Hazel Lacasse

**Hazel Lacasse** (born 31 January 1997) is a New Zealand born professional driver currently driving the #1 Panasonic Team Impulse Alpine in the AT&T Champ Car World Series. She is best known for winning the 2021 Indycar World Championship and the 108th Indianapolis 500 Mile Race in the same year.

Lacasse is closely affiliated with fellow Kiwi and former racing driver, Jamie Ngaire-Jardine, and came through the same driver development academy as Artyom Kozlov, who also drives for Panasonic Team Impulse as of November 2021.

## Early Years

Hazel was born in Auckland, New Zealand to Julian and Paige Lacasse. The middle of 3 kids, she spent her early childhood in Whangārei, New Zealand. She showed a love for racing at an early age.

## Junior Categories

### **Karting: 2002-2006**

Hazel began her career in karting, impressing in various regional championships around New Zealand, before traveling to Australia to start competing in the Oceanic Karting Championship driving for RaceTech which had helped launch the career of follow kiwi Jamie Ngaire-Jardine. In 2006, she competed in both the Asian Karting Championship as well as the Oceanic Championship, finishing 2nd in the Asian championship and winning the Oceanic one. Unlike other driver of her generation, she never competed in the World Karting Championship due to a lack of funding, and a fairly small team at RaceTech.

### Australian Formula Four Championship: 2006-2012

After proving herself in various karting championships, Hazel graduated to the Australian Formula Four Championship, also driving for RaceTech. During her 6 years spent competing in the championship, she would win the title 5 times, from 2007 until 2012. Her first season was rough, only ending the season in the 5th position, having scored her first ever win in front of the Hisense Australian Supercar Championship fans at Mount Panorama, Bathurst. Hazel was starting to gain some attention at this point to potentially compete in the Supercars championship at some point. She also made 2 guest starts in the Japan Formula Four Championship in 2012 for Toyota Team Keeps finishing 2nd at Okayama and winning at Twin Ring Motegi, making her at this point one of the few non-Japanese drivers to have won in this series.

### Japan Formula Three Championship: 2013-2014

For 2013, Hazel moved up to the Japan Formula Three Championship, successfully winning the title for Toyota Team Keeps/RaceTech in the final race at Suzuka in front of the Formula One World Championship crowd. She managed 3 wins during that season, and based her title success off her reliability, finishing every single race that season. With her title win, she joined an illustrious group of drivers to have won the championship. She stared in 1 round of the Asian Endurance Championship driving for Toyota as well, being one of the winning drivers of the GT3 class at the 6 Hours of Fuji.

### All Japan GT Championship: 2015-2019

Hazel competed in the All Japan GT Championship for 4 years for Toyota, winning the driver's title twice in 2017 and 2019 and the team's championship in 2019. She was a mainstay in the paddock and near the front of the field and only the lack of development on the Toyota Team Keeps car kept her from winning the title in 2018 as well. During her 4 years in the championship she made starts in the Asian Endurance Championship as well as the Japan Formula Three Championship to keep up to speed in multiple forms of motorsport. She won the Japan Formula Three race prior to the 2018 Honda Indy 300 at the Twin Ring Motegi. Prior to the 2016 season, she made 2 tests in driving a GP1 car, however, budgetary concerns were enough to keep her out of the series.

## Champ Car Career

### 2020

Lacasse was signed in early 2020 by Team Impulse after several private tests arranged by Team Impulse's team principal, Asumi Matsuo, who was very impressed with Lacasse's ability to adapt quickly to sudden situations. Details regarding the tests were never divulged, but it is believed most, if not all, of the tests Lacasse underwent were in the team's home country of Japan. Lacasse signed a two year contract with the team, and was guaranteed to participate in the 2020 Firestone Triple Crown, in addition to providing simulator test data for the team during the other 17 races. Lacasse was cited as a key reason for the team's early success, where Sakura Ishibashi won St. Petersburg and scored pole positions at St. Pete and Brno.

Lacasse made her Champ Car debut for the 107th Indianapolis 500, and looked competitive early on. However, Lacasse, like everyone else, struggled with the high winds during the race and tagged the wall near halfway. With her right rear suspension damaged, she fell down the order and ultimately finished 17th. The race is most remembered for the massive crash on lap 171 which claimed the lives of Tim Kourting and Giuliano Ansaldi, but also injured LM Competition driver, Mildred Moon, and Lacasse's Team Impulse teammate, B.K. Glover.

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With Glover injured, Asumi Matsuo made the decision to split the races Glover would not be able to attend between Lacasse and Thomas Rogers, a series veteran who was also originally a Triple Crown signing. Rogers would compete in the oval races at Texas and Lausitz, while Lacasse would compete in the road and street course events at Valkenburg, Toronto, and Detroit. Lacasse struggled in her first street course event at Valkenburg, struggling with the brakes and lack of power steering on the very complex street course, and finished in 23rd. She would spend the next couple weeks doubling down efforts to adjust her driving style, including receiving mentorship from her teammate, Sakura Ishibashi, which paid dividends for her next start in Toronto. Lacasse entered the weekend looking strong, staying top 5 in both Friday practice sessions, and qualifying on pole position the day after. On race day, Lacasse held a firm grasp on the race, leading almost every lap barring pit stop cycles, and won the race in just her third career start ahead of World Championship leader, Andrew Draco, and her teammate, Ishibashi, who rounded out the podium. The success of Toronto did not lead into the following week's race at Detroit, where she finished 21st after early contact damaged her front suspension. At Pocono, the second leg of the Triple Crown, Lacasse finished 6 laps down in 25th position after being collected in an early accident.

Lacasse was not scheduled to compete in another race in 2020 until the finale in Fontana. However, over the next two races, after B.K. Glover had returned from injury at Pocono, and had issues at Watkins Glen and Kentucky, Asumi Matsuo once again called on Lacasse, this time to finish out the remainder of the season. Lacasse responded immediately with a third place finish at Richmond, her first short oval race in Champ Car. A 13th place finish at Mid-Ohio followed, where even the championship contenders struggled at points. Lacasse was taken out early at New Hampshire, being credited with a 26th place finish. She would rebound with a 4th place finish at Road America, losing out on the race win on an alternate strategy call that left her vulnerable to Keisha Fox, the eventual race winner, Mildred Moon, and Stephanie Porter-Kelley, who all passed her in just the final 4 laps of the race. A podium would follow suit at the Grand Prix of Indianapolis, where Lacasse dazzled the fans in a race long duel with Andrew Draco, who won the race and claimed his second Indycar World Championship as a result. Lacasse's strange season would end on a sour note as she was collected in an accident at Fontana and claimed a 24th place finish. Lacasse ended the 2020 season with 10 race starts, 1 race win, 1 pole position, 3 podium finishes, and 3 DNFs.

### 2021

Panasonic Team Impulse announced on 3 January 2021 that Lacasse would be one of the team's full time drivers for the 2021 season, pairing the Kiwi alongside Sakura Ishibashi for the entire season. B.K. Glover was also retained in a driver development mentorship role, but would assist the team on track for the 2021 Firestone Triple Crown.

2021 started off mildly for Lacasse. She was barely outqualified by Ishibashi, but both Team Impulse drivers locked out the front row for the first time in team history. The race would see both cars fall backwards, however, with neither Lacasse or Ishibashi finishing in the top 10. Lacasse would make up for it at Motegi, winning the race with superior fuel mileage provided by the team's Alpine engines. She would finish 11th once again at Richmond, before finishing 7th at Texas. The championship standings after four races saw Andrew Draco out front marginally ahead of Lacasse. That would take a sudden turn at Chicagoland, the fifth race of the season. Lacasse and Ishibashi would dominate the race, while both Rockstar Phantom Motors drivers retired from the race early. Ishibashi led the most laps after taking her third pole of the season, but Lacasse would use lapped traffic to get around her more experienced teammate, taking her third career win in Team Impulse's first 1-2 result.

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Team Impulse were heavy favorites for the 2021 Indianapolis 500, the sixth race of the season. Rockstar Phantom Motors led the opening day of practice, but every session afterwards was led by Lacasse, who easily qualified on pole position for the Greatest Spectacle in Racing, and proceeded to top every day of practice leading up to the race itself. During the race, Lacasse led an event record 184 laps of 200, winning her first Indy 500 in her second attempt, and leading a second consecutive 1-2 finish for Team Impulse, with B.K. Glover finishing in second. Between Lacasse and Glover, Team Impulse led all but 1 lap of the 200 lap race, which also stands as an event record.

Following Indianapolis, a rough patch of results would see Lacasse surrender the points lead she had amassed from her three early wins in the season. An early incident at Belle Isle would land Lacasse 20th, 1 lap down. A 9th at Brno followed, but one of the lowest points of the season came at Pocono. While leading the 500 mile race, Lacasse attempted to pass Gerard Perth, with the pair making contact and crashing out. Lacasse was credited with a 26th place finish, while Andre Draco went on to win his third race of the season and take the championship lead. The tenth race of the season at Toronto marked the 1 year anniversary of Lacasse's first career Champ Car win. On Friday morning of the race weekend, Team Impulse and Lacasse announced she had signed a contract extension that made her the highest paid driver in the series. Beginning with the 2022 season, Lacasse would make a minimum of USD$3 million per season until the end of 2024, with incentives adding up to a potential USD$10 million payroll for the sophomore driver. The race itself would be unremarkable, with Lacasse retiring to a 20th place finish, but it would be her last retirement of the year.

Vancouver was a messy race in general for Lacasse, who finished 17th. Her teammate, Ishibashi, was crashed out from the lead of the race, and the caution pinned Lacasse down a lap, which couldn't be recovered. Her season would get back on track for Gateway, where she finished 10th, her first top 10 since Brno. Using Team Impulse's far superior superspeedway development, she would take pole, lead the most laps, and win her fourth race of the season at Kentucky, again with Ishibashi finishing second to add a third 1-2 for the team on the season. Despite starting on pole for Watkins Glen, clutch issues would drop Lacasse down to 25th, the last car running at the finish, it would be the last race that Lacasse didn't score a top 6 finish.

Beginning with Road America, Lacasse and Team Impulse refocused their efforts towards areas that they believed needed critical work, which had a noticeable effect. Lacasse finished third at Road America, a win still eluding her at the Wisconsin road course. She would take her fifth race win on the year at Mid-Ohio two weeks later, as Andrew Draco, the championship leader, crashed out on lap 1. Fortunes for both the championship frontrunners would repeat themselves at New Hampshire, with Lacasse finishing 4th, and Draco failing to finish, ending up 25th. With Lacasse's bounce back, she regained the lead of the Indycar World Championship standings for the final time.

The Grand Prix of Indianapolis marked one of the lowest points in Lacasse's career, but not for performance reasons. Her teammate, Sakura Ishibashi, suffered a high speed crash during the race, after the steering system seized while going down the pit straight. Ishibashi, from the lead, careened into the pit wall attenuator, which threw the car into the outside wall at over 184 mph. Ishibashi sustained multiple broken bones in her legs from the crash, and was transported in unconscious condition to a nearby hospital, where she stayed a week after the crash. Lacasse was heard over the radio for multiple laps following the crash, asking for information on her friend, as well as pleading for the race to end early, no longer feeling comfortable continuing the race. It was a sentiment echoed by driver-leader Stephanie Porter-Kelley, Camyron Jackson, and others, and resulted in the race being red flagged and called official on lap 45 of a planned 85 laps. Despite finishing third in the race, Lacasse completely skipped podium celebrations, going to visit Ishibashi in the hospital and staying overnight.

Lacasse's friend, and Team Impulse's Atlantic Championship driver, Artyom Kozlov, was tabbed to fill in for Ishibashi for the last two races of the season. Kozlov shined in the final road course event of the year at Denver Motorsports Park, as well as the season finale at Fontana, while Lacasse remained visibly off-center from the events at Indianapolis. Kozlov finished 2nd in their Champ Car debut, while Lacasse held on for 6th at Denver. Entering the final race, Lacasse had a 33 point lead over Andrew Draco, which ultimately didn't matter. Entering the final race weekend of the season, Rockstar Phantom Motors withdrew from the weekend following the passing of Jean-Claude Gabriel. With Rockstar Phantom Motors completely done for the final race, Lacasse was confirmed as the 2021 Indycar World Driver's Champion before practice began. Lacasse looked strong all weekend long, winning her qualifying duel, and finishing second in the race itself, taking the 2021 Firestone Triple Crown as a result. Artyom Kozlov would go on and win the Intel 500, giving Team Impulse its fourth 1-2 finish in 2021, with Kozlov matching Lacasse's record with both winning their first race in their second career Champ Car start. Lacasse would end 2021 with 5 wins, 4 poles, 8 podiums, and only two retirements from 20 starts.

### 2022

Lacasse entered the 2022 season as the highest paid active driver in North America, due to the contract she signed in the summer of 2021. For the next three seasons, Lacasse would be paid USD$150,000 per race weekend as a base salary, in addition to multiple incentives, which could put her yearly salary between USD$3-10 million. For comparison, Stephanie Porter-Kelley made just $3,000,000 in each of her last two seasons, despite her extensive tenure as a driver. Team Impulse stated it would not affect their ability to develop the cars during the season, especially with Lacasse's 2021 performances if they continued.

## Personal Life

Hazel shared that she had a girlfriend, Yasmine Lyon, in a social media posting during the 2020 Indianapolis 500 becoming one of the first drivers in the Champ Car World Series to come out. The 2 maintain a home near the Panasonic Team Impulse base in Osaka, Japan as well as a further home in Minneapolis, Minnesota for the North American Racing season. October 10th, 2021 it was confirmed that Hazel had asked Yasmine to marry her, with the ceremony set to take place during the off season between the 2022 and 2023 seasons.

Outside of racing, Lacasse is a part of her local community, helping to raise money for the families affected during the 107th Indianapolis 500, as well as offering to give her weight and support to a driver's union. She is also a propent of green energy and enviromental sustanability using her voice to promote enviromental friendliness and working to solve climate change.

She has stated that she dreams of competing both in the Formula One World Championship and the Formula Zero World Championship, as well as racing at the 24 hours of LeMans in order to be the 4th person in history and the first since Stephanie Porter-Kelley to complete the Triple Crown.

## Indycar World Championship results

##### Key

* **#** (bold) indicates started from pole position.
* *#* (italics) indicates most laps led.

## See Also

* 2021 AT&T Champ Car World Series, the season Lacasse won her first world championship.
* 2021 Indianapolis 500, Lacasse's first Indianapolis 500 victory.