INDIANAPOLIS, Monday, September 10, 2012 – Track Chic's "Woman behind the Wheels", Pippa Mann will make her debut in the Auto GP Series, at the final round of the championship in Sonoma on September 23.
The 29 year-old from London will join Campos Racing alongside Max Snegirev and Giuseppe Cipriani, behind the wheel of the #1 car.
Boasting a wealth of open-wheel experience, Mann will undoubtedly be a valuable addition to Campos Racing’s line-up, not least of all because she will be the only driver on the grid that has previously raced at Infineon Raceway.
Mann has two previous outings on the Californian circuit - both in Firestone Indy Lights. She took fifth place there in 2010 with Sam Schmidt Motorsports, in a year where she also claimed three pole positions and one win, securing her fifth place in the overall standings. Momentum from the 2010 season helped to secure her a drive in the pinnacle of US open-wheel racing – the IZOD IndyCar Series. Mann competed in four IndyCar races in 2011, including the Indianapolis 500. Mann will also become the third female driver ever to take the wheel of an Auto GP car, after Natacha Gachnang raced in the series in 2010, and Carmen Jorda, who took part in
the 2011 Magione test.
Speaking about the announcement, Mann said: "I am absolutely thrilled to have the chance to join the Auto GP series – I literally can't put into words how excited I am to be getting back into an open wheel car! The fact that Sonoma is one of my favourite road tracks in the USA is just a huge,added bonus. After the past couple of years it will be a real treat to go road racing and to get to turn both left and right again, as it'll be my first non-oval race since 2010. The cars look like a lot of fun to drive, and the moment I get strapped into the Campos Racing Auto GP car for the first time cannot arrive fast enough.”
Team owner Adrian Campos added: “I’m really delighted to have Pippa with us. I saw her in action in Indy Lights in 2010 when she was racing against my son and I always deemed her a quick and consistent driver. That year she took a win and became the first woman to clinch pole in Indianapolis, and that speaks for her. Furthermore, it will be good to have a driver with some Sonoma experience in the team, it will make our track-learning process much quicker.”
###
For further information or images please contact Hannah Griffiths at Palindrome Sports
Tel: +44 (0)7815 176587 / Email: Hannah@palindromesports.co.uk
Click here to read Track Chic's Indy 500
debut interview with Pippa Mann : "From Ipswich to Indy!"
