Justin Wilson will be back with Dale Coyne Racing for the forthcoming 2012 season of the IZOD
IndyCar Series, it has finally been confirmed.
Although long assumed ever since Sebastien Bourdais moved from Dale Coyne to a seat with Dragon Racing, and Oriol Servia signed up with Wilson's former team Dreyer & Reinbold Racing, the official announcement was only made late on Wednesday.
"I'm really excited as to how all of this has come together," said Wilson. "The level playing field of a new car and the much appreciated continuation with Honda engines should make 2012 a very exciting year for all of us."
Wilson will once again be joined at Dale Coyne Racing by the respected race engineer Bill Pappas, with whom Wilson worked successfully in his last stint at the team.
"Dale is committed to win, and it shows by him bringing back my 2009 engineer Bill Pappas," said Wilson. The combination delivered the team's first and only race win during that season, at Watkins Glen.
"I want to thank Dale for being able to put this combination back together," added Pappas. "I think the world of Justin and his abilities and now we can seriously get after the challenge of winning more races."
Pappas will be joined by another new signing for the team, with the respected John Dick joining the line-up after moving from his role as engineer and technical director at KV Racing.
Engine suppliers Honda were equally happy by the newly-announced line-up at Dale Coyne.
Dale has shown us he is putting together a winning team," said Erik Berkman, the president of Honda Performance Development. "The Honda family has a long history with DCR and we look forward to having them as a valued partner in 2012."
"We are very excited about 2012 and the team we are assembling," contributed team owner Dale Coyne. "As to this opportunity, racing is a combination of things, team, dedication, the right equipment, and engineering and of course the driver.