Juri Vips will make his return to the IndyCar field later this month in a fourth entry for Rahal Letterman Lanigan in the Grand Prix of Portland.
Vips – who turns 24-years-old this week – will race the team’s number 75 entry in the event on the 27th August, the first time RLL has run that entry since Takuma Sato raced in a one-off appearance at this year’s Indianapolis 500.
The former Red Bull junior and Formula 2 racer will return to IndyCar having competed in two races to the end of last season at Portland and Laguna Seca. He finished 18th on his debut in the championship at Portland, the first finisher one lap down, before being caught up in a multi-car crash at the start in Laguna Seca which left him several laps down.
Vips will join existing RLL drivers Graham Rahal, Pietro Fittipaldi and Christian Lundgaard. Team co-owner Bobby Rahal said the team were pleased to be able to bring Vips back to race for the team for his next race.
“He showed at both Portland and Laguna Seca last year that he certainly has the pace to feature in any event he runs with us,” said Rahal. “He has done a lot of work for us in the simulator this year, which has helped us understand the hybrid system, so it’s nice to reward him for his effort. I’m hopeful that this will lead to more races for him with RLL.”
Vips expressed his gratitude to the team for getting the chance to race again.
“I have been working closely with the team on the simulator programme and it has been a year since I have been in the car, but I’m confident that the experience gained last year at Portland and Laguna Seca will help me to get up to speed quickly,” he said.
“It will still be a very big challenge and one I am very much looking forward to.”
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