Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing will field Juri Vips, a veteran of Europe’s Formula feeder series, in its No. 30 Dallara-Honda for the final two races of the season.
The Estonian driver will make his debut this weekend at Portland International Raceway. Vips, 23, tested with the IndyCar team last Oct. 12 at Sebring International Raceway and March 13 at Barber Motorsports Park, and he has been doing sim testing with RLL this season.
Vips has been out of racing since he was suspended by Red Bull in June 2022 for using a racial slur during a live-streamed gaming session. He subsequently lost his ride with Red Bull Racing (where he had been a reserve driver who had been in Formula One practices) and the Red Bull Junior Team.
“It’s no secret that he made a mistake and paid a huge price, but people in Europe who I knew were very, very complimentary about him as a driver and as a person,” RLL co-owner Bobby Rahal said in a Zoom news conference Monday. “This mistake was a single mistake. Unfortunately, as we all know, Juri paid a huge price for that and lost his position in the Red Bull system, which he was the preeminent junior driver at the time.
“We got to meet Juri. A person I respect a great deal in Europe gave him, from a driving standpoint, a great evaluation of him, and we thought it would be worth giving him a shot. Juri is a good person and made a huge mistake.”
Since losing his ride, Vips has been through multiple diversity sensitivity training programs in England and in the United States (through RISE, the same program used by NASCAR champion Kyle Larson when he returned from a suspension for using a racial slur during an iRacing event).
“He has shown us enough for us to take that chance to give him a shot, and he has certainly worked hard to correct the mistake that he made,” Rahal said. “So we’re excited about him joining the team for these last two races, and hopefully he’ll do well.”
Said Vips: “I had a lot of time to reflect on who I disappointed. I had so many fans, so many people cheering for me, so many people that helped me through my career, and I just threw it all away because I wasn’t interested in learning about anything. All I cared about was racing.
“I feel like I have grown as a person, but yeah, I am really grateful for the second chance, and I completely understand all the outrage.”
[NEWS] Juri Vips joins Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing as the driver of the No. 30 Honda for the two INDYCAR races at Portland and Laguna Seca.
— Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing (@RLLracing) August 28, 2023
More: https://t.co/oaLxzbUByf pic.twitter.com/TW9sNJ1oQv
Vips is familiar with IndyCar drivers from the F2 Series, having raced there against RLL teammate Christian Lundgaard. He also competed against Callum Illot and Marcus Armstrong.
Though it’s essentially a tryout for the No. 30 (which recently was vacated by Jack Harvey), the stakes also are high as RLL is trying to keep the car in the top 22 in entrant points for IndyCar’s Leaders Circle bonus program (the No. 30 is ranked 22nd, one point ahead of Juncos Hollinger Racing’s No. 78).
Rahal said the team is talking to other drivers about the No. 30 for 2024, but Vips is a candidate. In addition to the two race weekends, there also will be an open test at Laguna Seca for a daylong evaluation.
“In terms of where Juri is in that mix, I think first things first, and that’s let’s go do the races and let’s see how they sort themselves out,” Rahal said. “Clearly, we have an interest in Juri, just as we have an interest in others, but it’s all about let’s just get through this and then go through the process.
“We still have some sponsors to sign, so there’s still a lot of work to do, but we’re just glad we’re able to be in a position to give Juri this chance. And who knows? Somebody else may want him if they see and if he does as good as I think he can do.
“But first things first. After Sept. 15, we’ll see where everything falls out.”
