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Le Mans / ALMS
ALMS: Da Matta, Junqueira And Jones Sign For Jaguar
Cristiano da Matta, Bruno Junqueira and P.J. Jones are expected to be announced as the newest drivers for the RSR Jaguar team.
Paul Gentilozzi's Jaguar program has spent most of it's time overcoming development and performance issues, but with three new drivers and revised GT cars for 2011, they could be far more competitive. (Marshall Pruett)
The last time we looked, Cristiano da Matta and Bruno Junqueira were racing stock cars in Brazil and P.J. Jones was filling in for Robby Gordon in a few NASCAR races.
Once regulars in CART, all three found themselves without rides near the end of the last decade and wondering if their careers were over.
But, in what promises to be one of the feel good stories of 2011, this trio of open wheel veterans is being reunited in sports cars as they will compose three-fourths of the factory Jaguar ALMS GT team for Paul Gentilozzi.
An official announcement is expected Tuesday.
"It's supposed to be a secret," said Junqueira with a chuckle when contacted Monday evening at his home in Miami. "But I am very excited about this opportunity. Cristiano and I have been friends and rivals forever and now we get to share a car.
"I think it will be great for all of us."
For Jones, who along with Juan Fangio cleaned house in IMSA in the early '90s for Dan Gurney, it's a return to the racing he's done little of since winning the 24 Hours of Daytona in 1993.
"You know for the last several years I've jumped around from seat to seat in NASCAR, Nationwide and trucks and it's really difficult so it's nice to have a fulltime gig again," said the 41-year-old son of Indy legend Parnelli Jones.
"What's really cool is that the class we're in is by far the most competitive with BMW, Corvette, Ferrari, Porsche, Lambrogini and Ford."
After claiming the 2002 CART title, da Matta went to Formula One for two years before returning to Champ Car, where he nearly lost his life in a testing accident at Elkhart Lake in 2006. He returned in 2008, trying sports car with the Bob Stallings GRAND-AM team.
"Cristiano feels good and looks good and he's excited," said Junqueira, three times a runner-up in the CART series and the 2002 pole winner at Indy. "I still think he's one of the best drivers out there and what's good is that we're the same size so that's going to be good when we have a driver change."
Jones, who lives in Scottsdale where he runs an off-road racing parts house called PJ's Performance, isn't sure who his teammate will be in the two-car program but he is sure about one thing.
"I can't believe somebody as good as Bruno doesn't have a full-time ride in IndyCar but we've got a two-month gap in our ALMS schedule so both of us are available to run the Indy 500.
"And it's just nice to feel wanted again so I appreciate what Paul is doing."
Junqueira, who qualified for the past two Indy 500s at the last minute with less than 20 laps of practice, hasn't been dealt the fairest of hands in his career but he's finally got something going his way.
"I believe any racing series needs car manufacturers behind it so the drivers don't have to bring money. We''ve got seven manufacturers in this class and there's going to be 16-17 cars so it's as good a competition as anywhere.
"I had a nice offer to go back to Brazil and drive stock cars but I'm just happy I can still race in the United States."
Once regulars in CART, all three found themselves without rides near the end of the last decade and wondering if their careers were over.
But, in what promises to be one of the feel good stories of 2011, this trio of open wheel veterans is being reunited in sports cars as they will compose three-fourths of the factory Jaguar ALMS GT team for Paul Gentilozzi.
An official announcement is expected Tuesday.
"It's supposed to be a secret," said Junqueira with a chuckle when contacted Monday evening at his home in Miami. "But I am very excited about this opportunity. Cristiano and I have been friends and rivals forever and now we get to share a car.
"I think it will be great for all of us."
For Jones, who along with Juan Fangio cleaned house in IMSA in the early '90s for Dan Gurney, it's a return to the racing he's done little of since winning the 24 Hours of Daytona in 1993.
"You know for the last several years I've jumped around from seat to seat in NASCAR, Nationwide and trucks and it's really difficult so it's nice to have a fulltime gig again," said the 41-year-old son of Indy legend Parnelli Jones.
"What's really cool is that the class we're in is by far the most competitive with BMW, Corvette, Ferrari, Porsche, Lambrogini and Ford."
After claiming the 2002 CART title, da Matta went to Formula One for two years before returning to Champ Car, where he nearly lost his life in a testing accident at Elkhart Lake in 2006. He returned in 2008, trying sports car with the Bob Stallings GRAND-AM team.
"Cristiano feels good and looks good and he's excited," said Junqueira, three times a runner-up in the CART series and the 2002 pole winner at Indy. "I still think he's one of the best drivers out there and what's good is that we're the same size so that's going to be good when we have a driver change."
Jones, who lives in Scottsdale where he runs an off-road racing parts house called PJ's Performance, isn't sure who his teammate will be in the two-car program but he is sure about one thing.
"I can't believe somebody as good as Bruno doesn't have a full-time ride in IndyCar but we've got a two-month gap in our ALMS schedule so both of us are available to run the Indy 500.
"And it's just nice to feel wanted again so I appreciate what Paul is doing."
Junqueira, who qualified for the past two Indy 500s at the last minute with less than 20 laps of practice, hasn't been dealt the fairest of hands in his career but he's finally got something going his way.
"I believe any racing series needs car manufacturers behind it so the drivers don't have to bring money. We''ve got seven manufacturers in this class and there's going to be 16-17 cars so it's as good a competition as anywhere.
"I had a nice offer to go back to Brazil and drive stock cars but I'm just happy I can still race in the United States."
Monterey
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