Team PBIR signs Charlie Kimball
“I’m really excited," said Kimball, a native of Southern California who competed in junior series in Europe. “It’s a great opportunity for me, and I’m just getting ready to work with everybody here. It’s coming together really late and though this is a new team, the people working with the team and infrastructure they have built have been around for years and years. Hopefully, I can use their experience to lead through the season and get results."
The 24-year-old has forged a high-profile open-wheeled racing career including wins in British Formula 3, Formula 3 Euro Series, U.S. Formula Ford 2000 and British Formula Ford.
"We are very excited about the partnership between Charlie and Team PBIR," said Kane Williams, vice president of motorsports for Palm Beach International Raceway. "He is a talented driver and will be an asset to our team both on and off the track."
Kimball’s career in Europe was sidetracked two years ago when he was forced to stand down from the World Series by Renault after he was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes. He worked with a team of diabetes specialists to return to optimal physical form and to the racetrack. He returned to the Formula 3 Euro Series in 2008, finished second in his first race.
“One of the driving forces for me to race in the U.S. in 2009 is the chance to touch the diabetes community more affectively and educate people with diabetes that there’s no reason to limit what you do in your life," Kimball said. “Having diabetes has changed my life most definitely but not added any limitations to what I can do."