To no great surprise, considering that the link-up has been expected since the end of the 2006 campaign, Neel Jani and Red Bull have finally been confirmed as part of the PKV Racing line-up for the coming Champ Car season. source: crash.net The Swiss driver was tipped for the drive almost as soon as former Red Bull Racing pilot Christian Klien told the drinks brand that he would rather remain in Formula One than switch to Champ Cars, but it has taken several months for PKV to confirm that he will form part of its 2007 squad. Jani missed the weekend's A1 Grand Prix round in New Zealand to prepare for this week's Sebring Champ Car test, his second following a maiden outing at Houston's MSR facility last month,further suggesting that an announcement was imminent. The 23-year old spent last season as test and reserve driver with Red Bull's second F1 team, Scuderia Toro Rosso, and made a brief return to the GP2 Series, making four appearances with Arden International after Nicolas Lapierre broke his back at Monaco. However, it was A1GP that gave Jani his greatest track activity, as he took the fight to eventual champions France throughout the campaign. The Swiss ace, a former runner-up in the Renault V6 series, has been a member of Red Bull's European driver development programme since 2005, taking its support to Racing Engineering in his first year in GP2, when he won two races. He will pilot the #21 PKV entry this year, alongside an, as yet, undisclosed, team-mate. "We are very excited to have a driver of Neel's calibre join PKV," co-owner Jimmy Vasser commented, "He has been competitive at every level during his racing career and I am looking forward to helping him through the learning curve during his inaugural Champ Car season." Red Bull's appearance as a full sponsor in Champ Car comes the season after its main open-wheel protege in the US, AJ Allmendinger, defected to NASCAR. The Austrian company, however, is keen to expand its involvement in the Champ Car arena, with Jani's confirmation coming not long after Red Bull announced that it would back Forsythe Racing's Champ Car Atlantic programme. "We are extremely fortunate to have the support of a company like Red Bull," Vasser continued, "We feel that the combination of Neel Jani and Red Bull gives PKV Racing the opportunity to fulfil our goal of challenging for race wins and championships now and in the future." Faced with the choice between racing and testing this year, Jani admits that he is glad to be back on the grid, despite his decision meaning that his F1 ambitions will be put on hold.
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