(Photo: Chris Owens/INDYCAR)
By Aaron Bearden
Zachary Claman made nine NTT IndyCar Series starts in 2018, led laps in the Indianapolis 500 appeared poised to chase a full-time ride in the series heading into the offseason.
But he’s making a step back in 2019, returning to the Road to Indy ladder system to compete in Indy Lights. He’ll drive for Belardi Auto Racing, running full-time on the tour for the third time in four years.
It’s a humbling move, and one that’s proven puzzling to some. But make no mistake – he’s making the move with a full-time future IndyCar career in mind. Claman wants to secure the series championship and the IndyCar scholarship that comes with it.
That’s not just the plan. It’s the only future he’s considered.
“For me anything other than a championship isn’t good enough,” Claman told Motorsports Beat. “It’s kind of a do-or-die year for me. After being in IndyCar, my only goal is to get back to IndyCar. I’m, going to need the championship to do that. I need the scholarship, and I also want to prove that I’ve improved as a driver. I think the championship is the only goal.
He later admitted there’s “no plan B for next year.”
Claman made steady progress the last time he was in Indy Lights. A disappointing ninth-place effort in 2016 gave way to a win and fifth-place points run in 2017. A move back to Indy Lights could have proven fruitful in 2018, but the Canadian instead opted to jump to IndyCar on a part-time deal with Dale Coyne Racing.
Statistically the year wasn’t stellar — he finished no better than 12th and suffered two DNFs — but there were highlights to be seen. The young prospect had the quickest lap of the race at Barber Motorsports Park, and an alternate pit strategy helped him lead seven laps and run up front in the Indy 500 before being forced to pit road late in the race for fuel.
More important than statistics for Claman was his progression. Between his involvement with the high-level organization at DCR and time with veteran teammate Sebastien Bourdais, the Montreal native felt he’d managed a good job of learning and growing.
“I think I’ve gained huge amounts of experience in IndyCar,” he said. “Driving another car with so much power taught me quite a lot. The level is so high in that series, and there’s really no room for mistakes. I learned a lot being next to Bourdais and working with an engineer like Michael Cannon.
“Just watching how Seb works all year was really helpful. Apart from what he told me while helping me out, just watching him – how he works, debriefs and does everything – was valuable. He has a lot of experience from Formula One to IndyCar, and has won championships and big races.”
Based on that progression alone, one might assume Claman would look to rejoin the IndyCar field in 2019. But a combination of funding, inexperience and championship opportunity led him back to Indy Lights.
“Sponsorship had a lot to do with it,” he admitted. “Part of it’s also age. I’m still young. I have a lot of time as a driver to develop. Indy Lights helps to do that, and obviously there is that scholarship that makes signing for a full-time ride in IndyCar a lot easier. Taking a step back made a lot of sense for me, to go get that million dollars and try to piece together a full-time ride next year in IndyCar.”
The scholarship opportunity was a key selling point. An opening at Belardi — one of the tour’s top teams — was enough for Claman to make the leap.
“(Belardi) obviously have a winning past, and have a good track record of bringing drivers to IndyCar,” he said. “They have a competitive car, and they were really strong last year. It just seems like the right fit for me. I got along well with the engineers, and Brian (Belardi, team owner) was a friend of mine. It was the right fit, and felt like an opportunity to win a championship and better myself as a driver.”
The group tested together for the first time recently at Homestead-Miami Speedway. The session proved to be a slight challenge, albeit one Claman anticipated.
“The car was quite a lot different than I remembered,” Claman admitted. “It was off what I was used to from IndyCar, so it took a few sessions to get off of that and back into it.
“But after a few days of testing I should be back into it. By the end of the Homestead test I was starting to get back into the groove. The team did a great job helping me figure it out again.”
Once he’s comfortable with the car, the task at hand will be simple – bring home a title. The season is effectively championship-or-bust for the 20-year-old and Belardi Auto Racing.
That’s a stressful position to be in, but one Claman is comfortable with. Having already seen the highs of competing in IndyCar, he’s determined to make it back to the tour at all costs.
“Being in IndyCar already, running the Indy 500 and seeing how big it is… It’s one thing to be watching, but it’s a whole other thing to be racing,” he said. “You feel the excitement, walk out and do the driver intros in front of the fans. Leading the 500 last year was probably one of the coolest experiences of my life.
“Running in IndyCar was a super cool experience, and the want to get back there is pushing me. I want to show I can be there, compete with the top guys and maybe be the champion one day.”
