IndyCar: Rahal Letterman Lanigan adds second car for James Jakes

Rahal Letterman Lanigan has announced it will expand to two-full time entries in the 2013 IndyCar season, with James Jakes to be Graham Rahal’s team-mate.

The addition of a second car comes after Schmidt Peterson Motorsport’s similar move of adding a second car for Indy rookie Tristan Vautier.

“I wanted to put myself in a position where I could get results that I believe I am capable of, and Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing is a good fit for me. It will be great for the team to have two full-season cars to move ourselves forward and push us to where Bobby and the team want us to be – at the top of the grid,” Jakes was quoted as saying by Autosport.

Team co-owner Bobby Rahal said the addition of a second full-time entry is the culmination of a project that began with the team’s revival at the start of last year. “For us to be a two-car team is a natural progression. A two-car team is a much more efficient and productive way to go racing. There is twice as much information, twice as much everything, and that helps you progress that much quicker,” Rahal said.

He added Jakes is an “aggressive, competitive driver” which will add value to the team. Jakes’s arrival also means that Rahal Letterman will enter three cars for the Long Beach round, as the team has already confirmed Conway’s one-off appearance.