Jordan King begins IndyCar journey this weekend in St. Petersburg
Date: 08 / 03 / 2018
Jordan King makes his long-awaited Verizon IndyCar Series debut this weekend as the 2018 season gets underway on the streets of St. Petersburg, Florida.
After ascending through the European motorsport ranks, Jordan joined Ed Carpenter Racing at the start of the new year for the 2018 season as the road and street course driver of the No. 20 Fuzzy’s Vodka Chevrolet – with team owner Ed Carpenter competing on the ovals. A true IndyCar rookie, King will be making his first Verizon IndyCar Series start on the streets of St. Petersburg. After three successful seasons in Formula 2 (formerly GP2) and serving as a development driver for Manor F1 in 2015 and 2016, the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg will mark King’s debut IndyCar race. The 24-year-old Brit will be looking to bring his years of experience from the world’s most famous grand prix circuits to the streets of St. Petersburg this weekend.
The buildup to the start of the 2018 season has seen Ed Carpenter Racing involved in a comprehensive off-season testing program with Chevrolet to prepare for 2018’s universal aero kit. In the month leading up to the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg, Jordan became acquainted with his new machinery in tests at Sonoma Raceway and Sebring International Raceway, where he impressed from the get-go.
Looking ahead to this weekend, the 1.8-mile, 14-turn (5 lefts, 9 rights) circuit incorporates streets of downtown St. Petersburg and a section of runway of Albert Whitted Airport. After the long main straight, there’s a tight right-hander into Turn 1 and then a quick left-hand turn. Plenty of drivers have gotten into trouble in these two turns over the years. There are two other long straights with heavy braking zones that offer opportunities to overtake.
Jordan is extremely excited to get his first IndyCar race under his belt but remains open-minded in his expectations of the weekend.
“I am really excited for my first race weekend in the Verizon IndyCar Series. There has been so much build-up and anticipation, I’m interested in seeing the whole picture come together. The team have done some really good work over the winter. I’m feeling positive going into the weekend but with an open mind on my expectations. Hopefully, we can have a good weekend and take a decent result in my first race in the Fuzzy’s Vodka Chevy!”
Practice for the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg will take place on Friday, March 9 and Saturday, March 10, followed by qualifications on Saturday afternoon. The 2018 Verizon IndyCar Series will officially begin at 17:30 (GMT) on Sunday, March 11 at the drop of the green flag for the 110-lap race. The race will be broadcast live on BT Sport/ESPN.