Conway to ink 2012 IndyCar deal, but with whom?
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| Mike Conway won at Long Beach for Andretti but then sputtered the remainder of the year |
Mike Conway is optimistic of signing a new deal in the next fortnight which will keep him in IndyCar next year. His third season in the series saw a disappointing slide down to finish 17th in the standings. Despite the issues, the 28-year-old has had interest from several teams, including Andretti Autosport, for whom he drove this year. The Sevenoaks driver from the UK is pleased to have options on the table and is hoping to have a deal wrapped up this month.
“It’s looking OK, a lot better than last winter when we had to wait until February. It would be nice to go into Christmas knowing what you’ll be doing next year. We are talking to Andretti and also keeping our options open in other areas. I love IndyCar racing and living over there. I do miss a lot of the European circuits and the technology being used, but I’m enjoying it [in the States] and hopefully can stay there."
Conway was awarded the Innes Ireland Trophy at the British Racing Drivers’ Club Awards this week. The prize, won by Sir Stirling Moss last year, recognized his courage and sportsmanship in battling back from an horrific crash in May 2010. He went on to take part in a charity karting race alongside Jenson Button and David Coulthard held in memory of Dan Wheldon, the British driver killed in an IndyCar race in Las Vegas two months ago.
“It was sad to have the event in the first place but it was a great way to raise money."
11/09/11 Rumor has it that Mike Conway may not be back at Andretti Autosports in 2012 as he does not have a full sponsorship package in place. He is keeping his options open.
“I’m currently working on things for next year," he told speedtv.com from his home in the UK. “We want to stay in IndyCar, but nothing’s done and dusted quite yet. We’re looking to either stay where we are at Andretti Autosport, and we’re also just seeing what’s out there and available, really.
“We’re using this time to work on next year and a lot of people don’t seem to know what they’re doing next year—there’s a lot of uncertainty, but our focus will continue to be on IndyCar."
“We’ll see what happens in the next couple of months," he said. “I doubt we’ll know anything before January. It would be nice to know something before Christmas, but I haven’t had that happen for a couple of years…"
Meanwhile Andretti is testing former Indy Lights driver James Davison and current Indy Lights driver Gustavo Yacaman in their No. 27 and No. 28 IndyCar respectively Thursday in Florida. If either or both drivers can put a sponsorship package together don't be surprised to see Andretti replace Conway.