Vips, 23, will drive the #30 automotive that Jack Harvey vacated for the ultimate three races of the season, as Bobby Rahal’s staff evaluates expertise for its 2024 lineup.
Vips is a three-time Components 2 race winner and part of the Pink Bull Junior Staff setup between 2018-2022 however he was dropped after he used a racial slur on a Twitch livestream – only a month after making his F1 free apply debut on the Spanish Grand Prix.
He drove an IndyCar for the primary time in October 2022 at Sebring in a check for RLL and once more at Barber in March of this yr. He has additionally carried out static simulator testing for the staff throughout this season.
“I’m very happy for the staff to enter Juri within the Portland and Laguna Seca races,” mentioned Rahal. “Clearly, he was the lead Pink Bull Junior driver just a few years in the past and exhibited lots of expertise, which we noticed in the course of the two assessments he ran with us so we’re trying ahead to seeing what he can do on a race weekend.”
Vips will drive this weekend at Portland and on the Laguna Seca season finale every week later and is predicted to function within the staff’s plans subsequent season. His main goal is to make sure the #30 automotive finishes within the high 22 in entrants’ factors to qualify for subsequent yr’s ‘Winners Circle’ program, which is value nearly $1m to every entry.
Conor Daly, Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing Honda
Photograph by: Michael L. Levitt / Motorsport Images
The automotive is at the moment tied on 160 factors with Meyer Shank Racing’s #60, which might be pushed by Tom Blomqvist within the two occasions.
“I’m tremendous pleased to get the chance with Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing and really grateful to Bobby, Mike [Lanigan] and everybody on the staff,” he mentioned. “I haven’t been driving all yr so the anticipation for this chance has been immense however I’m actually trying ahead to beginning once more.
“We examined collectively on the finish of 2022 in Sebring and it appeared like we simply gelled. I obtained together with everybody and I actually just like the ambiance on the staff. Bobby’s additionally one to provide second possibilities and I’m extraordinarily grateful that he’s giving me one and I actually hope to deliver a superb outcome for him, Mike and the entire staff.
“I hope I can show myself and most significantly get them into the Winners Circle, which is at all times my important mission. I really feel prepared for these races, I believe the tracks go well with my expertise and driving type and the automotive as properly.
“I’ve already built-in myself with the staff this yr, doing a little work for them on the simulator so I already know the individuals and really feel very comfy with everybody which is an enormous profit for me as properly.”
