Pantano in for injured Wilson
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| Italian Giorgio Pantano |
Dreyer & Reinbold Racing announced today that Italian driver, Giorgio Pantano will join the team in Sonoma and Baltimore. Pantano will replace the injured Justin Wilson next weekend and will drive the team's No. 22 entry for the Indy Grand Prix of Sonoma and Baltimore Grand Prix.
"We are extremely excited about putting Giorgio in our car at Sonoma and Baltimore. He will add another dimension to our program and we are happy to have him on board for those events. We will be testing him at Sonoma this weekend and we are excited to get him acclimated to the car. Giorgio has a lot of experience and talent and we believe he will be a good fit," commented Dreyer & Reinbold Racing Co-Owner, Dennis Reinbold.
Pantano will compete with Dreyer & Reinbold Racing for the first time at Sonoma on August 24th and then in Baltimore on September 4th. The Padua, Italy native will return to the IZOD IndyCar Series after competing in the Auto GP Series last year and Superleague Formula in 2009. The Italian brings numerous experience to the table after winning the GP2 title in 2008, competing in F3000, Formula One and IndyCar for two road course events with Chip Ganassi Racing.
"For me, this is a very good opportunity. I want to say thank you to Dreyer & Reinbold Racing and the sponsors for giving me this opportunity. I'm here to do the best that I can as always and I look forward to the chance to compete in these two races," stated Pantano.
Decisions have not been made on a driver for the remainder of the 2011 IZOD IndyCar Season. Stay tuned for more details and please visit www.dreyerreinboldracing.com for more information.
08/15/11 Justin Wilson's ride with Dreyer & Reinbold Racing at the next two road courses — Infineon and Baltimore — won't be filled by Simon Pagenaud as expected.
That opportunity will go to Giorgio Pantano, a one-time Formula One driver (2004 for Jordan) who competed in two IndyCar events in 2005 for Ganassi Racing. One of those races was at Infineon. He finished fourth at Watkins Glen while qualifying on the front row.
Pagenaud drove the car at Mid-Ohio after Wilson broke his back in practice. Pagenaud is expected to drive for Sam Schmidt Motorsports' Honda-powered car next season.
Tomas Scheckter will join Pantano and rookie Ana Beatriz on the team at Baltimore. Scheckter's program is officially with SH Racing, but that's essentially a sponsor. Indy Star