Andretti Green Racing will hope that history repeats itself when Hideki Mutoh steps into the IndyCar Series next season to replace the departed Dario Franchitti.
The young Japanese driver will find himself in the same position as Dan Wheldon did five years ago, when the Briton was plucked from the development series and Panther Racing to replace Michael Andretti.
Wheldon, who had two IndyCar Series starts under his belt in 2002, went on to capture Bombardier Rookie of the Year honours for AGR in 2003 before winning the Indianapolis 500 and the IndyCar Series championship in 2005.
Mutoh, also a development driver with Panther will step up to the IndyCar Series on the back of an Indy Pro Series campaign where he won twice and finished second in the standings.
With one IndyCar start under his belt already, Mutoh will be chasing honours from the outset, with team co-owner Kim Green saying there was no reason why the 25-year-old couldn't become a race winner.
"We believed as a company in the Indy Pro Series since we got involved two years ago," he said. "Those race cars are difficult to drive, and a driver that can run up front with those race cars and win can make it to the next step, which is the IndyCar Series. Then it's all about the opportunity.
"Although Hideki did not win the championship last year, he did very well his first year of racing on ovals in a very tough and competitive series. I think that validates him moving up to the IndyCar Series.
"In the (season finale), he was showing he could mix it up with the best side by side, working the traffic and still being sensible in the race car. We're just delighted to have the opportunity to bring him on board and hopefully take him to that next level, which is the winner's circle.
"He starts in our training programme right away. He'll be spending a lot of time at the race shop, which is great for him from a communication standpoint. We'll then be trying to get into an in-depth rookie test schedule before the season."
![Hideki Mutoh - Super Aguri Panther Racing [pic credit: IRL/Snoddy]](http://pix.crash.net/thumbs/343599.jpg)
