Jan Heylen to run Indy Lights

Jan Heylen willing to drive anything to advance his career….TDI Cup, karts, A1GP, Superleague, and now Indy Lights.

This Sunday, Volkswagen Jetta TDI Cup chief driving instructor, Jan Heylen, will be hitting the streets of St. Petersburg in order to compete in the season-opening event for the Firestone Indy Lights Series. Heylen has completed a single-race deal with Team E Racing, 2008 Indy Lights “New Team of the Year," to make his Series debut as he pilots the No. 17 machine around the

1.8-mile temporary street course in south Florida.

“Team E Racing is thrilled to have a veteran driver like Jan Heylen in the car this weekend at the St Petersburg Grand Prix," said Neil Enerson, Owner of Team E Racing. “Jan is a true professional. Should Team E acquire the sponsorship to run the entire season, Jan is a definite contender for the Championship title. We are very short on time but hope to find a partner to allow us to compete the entire 2010 season."

Heylen tested with Team E Racing this past February in an Indy Lights Open Test at Barber Motorsports Park in Birmingham, Ala., where he recorded the fifth quickest lap in just his first time behind the wheel of an Indy Lights car. Prior to that test, the 2007 season marks the last time Heylen competed in an open-wheel car, when he fulfilled driving duties for Conquest Racing in two events in the Champ Car World Series. That year, Heylen would earn a second-place finish at Assen, Holland, which was Conquest Racing’s best-ever result. In 2006, Heylon drove for Dale Coyne Racing and earned a season-best fifth-place finish in Cleveland.

“This is a great opportunity that Neil Enerson and Team E Racing has extended to me and I am looking forward to getting back in the cockpit of an open-wheel racecar," said Heylen. “It has been almost three years since my last open-wheel race, so I am expecting that it will take me a few laps to get my footing again. I certainly wouldn’t have been able to make this happen without people behind the scenes pushing me. I have to thank in advance Volkswagen Motorsport USA, Oakley and PHR and I look forward to bringing home a victory for everyone."

When not pursuing his own racing career, which has included Championship wins in the former Renault Eurocup and British Formula Ford Festival and a stint in the Champ Car World Series, Heylen serves as the chief driving instructor for the SCCA Pro Racing Volkswagen Jetta TDI Cup series. He is also the lead testing and development driver for the Series. The Series’ 2010 season-opener will be held at VIRginia International Raceway on April 24th.