Zachary Claman DeMelo
Canadian racing driver (born 1998)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Zachary Claman DeMelo (born April 20, 1998) is a Canadian professional race car driver from Montreal, Quebec. He has competed in Formula Renault 2.0, the IndyCar Series and other open-wheel series, most recently competing for Belardi Auto Racing in Indy Lights in 2019.
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Canadian
FIA Silver| Zachary Claman DeMelo | |
|---|---|
DeMelo at the 2018 Indianapolis 500. | |
| Nationality | Canadian |
| Born | April 20, 1998 Montreal, Quebec, Canada |
| Indy Lights career | |
| Debut season | 2016 |
| Categorisation | FIA Silver |
| Former teams | Juncos Racing Carlin Motorsport Belardi Auto Racing |
| Starts | 38 |
| Wins | 2 |
| Poles | 1 |
| Fastest laps | 6 |
| Best finish | 5th in 2017 |
| Previous series | |
| 2017-2018 2015 2014 | IndyCar Series MotorSport Vision Formula Three Cup Formula Renault 2.0 Northern European Cup |
Racing career
Karting and lower formula
Claman DeMelo began competing in various regional and national karting events in 2008. In 2010, at the age of twelve, he clinched his first Canadian National Karting Championship as well as his first Eastern Canadian Karting Championship. By the age of sixteen, he had won three Canadian National Karting Championships, five consecutive Eastern Canadian National Championships, and earned a third-place finish at the Rotax Karting World Championships.[1] Claman DeMelo made his car racing debut in the 2014–15 Formula Skip Barber winter series, where he won two of the four races.
In 2015, Claman DeMelo moved to Europe and participated in a handful of races in several Formula Renault 2.0 series, including Formula Renault 2.0 NEC, Formula Renault 2.0 Eurocup, and Formula Renault 2.0 Alps. From there, he moved on to the Invitational class of the MSV F3 Cup, where he claimed a win in all eight races he drove in.[2]
Indy Lights
In 2016, Claman DeMelo entered Indy Lights as the youngest driver on the grid (at seventeen years old) with defending championship team Juncos Racing.[3] In his rookie campaign, Claman DeMelo put up nine finishes in the top-ten and three finishes in the top-five.[4] In 2017, Claman DeMelo raced for the 2016 defending championship team, Carlin Motorsport.[5] He captured his first series win at Road America and captured a pair of podium finishes in Toronto. He finished fifth in points, just four points behind teammate Matheus Leist in fourth.
Unable to secure a full-time ride in the NTT IndyCar Series, Claman DeMelo chose to return to Indy Lights for the 2019 season, this time with Belardi Auto Racing.[6] After winning the season-opening round at St. Petersburg, the season went south for the team, and budget issues ended Claman DeMelo's season before the Freedom 100.[7]
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IndyCar Series
In July 2016, Claman DeMelo participated in an IndyCar Series test with Schmidt Peterson Motorsports.[8] He made his IndyCar debut in the 2017 season finale at Sonoma Raceway with Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing.[9]
In February 2018, Claman DeMelo was named a part-time driver of the No. 19 Paysafe Honda for Dale Coyne Racing in the 2018 IndyCar Series.[10]
Personal life
One of Claman DeMelo's grandmothers spent time in a Nazi concentration camp. She was freed on a Friday the 13th, and the tattoo numbers added up to 13. He has used number 13 on his racecars during most of his career.[11]
In 2016, Claman DeMelo and his sister launched a shoe brand called ZCD Montreal.
In 2023, Claman DeMelo was assaulted by ice hockey player Daniel Sprong at a nightclub during the Detroit Grand Prix weekend.[12]
Racing record
Complete Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0 results
(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in italics indicate fastest lap)
† As DeMelo was a guest driver, he was ineligible for points
Complete Formula Renault 2.0 NEC results
(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)
American open-wheel racing results
Indy Lights
| Year | Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | Rank | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | Juncos Racing | STP 11 |
STP 16 |
PHX 11 |
ALA 5 |
ALA 7 |
IMS 13 |
IMS 14 |
INDY 13 |
RDA 5 |
RDA 4 |
IOW 8 |
TOR 13 |
TOR 13 |
MOH 7 |
MOH 7 |
WGL 9 |
LAG 12 |
LAG 7 |
9th | 199 |
| 2017 | Carlin | STP 8 |
STP 7 |
ALA 5 |
ALA 14 |
IMS 2 |
IMS 11 |
INDY 6 |
RDA 10 |
RDA 1 |
IOW 6 |
TOR 2 |
TOR 3 |
MOH 5 |
MOH 4 |
GMP 6 |
WGL 6 |
5th | 274 | ||
| 2019 | Belardi Auto Racing | STP 1 |
STP 2 |
COA 7 |
COA 10 |
IMS 5 |
IMS 2 |
INDY | RDA | RDA | TOR | TOR | MOH | MOH | GTW | POR | POR | LAG | LAG | 10th | 124 |
IndyCar Series
| Year | Team | No. | Chassis | Engine | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | Rank | Points | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing | 13 | Dallara DW12 | Honda | STP | LBH | ALA | PHX | IMS | INDY | DET | DET | TXS | ROA | IOW | TOR | MOH | POC | GTW | WGL | SNM 17 |
31st | 26 | [13] |
| 2018 | Dale Coyne Racing | 19 | STP 17 |
PHX | LBH 23 |
ALA 19 |
IMS 12 |
INDY 19 |
DET | DET | TXS 17 |
ROA 21 |
IOW 18 |
TOR 14 |
MOH | POC | GTW | POR | SNM | 23rd | 122 | [14] |
* Season still in progress.
Indianapolis 500
| Year | Chassis | Engine | Start | Finish | Team |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | Dallara | Honda | 13 | 19 | Dale Coyne Racing |