR Pinty's Series champion. Early career Camirand began karting in the early 1990s, winning the F100 ...

and series champion

Dan Wheldon Daniel Clive Wheldon (22 June 1978 – 16 October 2011) was a British motor racing driver who won the 2005 IndyCar Series season, 2005 IndyCar Series Drivers' Championship for Andretti Autosport, Andretti Green Racing (AGR). He won the Indiana ...

. Rikert currently owns an

automobile repair shop An automobile repair shop (also known regionally as a garage or a workshop) is an establishment where automobiles are repaired by auto mechanics and technicians. Types Automotive garages and repair shops can be divided into following categor ...

in his native town of Rhinebeck.

Complete motorsports results

American Open-Wheel racing results

(

key Key or The Key may refer to: Common meanings * Key (cryptography), a piece of information that controls the operation of a cryptography algorithm * Key (lock), device used to control access to places or facilities restricted by a lock * Key (map ...

) (Races in bold indicate pole position, races in ''italics'' indicate fastest race lap)

Complete USF2000 National Championship results

References

External links

*
Steve Rikert at USFF2000.com

Steve Rikert career history at USF2000.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rikert, Steve 1969 births Living people Racing drivers from New York (state) Barber Pro Series drivers U.S. F2000 National Championship drivers People from Rhinebeck, New York