INDYCAR: KV Adds New Engineer For Barrichello

IndyCar

INDYCAR: KV Adds New Engineer For Barrichello

KV Racing has hired Eddie Jones, most recently Marco Andretti's engineer, to assume primary engineering duties for 19-year F1 veteran Rubens Barrichello.

Marshall Pruett | Posted April 20, 2012

Rubens Barrichello will compete at his home race in Brazil with a new engineer on the timing stand. (Photo: Marshall Pruett)

KV Racing continues to add veteran staff to its Chevy-powered three-car program, signing Eddie Jones, formerly of Andretti Autosport, to engineer the No. 8 car piloted by Formula One veteran Rubens Barrichello.

A successful former open-wheel driver, Jones' achievements at Andretti Autosport (formerly Andretti-Green Racing) included winning the 2005 Indy 500 and IndyCar Series titles with Dan Wheldon, along with recent engineering stints with Danica Patrick and Marco Andretti.

Mark Johnson, KV's General Manager, told SPEED.com on Friday that bringing another top-tier engineer into the mix will help the team as it searches for its first IZOD IndyCar Series win, and expects Jones to fit right in with some of the other ex-Andretti personnel under KV's tent.

"Eddie worked with Eric Cowdin (Tony Kanaan's engineer) when they were at Andretti," he said. "There's a level of comfort there already. And he obviously knows Tony from their time at Andretti, plus Tony and Rubens are best friends, so everyone is coming together nicely. It's a good mix of familiar people with great track records."

Eddie Jones, left, began the season with Marco Andretti, but will now add to the foundation KV's Garrett Mothersead started with the No. 8 car. (Photo: LAT)

Garrett Mothersead, KV's respected chief project engineer who stepped in to run Barrichello at the last-minute, will resume his duties that influence the entire team's engineering program.

"Over the course of the winter, Garrett was focused on all of what we call 'project engineering,' Johnson explained. "That's friction reduction, the gearbox rig, the upright dyno; you name it. He was responsible for all of the new car's project engineering, and when Rubens came on, we tasked him with also engineering that car which spread him pretty thin. Now this allows us to put Eddie on the No. 8 car--Garrett will help transition him in--and then Garrett can lock into a lot of important engineering projects we have in the works that will benefit the whole program."

Barrichello currently sits ninth in the points standings, ahead of teammates Kanaan (11th) and E.J. Viso (12th).

Allen McDonald, who left Sam Schmidt Motorsports after the Indy 500 last year to rejoin Andretti Autosport, will take over the engineering duties for Marco Andretti.

Marshall Pruett is SPEED.com's Auto Racing Editor, covering IndyCar and sports cars. He also contributes to Road & Track and Racecar Engineering. Follow him @MarshallPruett on Twitter.