Filippi to replace Chaves in Toronto
Dale Coyne Racing’s driver lineup has flipped back to how it was for the first four races of the year, with Luca Filippi joining Conor Daly and replacing Gabby Chaves.
Photo by: IndyCar Series
Filippi, who last year finished second at Toronto driving for Ed Carpenter Racing, was this year hired for Coyne’s #19 car but didn’t have the money to retain the seat and was replaced just a day before first practice for the Grand Prix of Indianapolis in May.
However, thanks to IMPCO Technologies, a “global leader in the Alternative Fuels and Idle Reduction Technology” from Santa Ana, Calif., Filippi will return to the track at which he scored his best IndyCar result.
The Italian said: “I’m very excited to be back with Dale Coyne Racing this weekend and to have the chance to race in the Honda Indy Toronto again. I want to thank IMPCO Technologies, the ComfortPro team and Dale Coyne for giving me this opportunity.
“It’s one of my favorite races, not just because I finished on the podium in Toronto last year, but because it’s one of the best events on the schedule and I love to race on street circuits. I can’t wait to get back on track.”
Coyne confirmed to Motorsport.com the decision was made for “financial reasons,” but also due to Filippi’s form on street tracks.
“IMPCO are a good sponsor and Luca is quick on street and road courses,” said Coyne, “so it was an obvious fit. We saw how good he was at Long Beach, St. Pete and Barber this year.”
Asked if this was implied criticism of Gabby Chaves, Coyne said: “No, no, he’s a safe pair of hands. We like Gabby a lot and his feedback is excellent.
“We’ll definitely have Gabby back in the #19 for Texas. We put him in the wall [in practice] there because we probably tried to do too much too soon, setup-wise.”
However, Coyne admitted that he was looking at other options to drive the #19 car over the remaining races.
“We need to make that entry work financially,” he said, “so we’re talking to several drivers.”
In addition to their location in Santa Ana (CA), IMPCO Technologies has facilities located in Europe and Japan, along with their manufacturing plant in Kitchener (Ontario, Canada), where the Idle Reduction products are designed and assembled.
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