Monday
Bryan Herta Autosport Signs Duarte Ferreira
Press Release“Angolan Driver to Contest 2011 Firestone Indy Lights Championship”
Ferreira most recently competed in the South American F3 Light Championship, finishing third in the series last year with five wins and eight additional podium finishes. Graduates of the South American F3 Championship include three-time Indianapolis 500 winner Helio Castroneves and Champ Car champion and former Formula One driver Cristiano da Matta.
“Both Steve and I are excited to welcome Duarte to the team,” said Herta. “He is one of the hardest working drivers I have come across and has spent the last few years preparing himself to make the transition to Firestone Indy Lights. We had several successful test days in the last month and a productive outing at the Barber Open Test. Our goal is to help Duarte advance on his learning curve as quickly as possible.”
Ferreira began his career in karts at the age of six in Belgium, scoring multiple wins and championships over the next seven years. He graduated to cars in 2006, at age 14, training in Formula Renault 1600. Ferreira has spent the past three years continuing to develop his skills behind the wheel with testing in Formula Renault 1600 and 2000 in Belgium and France.
“It has been my dream to come to America to race,” said Ferreira. “Like so many drivers, my goal is to reach the IZOD IndyCar Series. I am very thankful for the opportunity to join Bryan Herta Autosport. I already feel that I have grown as a driver in the short amount of time I have spent with the team. We have set realistic goals and I am excited for our first race this weekend.”
The Firestone Indy Lights Series will take its season-opening laps on Friday, March 25, on the streets of St. Petersburg, Fla., with a practice session at 2:00 pm ET. Qualifying will take place on Saturday, March 26, at 1:25 pm ET with the first of 13 races on the 2011 schedule commencing at 10:30 am on Sunday, March 27. The race will be televised live on VERSUS.
About Bryan Herta Autosport:
Founded by veteran driver Bryan Herta and noted race engineer and team manager Steve Newey, Bryan Herta Autosport (BHA) has been a race-winning team in Firestone Indy Lights competition since 2009. The Indianapolis, Ind.-based squad made its debut in the IZOD IndyCar Series in 2010 contesting the Indianapolis 500. Herta, an accomplished racer, has won in every series he has contested including the IZOD IndyCar Series, American Le Mans Series and CART in addition to garnering Skip Barber Formula Ford, Barber Saab and Firestone Indy Lights championship titles. Amongst his career highlights are a third-place finish in the 2005 Indianapolis 500 and victory in the LMP2 class at the Twelve Hours of Sebring in 2007.
Newey’s racing career spans over 20 years and includes design and race engineering positions in Formula One as well as team manager/technical director roles in IndyCar, American Le Mans and Grand-Am competition. Among his highlights are the 1992 Champ Car World Series title as the race engineer for Bobby Rahal, the 2006 Grand-Am Daytona Prototype Driver’s Championship with Krohn Racing’s Jorg Bergmeister and victory in the Twelve Hours of Sebring in 2007 as race engineer for Andretti Green Racing and drivers Bryan Herta, Dario Franchitti and Tony Kanaan. He was also instrumental in assembling the Patrick Racing Firestone test team and served as team manager for drivers Scott Pruett and Adrian Fernandez. For more information, visit www.bryanhertaautosport.com.
- Bryan Herta Autosport Press Release
Article Tags: ALMS, American Le Mans Series, BHA, Bryan Herta, Bryan Herta Autosport, CART, Cristiano da Matta, Formula One, Helio Castroneves, IICS, Indianapolis 500, IZOD IndyCar® Series, No. 28 LS Sports/ Sonangol / BHA Dallara / Honda, Steve Newey
