Carlin To Compete In IndyCar and Rebellion in LMP1 as private teams step up

Carlin has penned down a deal with its former GP2 driver Max Chilton to partner ex-Ganassi team-mate Charlie Kimball for 2018 IndyCar season as Chevrolet will supply engine. The British team has competed in America since 2015 when it joined the Indy Lights support series and took Ganassi racer Ed Jones to the drivers’ title. It is worth noting that when it failed to sign Mikhail Aleshin, an attempted move did not bear fruit last year.

Carlin’s team boss Trevor Carlin told in September that the right moment was approaching and it is now considered as a well marked achievement for a long term ambition. Chilton won a race in British Formula 3 and the GP2 Series with Carlin and followed it up with a move to Formula 1 with Marussia before an Indy Lights season with Carlin in 2015.

He graduated to IndyCar with Ganassi before exiting at the end of 2017.Kimball last raced for Carlin when it ran Victory Engineering Team in the 2007 World Series by Renault championship. In another big news, Rebellion Racing private competitor has confirmed that it will join WEC’s LMP1 class following the exit of Porsche leaving Toyota as the single works manufacturer.

The ousted Porsche LMP1 drivers Andre Lotterer and Neel Jani will be part of the Swiss squad’s driver line-up on its return to the ace category. Existing drivers Bruno Senna and Mathias Beche will remain with them while Gustavo Menezes and Thomas Laurent join from Signatech Alpine and Jackie Chan DC Racing respectively to round out the lineup. Rebellion has not confirmed what car it will use but it’s expected to continue with its title-winning partnership with Oreca and Gibson as engine supplier. A big relief is that it won’t be the R-One used in 2016 before opting to enter LMP2 instead. Rebellion will unveil its LMP1 race cars in March at the 2018 Geneva Motor Show.