Raceboy
26-03-2004, 14:41
Ale hij gaat toch voor een Belgisch team rijden. :)
In line with recent speculation, the increasingly international line-up of the 2004 Champ Car World Series added another flag to its collection when Mi-Jack Conquest Racing confirmed that British Formula One refugee Justin Wilson has signed to drive its #34 Lola-Cosworth entry.
The 25-year old former Minardi and Jaguar F1 driver joins the Champ Car fray after failing to secure a testing role in grands prix. There are just three weeks before the new season kicks off at the Long Beach Grand Prix, and Wilson will aim to get as much testing mileage under his belt before the 16 April as possible, although his task will be eased somewhat by the outing he enjoyed with Newman/Haas Racing in late 2002.
“I'm very excited about coming over to Champ Car,” Wilson said, “It's something that I've been looking at since 2001, when I won the F3000 championship. It's something I've always admired and wanted to be a part of at the right time, and this is the right time.
"I think the racing is fantastic, and that's what I've been brought up on. I've been brought up racing go-karts back home in England, and the emphasis of the racing has been to go out there and compete against each other and do the best. That's something I look forward to, and I want to be racing against quality drivers and enjoy the competition.”
Wilson won the 2001 FIA F3000 title on the strength of three race victories and seven other podium visits in eleven races - breaking 1999 Champ Car champion Juan Montoya's records for podiums and points in a season - in what was a dominating performance.
Prior to that success, he won the Formula Palmer Audi championship with nine victories, ten fastest laps, and four pole positions, and placed fourth in the inaugural Telefonica World Series by Nissan in 2002 with two victories, two pole positions and a total of eight podium finishes.
“Justin is a proven winner with a great deal of talent that has been evident at every level,” said Conquest team co-owner Eric Bachelart, “He won a major European championship in F3000 in 2001 with Nordic Racing, where our team manager, Chris Mower, was the team manager and Justin's engineer. That history helped us put this together. In addition to Justin, the team is getting the Lola chassis as well. We're looking forward to the season and hope to be consistently competitive.”
The #34 Lola will bear the familiar red-and-yellow livery of primary sponsor, Mi-Jack. Team co-owner Mike Lanigan is president of Mi-Jack Products, a Chicago-based group of companies providing equipment and service to the intermodal freight industry.
“We are very pleased that Justin will join the team this season,” said Lanigan, who backed Brazilian Mario Haberfeld at Conquest in 2003, “He's a great driver and a fine young man. We're proud to be associated with Justin and the team, and look forward to a great season.”
Conquest plans to field a two-car programme in the 2004 Champ Car World Series, and further details regarding the team's second seat will be announced as they become available.
“Justin Wilson has an international racing pedigree and we are delighted to welcome him to the Champ Car World Series,” said series president Dick Eidswick, “He is highly regarded in racing circles worldwide, and we know he will be a great ambassador for Champ Car racing in Great Britain and throughout Europe. We anticipate he will be a frontrunner from the dr
bron: crash.net
In line with recent speculation, the increasingly international line-up of the 2004 Champ Car World Series added another flag to its collection when Mi-Jack Conquest Racing confirmed that British Formula One refugee Justin Wilson has signed to drive its #34 Lola-Cosworth entry.
The 25-year old former Minardi and Jaguar F1 driver joins the Champ Car fray after failing to secure a testing role in grands prix. There are just three weeks before the new season kicks off at the Long Beach Grand Prix, and Wilson will aim to get as much testing mileage under his belt before the 16 April as possible, although his task will be eased somewhat by the outing he enjoyed with Newman/Haas Racing in late 2002.
“I'm very excited about coming over to Champ Car,” Wilson said, “It's something that I've been looking at since 2001, when I won the F3000 championship. It's something I've always admired and wanted to be a part of at the right time, and this is the right time.
"I think the racing is fantastic, and that's what I've been brought up on. I've been brought up racing go-karts back home in England, and the emphasis of the racing has been to go out there and compete against each other and do the best. That's something I look forward to, and I want to be racing against quality drivers and enjoy the competition.”
Wilson won the 2001 FIA F3000 title on the strength of three race victories and seven other podium visits in eleven races - breaking 1999 Champ Car champion Juan Montoya's records for podiums and points in a season - in what was a dominating performance.
Prior to that success, he won the Formula Palmer Audi championship with nine victories, ten fastest laps, and four pole positions, and placed fourth in the inaugural Telefonica World Series by Nissan in 2002 with two victories, two pole positions and a total of eight podium finishes.
“Justin is a proven winner with a great deal of talent that has been evident at every level,” said Conquest team co-owner Eric Bachelart, “He won a major European championship in F3000 in 2001 with Nordic Racing, where our team manager, Chris Mower, was the team manager and Justin's engineer. That history helped us put this together. In addition to Justin, the team is getting the Lola chassis as well. We're looking forward to the season and hope to be consistently competitive.”
The #34 Lola will bear the familiar red-and-yellow livery of primary sponsor, Mi-Jack. Team co-owner Mike Lanigan is president of Mi-Jack Products, a Chicago-based group of companies providing equipment and service to the intermodal freight industry.
“We are very pleased that Justin will join the team this season,” said Lanigan, who backed Brazilian Mario Haberfeld at Conquest in 2003, “He's a great driver and a fine young man. We're proud to be associated with Justin and the team, and look forward to a great season.”
Conquest plans to field a two-car programme in the 2004 Champ Car World Series, and further details regarding the team's second seat will be announced as they become available.
“Justin Wilson has an international racing pedigree and we are delighted to welcome him to the Champ Car World Series,” said series president Dick Eidswick, “He is highly regarded in racing circles worldwide, and we know he will be a great ambassador for Champ Car racing in Great Britain and throughout Europe. We anticipate he will be a frontrunner from the dr
bron: crash.net