Red Bull Driver Search winner Scott Speed has signed with the iSport International team to race in 2005 in the new GP2 series, the closest step to Formula One on the international racing ladder.
Speed, 21, from Manteca, Calif., won the Eurocup and German Formula Renault titles in 2004. He became the first American driver to win a junior formula championship in Europe.
“I am excited about the opportunity to race in GP2 this year,” Speed said. “It’s a big step up from the Formula Renault in terms of power and speed, and that’s exactly what I am looking for as a driver trying to make it to Formula One.”
The new GP2 series is replacing the FIA Formula 3000 International Championship as the final stepping-stone before Formula One.
GP2 cars are open-wheel, single-seat racing machines using Dallara chassis with aerodynamic wings and Renault engines producing 600 horsepower, roughly two-thirds the power of a Formula One car. GP2 cars use grooved Bridgestone tires very similar to those used in Formula One.
Eleven of the 12 events on the GP2 schedule will run on the same circuits and same race weekends as Formula One races in Europe, with a September event at Bahrain the only race not run with F1.
Speed’s new team has an impressive racing pedigree. Team principal Paul Jackson formerly led the Petrobras Junior team in Formula 3000, helping 2002 Indianapolis 500 pole winner Bruno Junqueira capture the 2000 FIA F3000 title.
Jonathan Williams, son of BMW WilliamsF1 Team principal Sir Frank Williams, is an executive with the British-based iSport. Jonathan Williams helped cultivate the careers of former BMW WilliamsF1 Team drivers Juan Pablo Montoya and Jenson Button.
The Red Bull Driver Search aims to find and groom young American talent for a chance to reach Formula One. Red Bull provides the search winners with a fully funded drive in European or North American road racing the following season.
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USGP tickets: Tickets for the 2005 United States Grand Prix at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway can be purchased online at indianapolismotorspeedway.com or by calling the IMS ticket office at (317) 492-6700 or (800) 822-INDY outside the Indianapolis area. Parking and camping information also can be obtained through the ticket office.
