SPM signs Jack Harvey to Indy Lights team for 2014

[Source: Schmidt Peterson Motorsports press release]

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INDIANAPOLIS (Dec. 13, 2013) – Schmidt Peterson Motorsports (SPM) has signed Racing Steps Foundation-backed driver Jack Harvey, the highest finishing rookie in Europe’s GP3 Series in 2013, to drive one of its Indy Lights entries in 2014.

The 20-year-old from Bassingham, England scored GP3 victories at Silverstone and Monza in 2013, driving for the ART Grand Prix team. His 13 top-10 finishes carried him to fifth place in the GP3 Series Championship, one of Formula 1’s feeder series.

“Everything was looking good for me in Europe and I certainly would have continued working on that path, but the Racing Steps Foundation, which manages my career, and I both decided that we wanted to try to tackle the U.S.,” Harvey said. “Schmidt Peterson Motorsports doesn’t need any introduction with their winning history in Indy Lights. We always try to associate ourselves with winners, which is exactly what this team has proven itself to be.”

SPM has captured seven Indy Lights titles since 2004 and is the winningest team in series history with 60 victories.

“We look for raw talent, wins and/or championships in a competitive series, commitment and maturity beyond age in our Indy Lights drivers,” team owner Sam Schmidt said. “Jack not only checks one of those boxes, but he has checked all of them.”

Harvey got his first taste of driving in the U.S. when he tested with SPM at Sebring International Raceway in November.

“In addition to being in a brand new type of car, I was at a brand new track in Sebring,” Harvey said. “I didn’t have too many preconceptions of what the car would be like compared to what I’ve been racing the past two years, but I felt the car performed even better than I had anticipated. I got a good feeling from the car and the team, which really confirmed for me that racing with SPM in Indy Lights is where I want to be in 2014.”

The Racing Steps Foundation (RSF) has guided and funded Harvey’s racing career since 2009, and was instrumental in helping him make the switch to the Mazda Road to Indy.

“The RSF was created by Graham Sharp quite a few years ago when he decided that he wanted to support drivers who without him wouldn’t have the opportunity to go racing,” Harvey said. “I’ve just wrapped up my fifth season racing with them, and there’s no way I would have been this competitive since leaving karts without them. I’ve worked hard to make my own success but they’ve created opportunities for me to progress up the racing ladder.”

As the 2014 Indy Lights season opener in St. Petersburg, Fla. draws closer, team owner Sam Schmidt is committed to ensuring the highest caliber talent that will help the team chase its eighth championship.

“New teams and drivers in Indy Lights next season will raise the bar for winning even higher,” Schmidt said. “We have been truly blessed with our success in wins and championships over recent years, but we also understand that we now have a big target on our backs. Our success lies in the continuity of our team members over several years and our ability to maximize each driver’s potential within our program. We hope to win our eighth championship and our fifth in a row next year by requiring excellence and continued improvement by our entire team, including its newest member Jack Harvey.”

For more information on Jack Harvey visit racingsteps.com and jackharveyracing.com and follow @SPMIndyCar on Twitter.

Jack Harvey Career Highlights:

2013:

2 wins in GP3 at Silverstone and Monza

13 top-10 finishes in GP3

5th place finish in GP3 Championship – highest finishing rookie

2012:

British F3 InternationalChampion

2011:

9th place in British F3 International Series

2010:

Vice champion in Formula BMW Europe Series