Pagenaud full-time in IndyCars in 2012
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| Simon Pagenaud |
"The last two weeks have been clearly focused on maintaining our entry at Le Mans," Highcroft Racing owner Duncan Dayton told SPEED.com. "But as we stated in our press release, our desire is still to win additional ALMS races and Le Mans in the future. But our goals continue to extend beyond sports car racing, and we are working hard to join the IZOD IndyCar Series ranks as soon as possible."
Highcroft's Simon Pagenaud, who made a strong impression during his maiden IndyCar Series outing at Barber Motorsports Park with Dreyer & Reinbold Racing, was slated to occupy the seat currently filled by Scott Speed, but the team's primary sponsor apparently wanted a driver of a more domestic persuasion.
"We thought we had a deal in place to run Simon at the Indy 500 in partnership with a team, but that fell by the wayside at the last moment when their sponsor chose to go with an American driver. We didn't think we could get Simon ready with an American accent that was good enough to pass the test by Indy," he said with a laugh. “So now we're concentrating on finding the corporate partners to make our next move in open-wheel."
05/13/11 Pagenaud and Highcroft Racing won't pursue a 500 program this month. They still plan to participate in the season ending Las Vegas race as a first step toward being a full-time IndyCar team in 2012.
04/10/11 Frenchman Simon Pagenaud, who drove Champ Cars in 2007 and did very well, is said to be working on a deal to compete in the Indianapolis 500 this year and all IndyCar races in 2012.