Juncos Hollinger Racing are ready to start out their NTT IndyCar Series tenure with a bang, bringing in current Scuderia Ferrari test driver and Alfa Romeo Racing ORLEN reserve driver Callum Ilott to make his IndyCar debut and drive their entry in the upcoming Grand Prix of Portland.
The 22-year-old British driver is the first driver to race for the new team and will get his first laps behind the wheel at a test at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course on 2 September. Ilott joins an ever-growing list of Formula drivers making appearances in IndyCar, including Christian Lundgaard, Romain Grosjean and Kevin Magnussen.
“I am pleased and excited to be announcing I will be racing with Juncos Hollinger Racing at Portland,” Ilott said in a press release.
“This will be my first time in the NTT IndyCar Series and running in the United States, which will be a bit of a change from running on the European side. I am looking forward to working with the team during this first phase of their development and proud to be a part of this opportunity to build into their future embarkment.”
Not only will this be Ilott’s first race in the series, it will be the team’s first as Juncos Hollinger Racing. Juncos Racing last raced in the 2019 Indianapolis 500, where they famously bumped McLaren Racing and Fernando Alonso out of the event.
Ricardo Juncos and Brad Hollinger unveiled the new partnership in early August, and stated that the team committed to racing in the final three events of the 2021 season before running full-time in 2022. A driver remains to be named for the Firestone Grand Prix of Monterrey and Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach, as well as the 2022 season.
“We are very excited to welcome Callum Ilott to the Juncos Hollinger Racing family,” Juncos said.
“Callum brings a lot of experience and incredible talent to the team. We are confident that he will transition well into the NTT IndyCar Series when we get on track for our final test at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course tomorrow before making our official debut together at Portland next week.”
Ilott most recently took part in the 24 Hours of Le Mans where he finished third in the GTE AM class as a part of Iron Lynx. In 2020, Ilott finished second in the Formula 2 championship with UNI-Virtuosi Racing after collecting three wins, six podiums and five poles.
Ilott’s debut will come on 12 September in the Grand Prix of Portland at the Portland International Raceway.