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Name: Clark Angel Sanchez-Figueras
Born: Los Angeles, California May 13, 1986
Nationality: United States Citizen
Height: 5’4”
Weight: 135 lbs
Blood Type: O+
Family: father Angel, mother Maria and brother Raul
Favorite music:
Hobbies: Snowboarding, surfing
Marital Status: single
The Beginning:
The story behind Clark’s amazing attack at a racing career is very mixed and touches many areas of life. He was born naturally gifted at soccer; of that there is absolutely no denying. He also rode a bicycle without training wheels at the age of 2. His father tried to encourage him to at least start out with training wheels and he would refuse; he wanted to ride like the adults, and so he did. He was born into an auto racing home environment. His father road raced motorcycles and then cars with success in many series. Motorcycles and cars were ever-present in the Figueras household.
Clark continued to pester his father to buy him a motorcycle. His dad relented and gave him a 50 cc Yamaha motocross bike at the age of five and his racing career began. Clark raced motocross for two years, winining many races in both 50 and 60 cc categories. This came to an end after he fell while leading a 60 cc race. He was run over by the second and third place riders and his dad pulled the plug on his racing. Soccer would be a great deal safer.
Clark continued to pester his father to buy him a motorcycle. His dad relented and gave him a 50 cc Yamaha motocross bike at the age of five and his racing career began. Clark raced motocross for two years, winining many races in both 50 and 60 cc categories. This came to an end after he fell while leading a 60 cc race. He was run over by the second and third place riders and his dad pulled the plug on his racing. Soccer would be a great deal safer.
Karting Begins:
The family was on its way to a club soccer tournament when they happened upon a group of karters headed for an event at a gas station. Clark's gaze emmediately focused on these low-slung race cars and from that point on, he knew he would like to do this. Clark bugged his father until Christmas and dad purchased a used Junior kart for Clark to drive. That first kart was bent and ugly but drive it he did. Whenever Clark wasn't playing soccer, he was driving at local tracks. It wasn't long before he began to finish on the podium. The effort however was always devided between his main thrust in soccer and his growing passion for motorsport. Clark had by age 12, Clark had already won races and set multiple pole positions, notably in the rain. If it rained, he was untouchable. It was upon the strong suggestion of other karters that the Figueras team decided to target the WKA Constructors' Cup in 1999. Despite having only one motor and one chassis, Clark finished third in the Nation by one point agains some very stiff competition, edging out karters like Charlie Kimball (currently racing F3 in England), and others. In the process, Clark set two poles and two fastest laps. In local races he finished a close second to (?) Flemming who went on to race for Red Bull in Europe a few years later.
Finances run out, Clark returned to his soccer focus. He continued to play club soccer, playing with several foreign teams in Holland, Belgium, England and Brasil. It was in Brazil where he ended up playing a friendly match with the Santos junior team of which Robinho played head to head against Clark. Even though his soccer career was progressing properly, he continued to yearn for a return to racing. It was only upon the erging of friends that the father-son team returned to karting, this time in the form of a Rotax ride. In 2002 the team acquired partial sponsorship from Ekartingnews.com and raced to win the Southern California Junior Rotax Championship. Clark went on to finish 5th at the Rotax National Championship that year. The following year, the team campaigned in the CART Stars of Tomorrow Rotax National Championship. Clark scored six victories, six fastest laps and six pole positions out of a total of six races. At the final race, wiring harness failure only allowed Clark to finish 11th but his total points garnered him his first National Championship.
In 2004 Clark ran only a few races and finished a close fourth place at the Rotax National Championship in the Senior Rotax category, after having run in third place the entire final event. It was a slow leak on his right rear tire that forced him to slow with two laps to go and lost third place as a result. From that point on, Clark returned to a strong focus on soccer and went on to represent his St. Francis High School soccer team to CIF championships, culminating in winning the prestigious Florida High School Invitational Tournament and won MVP as a result. Of a total of 11 team goals, Clark scored 7 playing as a midfielder which is the position he most favored due to his ability to generate opportunities on the field.
Decision Time:
Financial support has always been an issue. Upon graduation from high school , Clark recieved offers from two European third devision teams to play. He was also courted by several MLS teams. None of this was to be. Clark's real love was motorsport and with motorsport he would stay. He began college with a major in finance but the father-son team once again set out to contest a karting series. In 2007 Clark began his quest for a motor racing future. He acquired partial sponsorship from KartMini, a Brazilian kart manufacturer and went on to the drive of a lifetime at the Rotax Max National Championship in Denver, Colorado. Clark drove the only Kart Mini chassis in the Senior Max field of over sixtiy karts. Difficulties with set up had Clark starting 42nd. Throughout the heat and semifinal races however, Clark clawed his way up to eigth for the final of the event. Utilizing tenacious attacks during the main event, Clark forced his way up to third place. He was passed in the infield after a small nudge from the fourth place kart but it appeared that Clark was on his way to represent the U.S. at the World Championship. Luck was not on his side however. It was on that very lap that the organizers threw a red-checkered flag, ending the race prematurely due to rain. This was a contravertial decision, made more so by not going back to the previous lap of scoring as is customary with most racing organizations. This left Clark one place off the podium and kept the KartMini chassis from being recognized as a world class chassis, the par of CRG, Birel and Arrows.
The Future:
Mentored by professional Daytona prototype driver Ozwaldo Negri and other, Clark has made the jump to cars. He will contest the SkipBarber Karting Shoothout at the end of January 2008. He completed the mandatory Skip Barber school Road Atlanta and is heading to Sebring with high expectations albeit with little track time in the Barber cars. He has also been counseled to jump across the ocean and to run the British Formula Ford Championship which begins in March of 2008. Clark is in the process of searching for advertising partners that would like to back his attempt at this series. In the meantime he continues his fitness regimen of running at least 5 miles a day and hitting the gym every other day. His future looks bright and it will be the acquisition of proper financial support that will determine the future of this talented young driver.
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