Pantano In For Kimball At Mid-Ohio

Giorgio Pantano will replace Charlie Kimball in the No. 83 entry this weekend at the IZOD IndyCar Series event at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course. (Photo Courtesy IZOD IndyCar Series)

INDIANAPOLIS – Giorgio Pantano will substitute for IZOD IndyCar Series regular Charlie Kimball at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course this weekend after Kimball fractured the fifth metacarpal in his right hand in a testing incident last week.

“I’m very disappointed to miss out on the Mid-Ohio race weekend,” Kimball said. “We had such a good race there last year and I was really looking forward to another shot at the podium. However, I trust the medical professionals at IndyCar, and we’re making sure I’m back to 100 percent for Sonoma. We’re lucky to have Giorgio in the seat of the No. 83 car while I’m healing up, and I’ll be there this weekend to help him and the Novo Nordisk Chip Ganassi Racing team.”

Pantano made his first two starts in the IZOD Indy Car Series with Chip Ganassi Racing (CGR) in 2005 at Sonoma and Watkins Glen. In those starts he completed 138 laps out of a possible 140 laps. With five total IndyCar starts to date entering this weekend, his highest start (second) and finish (fourth) came with CGR in 2005 at Watkins Glen. Pantano has completed 315 laps out of a possible 353 laps in the series, or 89.2 percent.

The 33-year-old Italian started karting at the age of eight and between 1993 and 1999 won eight titles. Pantano won the Formula 3 Germany Series in 2000, tested for several Formula One teams before racing with the Jordan Formula One Team in early 2004, and then won the 2008 GP2 Series Championship.

“It’s a tremendous opportunity to be rejoining Chip Ganassi Racing and the IZOD IndyCar Series this weekend at Mid-Ohio,” Pantano said. “You never want to have something happen to another driver and I wish Charlie a quick recovery. Nonetheless, the opportunity is here and I am looking forward to working with the team again and making the best of it.”

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Posted by NSSN Staff on Jul 31 2012 Filed under IndyCar, IZOD IndyCar Series, Latest Headlines, Top Stories. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.