Action Express Racing drops a poker of aces in view of the 24h of Daytona, the first round of the IMSA SportsCar Championship.
In 2022 the team will also take care of the Cadillac DPi-VR # 48 branded Ally Racing, on which for the whole Endurance Cup season we will see the newly acquired Mike Rockenfeller and Jimmy Johnson at work.
The third competitor will be Kamui Kobayashi, who as we know has also become Toyota’s Team Principal in the FIA WEC.
And speaking of the Japanese team, fresh off the World title just won in 2021, here is José María López, who will share the wheel with the aforementioned team-mates in the race that will take place in Florida on the weekend of 29-30 January.
“This will be my main program for 2022, it was an opportunity I was looking forward to. After finishing second in Daytona last year, we would like to take a step up the podium in January,” said Rockenfeller. .
“López is very experienced with prototypes. He has just won Le Mans and the FIA WEC, so he brings a lot of experience and speed to the team. I think we have all the ingredients to have a great season in 2022”.
Johnson added: “I really enjoyed racing with Action Express Racing last season and it’s great to have the opportunity to continue in IMSA with Ally, working alongside Chad and other former Hendrick Motorsports teammates.”
“Knowing that we will be involved in all Endurance races in 2022 allows us to do some extra testing and be better prepared. It’s great to have Kamui and Mike back. And José María, with his experience, is a great addition to the line-up.” .
Kobayashi commented: “We will arrive in 2022 with the aim of winning races. I know José María well as my teammate in the WEC with Toyota. It will take some time to get used to the Cadillac DPi-VR, but it will be a great addition to the team.
“Mike knows the car and the tracks. It’s good that he’s with us. We learned a lot in 2021, which makes us more confident for 2022.”
López is also ready for the new experience: “Racing with Jimmie Johnson is very special to me. As a big fan of car racing, I have always followed NASCAR and he was my favorite driver. I can definitely say that I am a fan of his, so share the car with him is an enormous privilege “.
“As for Mike, I’ve always seen him compete. His career is impressive and I can’t wait to work and learn from him too. It will be great to continue as a teammate with my friend and brother Kamui. ‘honor to compete and share a lot of time with him as a teammate at Toyota. “
“My experience in America is not huge. I ran my first endurance event in 2007 at the 12h of Sebring, and from there I always hoped to be able to return to this series. I love the way it runs, my teammates Kamui and Mike always tell me how much fun they have at IMSA. “
Gary Nelson, Action Express Racing team manager, commented: “It is great to have Jimmie with us again for the four endurance events of 2022. We will have a little more time to get to work for Daytona.”
“The team showed promising things last year, finishing second and also going very strong at Sebring. We will work closely with Rick Hendrick’s group led by Chad Knaus.”
“José María is making his debut in this car, but he has won Le Mans and is WEC Champion, so I’m sure he will be very fast when he gets into our Cadillac.”
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