Mann handed two new outings with Dale Coyne
Dale Coyne Racing has confirmed that British driver Pippa Mann will remain in the seat of the #18 car for the next two races of the 2015 Verizon IndyCar Series championship.
Following her career-best 13th place finish at the MAVTV 500 last month, Mann has been confirmed for this weekend's ABC Supply Wisconsin 250 at the Milwaukee Mile. She will stay in the seat for the following week's Iowa Corn 300 at Iowa Speedway
Mann will be making her IndyCar d?buts at both venues, but competed on both of the short track ovals when taking part in Indy Lights in 2009 and 2010 which saw her finish in the top ten in both events.
"Milwaukee and Iowa will mark two completely different challenges for me compared to any of the starts I have made for Dale Coyne Racing so far," said the 31-year-old, originally from London.
"I really enjoyed racing at Milwaukee in Indy Lights, but I also vividly remember just how hard it was to show up there with no testing, and to try and get on pace.
"As for Iowa, while it is a high banked track, its 7/8 mile length means it was also nothing like I had ever experienced before when I went there the first time too.
"I'm going to have a massive learning curve in front of me these next two weekends, but I'm thrilled to have the opportunity to be back in an IndyCar, and to go IndyCar short track racing."
Mann made her first IndyCar Series appearance in a year when she raced for Dale Coyne in the 99th running of the Indianapolis 500 in May. She then returned to the car for the next oval event at Texas Motor Speedway, followed by the most recent race of the season at Auto Club Speedway at Fontana, California at the end of June.
Together with Milwaukee and Iowa, Mann's five confirmed race starts in 2015 is the most she has made in a single season since her 2010 Indy Lights campaign where she finished 5th in the championship.
The #18 car started off the season in the hands of Carlos Huertas who had been expected to complete a full season with the Coyne team. However money issues saw him forced out of the car at Long Beach where he was replaced by Rocky Moran Jr. and then by Conor Daly when Moran subsequently injured his hand in a practice session.
GP2 graduate Rodolfo Gonzalez took over for the next event at Barber Motorsport Park in Alabama, before Huertas returned to the car for the Grand Prix of Indianapolis road course race. The Colombian had gone on to qualify in 18th place for the Indy 500 when he was pulled out at the last minute on medical grounds with an inner ear condition and replaced at the 11th hour by Tristan Vautier.
Vautier has remained with the team since then, moving to the #19 car for outings at Detroit, Texas, Toronto and Fontana, while the racing duties in the #18 car have been split between Mann and Gonzalez who has been the preferred choice for the road course events while Mann has been in charge for the ovals.
After Milwaukee and Iowa, August will see the final three races of the 2015 IndyCar championship with events at Mid-Ohio Sport Car Course and Pocono Raceway before the season wraps up in California with the GoPro Grand Prix of Sonoma on August 30.
