Callum Ilott got his first taste of the NTT INDYCAR SERIES during a Juncos Hollinger Racing test at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course on Thursday, September 2, and the Ferrari Formula 1 test driver felt right at home.
He drove the No. 77 Chevrolet on the 2,439-mile, 14-corner road circuit that hosts two annual NTT INDYCAR SERIES races in preparation for its series debut at the Portland Grand Prix on Sunday, September 12th (3pm ET, live on NBC and on the INDYCAR Radio Network).
During the morning session, Ilott said he pushed the car for the first few laps and pushed the car without power steering on corner exits – something he can’t do in European open wheel racing. He already knew this was going to be a fun experiment.
“I enjoyed going sideways for the first couple of laps and enjoying it,” he said. “I’ve been recommended this series for a long time because of my style and approach. It seems a lot of people think it’s perfect for me. So I’m here to try it out. “
Born in England, Ilott said his interest in the NTT INDYCAR SERIES has grown dramatically over the past four years, initiated by Fernando Alonso’s entry into the 2017 Indianapolis 500, presented by Gainbridge, and underscored by Romain Grosjean’s successful transition from Formula 1 to INDYCAR this year.
The successes of Felix Rosenqvist, Marcus Ericsson, Alexander Rossi and Christian Lundgaard in the NTT INDYCAR SERIES also made him realize that this championship could be a landing place for him.
However, at the start of his test on Thursday, Ilott said he hadn’t asked anyone for advice on what to expect from the new race car. He wanted to get on board again, learn for himself and form an opinion about the car and the series.
“I knew it would be a good experience to feel what it was like once the test was around,” said Ilott. “The two things I was told were that the steering will be heavy – that was from everyone who did power steering, they need to build muscle anyway – and the race is tough and competitive. Two things i love Why not?”
Thursday was more than a test on the track to shake off a car for Ilott, 22. He is making the organizational debut of Juncos Hollinger Racing to see if the NTT INDYCAR SERIES is something to explore in case his options for the 2022 racing season remain unsolved. He is also the reserve driver for the Alfa Romeo Racing ORLEN F1 team, which will have an open position for 2022 as 2007 world champion Kimi Raikkonen retires. But many media reports suggest that Alfa will sign current Mercedes F1 driver Valtteri Bottas to fill that empty space.
As such, Ilott is rightly considering the NTT INDYCAR SERIES and said he would be interested in helping team co-owners Ricardo Juncos and Brad Hollinger build their organization.
For now, however, Ilott only plans to drive the No. 77 at Portland International Raceway this coming weekend. Due to previous engagements, he is not optimistic that he will be at the WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca on September 19th and the Streets of Long Beach on September 26th. But he didn’t rule it out entirely.
Team co-owner Juncos said Ilott is high on his list as he is looking for potential drivers to compete in the No. 77 for the entire 2022 season, and he hopes Ilott will fill the spot in the final two races of the season can .
“I think he was high on my list, as were other drivers,” said Juncos. “Callum was committed to Portland from the start. Of course we will try to push a little so that he can stay in the car. It would be great. It’s so important for next year track learning; We’re talking about building the team further. “
And if driving a car style that suited him wasn’t convincing enough, the fact that the test was held in the racing capital of the world was perhaps another selling point for Ilott, who has never been to Indianapolis before and was awesome historic expressway.
“First time in Indianapolis it’s a great place, I have to say,” said Ilott. “We don’t have anything like that in Europe. It is very special to be here. It’s massive.
“The street circuit itself, it’s a good track, a lot of combined corners, consecutive ones, that makes it pretty difficult to get right. It is one of the most impressive (routes). The history of motorsport in this city is incredible. “
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