AJ Foyt Racing hires Tatiana Calderón to drive No. 11 ROKiT Chevrolet in road, street courses
Tatiana Calderón will drive road and street courses in the No. 11 ROKiT Chevrolet for AJ Foyt, the team announced Monday morning. No driver for oval tracks has been signed, according to the news release.
Calderón, a 28-year-old Colombian, is the first driver who is a woman to compete for Foyt a
"I’m thrilled and very thankful to Jonathan Kendrick, ROKiT and AJ Foyt Racing for the opportunity to race in the NTT IndyCar Series!" Calderón said in the news release. "Ever since I started my single-seater career in the United States eleven years ago, IndyCar has been a reference for me and it’s a dream come true to be on the grid this year! I’m well aware of the challenge ahead, but this is the chance of a lifetime and I’m keen on making the most of it.”
More: Tatiana Calderón will test in an IndyCar at Mid-Ohio this week for A.J. Foyt Racing
Kendrick, co-founder and chairman of the ROKiT Group of Companies added: “One of our fundamental principles in the overall marketing of the ROKiT brand worldwide is our support and promotion of women in motorsport and, as part of that principle, we’ve supported Tatiana for a long time now. We recognized her talent and charisma early on, which we’ve seen grow and develop, so we’re very excited to be expanding our partnership with Larry and the AJ Foyt Racing Team."
Calderón spent the last two seasons competing in Super Formula in Japan for Threebond Drago Corse and for Richard Mille Racing in the FIA World Endurance Championship. She has also been a test driver for the Alfa Romeo Formula 1 team for the past four years. She's also competed in Formula 2, Renault Series Formula V8 3.5 (she was the first woman on the podium in Bahrein in 2017), GP3, European Formula 3, and the British Formula 3 Series (she was the first woman to land on a podium).
Calderón tested the No. 14 ROKiT Chevrolet at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in Lexington, Ohio last July. That led to Larry Foyt signing an extension and expansion of ROKiT's sponsorship.
AJ Foyt Racing will operate three cars with Calderón joining Kyle Kirkwood in the No. 14 ROKiT Chevrolet and Dalton Kellett in the No. 4 K-Line Insulators USA Chevrolet.
Contact IndyStar Deputy Sports Editor Nat Newell at (317) 444-6182 or nat.newell@indystar.com. Follow him on Twitter: @NatJNewell.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: IndyCar: AJ Foyt Racing hires Tatiana Calderón for road, street courses
