R2i: Brabham eyeing full-time Indy Lights return

Five years after his Indianapolis 500 debut, third-generation racer Matt Brabham is eyeing a competitive return to the IndyCar Series feeder Indy Lights.

Brabham recently took part in the Chris Griffis Memorial Test at Indianapolis Motor Speedway with Andretti Autosport as part of an evaluation ahead of the 2022 season.

Driving one of the team’s 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder Dallara IL-15 single-seaters, Brabham completed 99 laps on the road course-configured Brickyard.

Since his sole start in the 2016 Indianapolis 500 with Pirtek Team Murray, Brabham has largely concentrated his efforts on Stadium Super Trucks in Australia and the United States.

Now, the 27-year-old is eyeing a return to the IndyCar Series circus.

Asked of his 2022 plans, Brabham said he’s not looking at an immediate return to the IndyCar Series, rather an Indy Lights program.

“The goal is to just get back into it full time and work away at getting back in there,” Brabham told IndyCar.com.

“[Returning to the IndyCar Series] is still my ultimate goal. I’d love to be back racing IndyCar, and this is obviously a great way to do it, especially with a lot of stuff changing next year.

“I’m excited to see how it all plays out, and hopefully I’m all a part of it. Obviously, that’s the end goal is the IndyCar stuff, and this is all part of it too.

“It’s great to be back driving something that’s similar.”  Speedcafe