Eliseo Salazar was born on 14 November 1954.
Salazar began racing in the British F1 Championship in 1980 with a Williams FW07, achieving a win at Silverstone. This success led to his move to Formula One in 1981 with March. He later switched to Ensign mid-season, securing a sixth-place finish in the Dutch Grand Prix.
In 1982, Salazar drove for ATS, finishing fifth in the San Marino Grand Prix, a race notable for the limited entry due to the FISA–FOCA war. That same year, at the German Grand Prix, Salazar was involved in a collision with race leader Nelson Piquet. The incident escalated after the crash, with Piquet physically attacking Salazar. In 1983, Salazar participated in six races with RAM Racing, but struggled with a slow car, only qualifying for two races. He finished fourteenth in Jacarepaguá and retired in Long Beach due to gearbox failure.
The 1982 German Grand Prix saw Salazar collide with Nelson Piquet, resulting in a physical altercation with the race leader after the crash.
Following his Formula One career, Salazar became the Chilean national rally champion in 1984 and 1985. He also competed in sports prototype racing, achieving first place in the C-1 class at the 1988 Fuji 1000 km. Salazar later joined the Jaguar Silk Cut factory team for the 24 Hours of Le Mans, finishing eighth in 1989 with Alain and Michel Ferté. He won the historic race at the 1990 event driving a Jaguar XJR-12, although he was later replaced by Martin Brundle who took the chequered flag.
After years away from competition, Salazar joined the Ferrari-Momo factory team for the 1994 IMSA Sport Prototype championship. He achieved several wins and podiums with the Ferrari 333 SP. This success led to a contract with Dick Simon Racing in 1995 to race in the CART Indy Car World Series, where he started 33rd and finished fourth at the Indy 500 with a Lola-Cosworth. Salazar continued in the IRL, earning his first and only victory at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway in 1997 with Team Scandia. He also made a single start in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series at Watkins Glen International, finishing 17th. Salazar achieved his best result at Indianapolis in 2000, starting and finishing third in a G-Force-Oldsmobile Aurora for A. J. Foyt Enterprises. He finished fourth and fifth in the IRL championships in 2000 and 2001 respectively. A serious accident during testing at Indianapolis in 2002 led to his retirement from Indy Car racing, after which he focused on Sports Cars.
Salazar returned to Chile in 2004 to compete in the Rally Mobil with the official Hyundai rally team. In 2005, he participated in the inaugural race of the Grand Prix Masters, and raced in both GPM races in 2006. He competed in the Chilean Rally Championship, driving a Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IX, from 2007. Salazar attempted to compete in the Lisboa-Dakar rally, aiming to be the first driver to race in both the Monaco Grand Prix and the Dakar Rally. He made his debut in the Dakar Rally in 2009, finishing 88th, and competed in the 2010 edition with Team Dakar USA. In 2013, Salazar introduced autocross to Chile.
On 15 May 2001, Salazar had a son, also named Eliseo, who attended his first Indy 500 at the age of eight days old.
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