Catchfence

Event: Itaipava Sao Paulo Indy 300 presented by Nestle
Location: Streets of Sao Paulo, Brazil
Track: 2.536-mile, 11-turn temporary street circuit
Laps: 75 Miles: 190.2
Race: Sunday, May 1st at 12 p.m. (ET)
Broadcast: 12 p.m. (ET) on VERSUS, XM Channel 145 and Sirius 212

Sebastian Saavedra, No. 34 Conquest Racing

The Itaipava Sao Paulo Indy 300 presented by Nestle will be Sebastian Saavedra’s sixth IZOD IndyCar Series start, and fourth on a road/street course. It is the IndyCar rookie’s first race at Sao Paulo.

Saavedra had his best IZOD IndyCar Series start two weeks ago at the Toyota Long Beach Grand Prix where he qualified 15th. Saavedra was looking for a top-10 finish before an incident with another driver resulted in a damaged front wing. After an unscheduled pit stop, he finished 14th.

The 20-year-old made his IZOD IndyCar Series debut in the 2010 Indianapolis 500. Having started his racing career karting at age 10, Saavedra became the first driver born in the 1990s to compete in the Indy 500.

Saavedra first competed for Conquest Racing in the season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway, making it into the top 10 at one point and finishing 16th.

Before graduating to the IZOD IndyCar Series, Saavedra competed two years in the in Firestone Indy Lights series. He took 2009 Rookie of the Year honors and won three poles and three races.

A native of Bogota, Columbia, Saavedra currently resides in Indianapolis.

Conquest Racing

Conquest Racing returns for the second time to the streets of Sao Paulo, Brazil for Round 4 of the 2011 IZOD IndyCar Series championship. The team finished 17th on the scenic street circuit in 2010.

Since Eric Bachelart founded the team in 1997, Conquest Racing has been known for its development of young, talented drivers. Entering its 15th season of professional racing, the team is keeping up its tradition of giving up and coming drivers the chance to take their careers to the next level, fielding Saavedra for the season in the No. 34 car. British driver Pippa Mann will make her IZOD IndyCar series debut with the team in the No. 36 for the Indianapolis 500.

- Conquest Racing, Press Release