Alfonso Celis Jr. Joins Juncos Racing for 2018 Indy Lights Championship
Indianapolis, IN (February 23, 2018) – Juncos Racing announced today that Mexican Alfonso Celis Jr. will join the team for the 2018 Indy Lights Championship Presented by Cooper Tires. Celis is the second driver to commit to the reigning 2017 Indy Lights Champions.
Alfonso Celis, Jr. will be making the move to the Indy Lights presented by Cooper Tires series for the 2018 season. (Photo Courtesy of Juncos Racing)
Alfonso Celis Jr. (Puebla, Mexico) joins the Indy Lights Championship after a successful season in the World Series Formula V8, where he claimed one pole and one win to finish third in the championship. Celis was also a Formula One Reserve Driver for Sahara Force India Formula One during the 2016 and 2017 seasons.
“I’m very excited to be joining Juncos Racing for the 2018 Indy Lights Championship presented by Cooper Tires! I have known the team for a long time and it was finally time to do something together. The Indy Lights championship has proven to be very competitive and I’m confident that with my experience and with the success that the Juncos team has had we should be able to be a contender for the championship right away. Being in IndyCar has always been something I’ve dreamed of. I grew up watching the series from Mexico and this will be a great step towards that goal. I can’t wait to be on top of the podium with the Mexican flag on my shoulders!”
Celis will drive the No. 7 Juncos Racing car and make his first debut in the Indy Lights Championship this week in the Mazda Road to Indy Official Series test at Homestead-Miami Speedway. Indy Lights drivers will spend one-day testing on the 1.5 mile oval and one day on the 2.21 mile, 14-turn road course.
Team Owner Ricardo Juncos said, “I am thrilled to bring Alfonso (Celis) on board for our 2018 Indy Lights team. He has incredible talent behind the wheel, which we first had the chance to see when he tested with our team in the Pro Mazda car back in 2013. Alfonso brings a lot of experience to the series after spending most of his time running in open-wheel series throughout Europe and he was even a Formula One reserve driver for Sahara Force India. I am confident he will be a top contender this year for the championship. I want to thank Alfonso, his management team, and family for committing to our team for the 2018 season.”
Juncos Racing became the first team during the 2017 season to win both the Pro Mazda Championship Presented by Cooper Tires and Indy Lights Championship in the same year.
The 2018 Indy Lights championship kicks off March 9-11 on the Streets of St. Petersburg, Florida.