Charlie Kimball gets sponsor for Indy Lights go

Charlie Kimball

California native Charlie Kimball has secured sponsorship from Novo Nordisk, a world leader in diabetes care. Kimball will pilot the No. 26 Levemir® FlexPen® car for AFS Racing/Andretti Autosport and will run a full 13-race schedule on the 2010 Firestone Indy Lights series.

Kimball, 25, is the only licensed racer with type 1 diabetes in the history of the Indy Racing League. Diagnosed in 2007, he monitors his blood sugar before, during and after each race, and uses Novo Nordisk insulin Levemir® (insulin detemir [rDNA origin] injection) and NovoLog® (insulin aspart [rDNA origin] injection). The partnership with Novo Nordisk includes primary sponsorship of Kimball’s race car, racing suit and helmet. Kimball also will make appearances on behalf of Novo Nordisk throughout 2010.

“Charlie Kimball is the perfect example of how people living with diabetes can successfully manage their disease without letting it get in the way of their dreams," said Camille Lee, Vice President of Diabetes Marketing at Novo Nordisk. “We are proud of our association with Charlie and we look forward to a successful year on and off the track in 2010."

Kimball will be competing in his second season in the Firestone Indy Lights series. In 2009, he finished 10th overall, posting a season-best fourth place at Watkins Glen and finishing the 2009 campaign with eight Top 10 results. The 2010 season includes the following race events in 13 cities across North America:

• March 28: Streets of St. Petersburg (St. Petersburg, Florida)
• April 11: Barber Motorsports Park (Birmingham, Alabama)
• April 18: Streets of Long Beach (Long Beach, California)
• May 28: Indianapolis Motor Speedway (Indianapolis, Indiana)
• June 19: Iowa Speedway (Newton, Iowa)
• July 4: Watkins Glen International (Watkins Glen, New York)
• July 18: Streets of Toronto (Toronto, Ontario, Canada)
• July 25: Edmonton City Centre Airport (Edmonton, Alberta, Canada)
• Aug. 8: Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course (Toledo, Ohio)
• Aug. 22: Infineon Raceway (Sonoma, California)
• Aug. 28: Chicagoland Speedway (Chicago, Illinois)
• Sept. 4: Kentucky Speedway (Louisville, Kentucky)
• Oct. 2: Homestead-Miami Speedway (Miami, Florida)

“This is a big year for me and expectations are high," Kimball said. “I am fortunate to not only be part of one of the top teams in all of racing at AFS Racing/Andretti Autosport, but to have the support of Novo Nordisk, one of the world’s leading healthcare companies that is committed to helping me live my dream."

Kimball launched his single-seater racing career in 2002 and has raced in several international series since then, highlighted by a five-win effort in the 2005 British Formula 3 Championship. At that time, Kimball established himself as the first American to win a British Formula 3 race in 11 years.