HVM making changes for 2010
The team plans to return next season as a two-car operation after adding a second car mid-season in 2009 with the signing of Robert Doornbos. Doornbos is signed to return in 2010, and the team is now exploring options with their second entry after E.J. Viso’s contract with the team expired.
Team principal and owner Keith Wiggins is already busy looking for the right talent that he feels is needed to get team performance back to past levels. In seven years in the CART and Champ Car series, the team was a regular race winner and championship contender and produced two Rookie of the Year winners. HVM Racing earned seven top-10 finishes in its first IndyCar season in 2008, but 2009 results were below the team’s sophomore-year expectations.
“We have a historically successful team, and the core members of the team are still the same," Wiggins said. “But we could benefit a great deal by adding a few people who have been in this particular series a little longer than we have – people who have more experience with the nuances of an IndyCar program. We are also focusing on putting more resources into further technical development during the off-season."
Wiggins’ hunt for experienced talent applies to the driver’s seat vacancy as well as engineering and other team roles.
“2009 has not been typical of HVM’s performance, but everyone is committed to turning things around," Wiggins said. “But I don’t think we need to reinvent the wheel. We need to add a few key pieces that will make us more complete and, as a result, return us to being a truly competitive team."