De Ferran Motorsports adds driver, sponsor

Gil de Ferran was hoping to have his American Le Mans Series team ready to race at Long Beach. It turns out it won’t makes its debut until the race in Salt Lake City in May.
De Ferran, a two-time CART champion and winner of the 2003 Indianapolis 500, made a few announcements Friday at Long Beach. Simon Pagenaud will be his co-driver once the team, de Ferran Motorsports, gets on the track and Panasonic will be the team’s title sponsor.
Pagenaud, the 2006 Atlantic Series champion and a driver for Walker Racing in the Champ Car World Series last year, became available when Derrick Walker, owner of Walker Racing, decided not to join the newly unified Indy Racing League. Champ Car merged with the IRL over the winter ending a 12-year split between the two racing series.
De Ferran said choosing a driver and deciding on Pagenaud was a difficult process.
“The program has attracted a lot of attention,” de Ferran said. “There were a lot of reputable guys interested in the ride.”
The de Ferran Motorsports entry will be the fourth Acura team in the American Le Mans Series LMP2 division. Andretti Green Racing, Patron Highcroft Racing and Lowe’s Fernandez Racing have Acura entries in the series and they will race today.
De Ferran said Pagenaud is a serious and intelligent driver and came to the team highly recommended from Walker Racing. De Ferran raced for Walker for three years between 1997 and 1999.
“I am really thrilled to be given this opportunity,” Pagenaud said. “It is not every day that a two-time CART champion and Indy 500 winner calls and says he wants you to be his co-driver. At this stage of my career, it is an outstanding opportunity and I can’t wait for the first race.”