Sebastian Saavedra will get another IndyCar start later this year, the Colombian again reprising his role in an extra car for the joint AFS/Andretti Autosport effort at Sonoma Raceway.
After a full IndyCar season a year ago, Saavedra stepped back to the Firestone Indy Lights Series for 2012 and made a one-off start for the team at this year's Indianapolis 500. Andretti is the only team that's ran an extra car at a race outside Indianapolis this season, having also fielded Ana Beatriz in partnership with Conquest Racing in Sao Paulo, Brazil.
In advance of his return, Saavedra will test at Sonoma on Aug. 17.
“I really enjoy driving in Sonoma; there is something about the place that makes it special,” he said. “Not having an Indy Lights race that weekend will enable us to focus a lot better and search for a good finish.”
The AFS/Andretti package has also fielded IndyCars for Franck Montagny at Sonoma 2009 and Adam Carroll for two races (Watkins Glen, Mid-Ohio) in 2010. AFS branched out on its own for a partial 2011 season with Raphael Matos, and later partnered with Sam Schmidt Motorsports for several races later in the year for three drivers.
“I'm very proud of Sebastian. Clearly, deciding to run the full season of Firestone Indy Lights was the right one,” said AFS owner Gary Peterson. “Everything we're doing is putting Seb in an excellent position to build upon his future and help set the stage for a great AFS Racing/Andretti Autosport 2013 program.”