Stefan Rzadzinski, a 24 year old driver from Edmonton, Canada, will partner James Hinchcliffe in Sunday’s Race of Champions Nations Cup, thanks to winning the ROC Factor North America competition.
The Canadian driver started his career in karting and in 2007 he drove for Team Canada in ROK International finals. Few years later, he transitioned into open wheel racing, climbing from Formula Ford 1600 to Skip Barber, USF2000, Star Mazda and eventually Indy Lights where he finished 10th and 13th in his home round in Edmonton.
Apart from open wheels, Radzinski raced in NASCAR Canada and Nissan Micra Cup. However, the love for racing in his family didn’t originated from him: “My dad was into racecars and he owned one and drove it occasionally. He grew in Klodawa and went to school in Poznan and then he moved to Canada in 1982 where he continued his driving as a hobby when he had a chance”.
The Canadian known as “Razzle Dazzle” is fully aware of his Polish roots: “My mom is from Wroclaw, her family came to Canada a few years later and my parents met here. Polish was my first language but it got a little rusty over the years. Although I feel like I can understand most of it and take part in conversations”.
Even though he spent many years driving single seaters, he is not focused on a particular series: “I do not know my full 2017 plans but I will be back in the Nissan Micra Cup in some way. I'd love to compete around the world and at the top level of the sport, wherever that may be. I have interest in sports cars, primarily. But I also really enjoy things like Stadium Super Trucks, IndyCar, Supercars Championship, etc. I'd love to have an opportunity to prove myself on a higher level, whenever that may be. I simply love driving, and I'm open to wherever that takes me”.
Such opportunity arrived unexpectedly thanks to the ROC Factor competition: “The Race of Champions was in search of local drivers, so I submitted my entry and received an unexpected e-mail that I was one of the finalists and I needed to get votes”.
“I didn't think when I got that e-mail, I just acted. I posted online and messaged everyone I knew. I knew how amazing of an opportunity it would be to be there amongst some of my heroes growing up. I feel like I could write a book on the stages of the contest. It was so much work but I'm so thankful for every single person around the world who supported me. It was my hometown of Edmonton who really supported me so much, but it spread around the world and I couldn't believe how big it got. Now I'm just hoping those who voted know how much they mean to me, and I hope to repay them all and take them on my journey. I'll be continuing to share as much as I can on Facebook and Twitter”.
Radzinski will compete in Sunday’s Race of Champions Nations Cup at Marlin Park stadium in Miami. The information about how to follow the event is available on its official website www.raceofchampions.com.
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