Former Williams driver Rubens Barrichello will start a new chapter in the IndyCar Series after signing a race deal with KV Racing.
The most experienced driver in Formula One history will contest the full season, including ovals, racing for the team co-owned by 1996 CART champion Jimmy Vasser.
His team-mates in the three-car outfit will be Tony Kanaan and EJ Viso.
“I am thrilled, it is something very new to me,” Barrichello said. “I need to thank everyone involved, especially Tony [Kanaan] because he has been involved for a long time.
“I will start as a rookie, but I think I will get better as the year progresses. My main thing is to be an addition to the team.
“They have been doing very well and Tony brought them to a different level last year, so I hope with my contribution we can build on this and take the team to another level. I am extremely happy and have a big smile on my face.”
KV also confirmed that Kanaan, who joined from Andretti Autosport ahead of the 2011 season, will remain with the team for the next two years.
“I am very excited to be returning to KV Racing Technology not only with a two year deal but also to have Rubens as my team-mate,” Kanaan said.
“We have always dreamed about racing together but never imagined it would actually happen and certainly not in the near future or in Indycars.”
Team co-owner Kevin Kalkhoven added: “I was at Sebring when Rubens first got into an Indycar. The smile when he got out of the car was a great moment and lasted for three days.
“Teamed with his ‘brother’ Tony Kanaan this is going to be an exciting season for the drivers, the team and the fans.”
Barrichello, who holds the record for most F1 starts with 322, will make his IndyCar debut as a rookie on March 25th in the season-opening race on the St Petersburg street circuit in Florida. The fourth race of the season will be his home event at another street track in Sao Paulo, Brazil.
His first oval race will be the Indianapolis 500 on May 27th. Former Formula One driver Jean Alesi has said he will compete in this year’s race as a one-off.
Barrichello will race the Dallara DW12 IndyCar, which is being introduced this year.
Video of Rubens Barrichello testing for KV Racing:
News article on Rubens Barrichello joining KV Racing via IndyCar.com:
The initials F and E, highlighted on the back of Rubens Barrichello’s helmet, represent the given names of his sons, Fernando (6) and Eduardo (10). In Portuguese, FE means faith.
In a sense, Barrichello — who grew up in the neighborhood of the Interlagos circuit in Sao Paulo, Brazil — is stepping out in faith by entering the IZOD IndyCar Series after being the longest-tenured driver in Formula One history.
KV Racing Technology co-owners Kevin Kalkhoven and Jimmy Vasser announced during a news conference in Sao Paulo, Brazil, that Barrichello will drive the No. 8 BMC | Embrase – KV Racing Technology car this season.
Barrichello, 39, made 322 starts in an F1 career that spanned from 1993-2011 with six teams. He was runner-up in the Formula One championship in 2002 and 2004, and earned 11 victories, 68 podiums, 106 top-five finishes and 172 top-10 showings.
Now Barrichello, who initially test drove the next-generation IZOD IndyCar Series car powered by the 2.2-liter, twin turbocharged V-6 Chevrolet engine at Sebring International Raceway in late January at the invitation of countryman (and now teammate) Tony Kanaan, will embark on a new chapter in his racing career.
“I’m over the moon,” said Barrichello, who’s related to former Indy car driver Felipe Giaffone. “I went in to test at Sebring, we had no expectations. It was just a test. I got to the track and I got a fantastic reception. I felt that I wanted to do it straightaway. I love the sport, and I love the speed, so myself behind the steering wheel, I just feel at home.
“I love the challenge, and I hope that that’s what’s going to happen.”
Barrichello, who drove for four F1 teams (most recently Williams), said he views the IZOD IndyCar Series not as “an alternative solution to Formula 1, but as a new challenge.”
“The car has a dignity of its own, races take place on relatively short oval tracks (short ovals and superspeedways) or on street circuits, there are less electronics than Formula One, the races are faster, the surrounding environment is more relaxed, the cars are all very similar, and the number of modifications that the teams are permitted to make are limited, so it’s the driver that makes the difference,” he said.
“To be a winner in IndyCar you have to be a complete driver because you will have to compete under a whole range of conditions and in various configurations.
“With all my experience I will start as a rookie, but I think I will get better as the year progresses. My main thing is to be an addition to KV Racing Technology. They have been doing very well and Tony brought the team to a different level last year, so I hope with my contribution we can build on this and take the team to another level. I am extremely happy and have a big smile on my face.”
INDYCAR president of competition Beaux Barfield said Barrichello won’t be classified as a full-season rookie, but will be an Indianapolis 500 rookie. He’ll participate in the Speedway’s Rookie Orientation Program in May under the direction of driver coach Arie Luyendyk and also be required to complete an oval test (Barrichello said it would be at Texas Motor Speedway) before competing on other racetracks.
Barrichello joked that being a rookie for the Indianapolis 500 “makes me feel young.”
The season-opening Honda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg (March 23-25) kicks off four street/road course events before the first oval — the Indianapolis 500. Full-season drivers will participate in an Open Test on the 1.67-mile, 11-turn short course at Sebring next week.
KV Racing Technology also formally announced that Kanaan, the 2004 IZOD IndyCar Series champion, has signed a two-year deal. Kanaan, who joined the team days before the 2011 season opener, finished fifth in the series championship standings. He holds the IZOD IndyCar Series record for consecutive starts (148), which is ongoing.
“We are very excited to have both Rubens and Tony competing for our team in 2012,” Vasser said. “Rubens is going to be a great addition and last year Tony once again demonstrated his leadership abilities and his proven ability to compete for wins and the championship. The addition of Rubens and the return of Tony along with E.J. (Viso) gives KVRT a very strong driver lineup and one I am sure can compete for podium finishes and race wins. The sky’s the limit for this team.”
Kanaan, 37, and Barrichello are countrymen and longtime friends. It was at Kanaan’s invitation that Barrichello tested the next-generation IZOD IndyCar Series car at Sebring.
“I was at Sebring when Rubens first got into an IndyCar,” Kalkhoven said. “The smile when he got out of the car was a great moment and lasted for three days. Rubens ended up the fastest at the end of the test, showing the speed he is capable of and his experience setting up a car. Teamed with his ‘brother’ Tony Kanaan, this is going to be an exciting and successful season for the drivers, the team and the fans.
“(Team general manager) Mark Johnson and I were saying before the first test (that) it’s a 10 percent chance that Rubens would ever dream of driving this car. After the first test, it became obvious that he was really interested, and that’s when we went to work on his wife and kids. We realize who the real decision-makers in the family are. So we’re delighted it’s all worked out.”
Kanaan will contest his 15th U.S.-based open-wheel season (11th in the IZOD IndyCar Series). He has placed in the top-six in the championship every year he has run the full season.
“I am very excited to be returning to KV Racing Technology not only with a two-year deal but also to have Rubens Barrichello as my teammate,” Kanaan said. “We have always dreamed about racing together but never imagined it would actually happen and certainly not in the near future or in IndyCars. If Rubens didn’t believe that he could win, he wouldn’t have come to the team.”
Said Viso, who was formally announced earlier in the week as re-joining the team for the third consecutive season: “Having Rubens on board will be an asset for us; somebody who has so much experience. I think a driver or human being the real prize is experience and that’s something we learn day by day.”
Links to Rubens Barrichello signing a race deal with KV Racing:
http://kvracingtechnology.homestead.com/2011/2K11_press_030112.html
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/formula1/17225914
http://uk.reuters.com/article/2012/03/01/uk-motor-racing-barrichello-indycar-idUKTRE8201FW20120301