Callum Ilott and Juncos Hollinger Racing have agreed to part ways with immediate effect, leaving uncertainty for both about the 2024 IndyCar season.

Ilott joined IndyCar for the final few races of the 2021 season, after having driven in Formula 2 and served as a test driver for the Ferrari F1 team.

He headed up JHR’s return to the top level of IndyCar by running without a team-mate for a season, then by helping Agustin Canapino get acclimated to the series this past year.

That relationship is coming to an end, however, as Ilott and JHR have mutually agreed to part ways just one year into a multi-year contract.

“I want to extend my gratitude to Juncos Hollinger Racing for the opportunity to be part of their team,” said Ilott in a press release.

“I have immense respect for the organization, and our time together has been a valuable experience. I look forward to exploring new opportunities and challenges in my racing career.”

Ilott’s relationship with JHR has been less than perfect, with multiple instances of a breakdown in driver-team trust making their way out into the public eye.

There were also multiple incidents of fan abuse against Ilott from his team-mate’s fan base, with the passionate Argentinian fans threatening him over social media in response to on-track incidents.

The team is thought to be courting Romain Grosjean to fill the #77 seat, but an announcement has not yet been made for next season.

Similarly, no announcements have been made regarding Ilott’s future, although he has expressed desire to stay in the IndyCar paddock despite the dwindling number of available seats.

“While it is with mixed emotions that we bid farewell to Callum Ilott,” said Ricardo Juncos, co-owner of JHR. “I would like to express my gratitude to Callum for all of his efforts during his time with our team, and we deeply appreciate his contributions.

“We wish him the very best in his future endeavors. Callum has shown immense talent, and we have no doubt that he will continue to make his mark in the world of motorsport.”

Agustin Canapino, a rookie in the NTT IndyCar Series, will return to his native Argentina next month to drive in the Turismo Carretera (ACTC) stock car series for the final six races of the season.

The ACTC series is where Canapino found success as a professional race car driver, winning the driver’s championship on four separate occasions in 2010, 2017, 2018, and 2019.

His success made him one of the most popular drivers in Argentina, and his move to IndyCar with Juncos Hollinger Racing this season grew his following even more.

Canapino will be greeted by many excited fans when he runs the six races in his home country, which conveniently do not conflict with the remainder of the IndyCar season.

“It is a beautiful opportunity to return to the family of Turismo Carretera and see all of the amazing fans once again,” said Canapino.

“Buenos Aires is the ‘cathedral of motorsports’ as we call it, and since the track’s renovations, it will be more than special to race there again.

“It was also the place where I was able to secure my first championship title at the age of 20, back in 2010, and everything changed for me from that day onwards.”

The first race in which Canapino will return will be at the Juan y Oscar Galvez Autodrome in Buenos Aires on August 19-20, which is an off weekend for IndyCar.

Canapino will drive the #78 entry for the event, which will carry a green and black livery that matches JHR’s bold color scheme that it has run this season.

The final five races of the 2023 ACTC season will also have Canapino on the grid, with those rounds being run after IndyCar concludes its season on September 10 at Laguna Seca.

The 33-year-old is still expected to run the 2024 IndyCar season, and he currently has no plans to return to stock car racing full time.

JHR owner Ricardo Juncos, who is proud of his own Argentinian heritage, has given his full support to the races, and likely sees them as another way to demonstrate how successful an IndyCar event in the country would be.

“For Agustin to race again in the TC, being an IndyCar driver, is a priceless opportunity that presented itself very beautifully,” said the JHR team owner.

“It deserves everyone’s support, and that’s why [JHR co-owner] Brad Hollinger and I did not hesitate to allow Agustin to participate in Buenos Aires and at the five TC races that complete the 2023 season.”

The announcement garnered attention from other IndyCar drivers on social media, who began to voice their interest in competing in a round or two alongside Canapino.

Scott McLaughlin, who also has a background in stock car racing in Australia, was the first to volunteer, and received an invitation from the ACTC team owner for the race on August 20.

Alex Palou and Pato O’Ward also noted their interest in trying out a stock car race in Argentina, but no official participation announcements have been made outside of the one for Canapino.

Before Canapino’s trip home, he will first compete in the next IndyCar round on the streets of Nashville for the Music City Grand Prix, which takes place August 4-6.

Callum Ilott is entering his second season as a driver in the NTT IndyCar Series, and this year he will have the benefit of a team-mate to help him get the best results each weekend.

Agustin Canapino is a rookie, however, and will be spending much of his time learning from Ilott the tips and tricks needed to get the most out of his Juncos Hollinger Racing #78.

This season will be Canapino’s first real foray into open wheel racing, having come from Argentina’s stock car scene, and will need some time to get accustomed to the different driving style required.

Ilott was asked in what ways he and Canapino can help each other during the upcoming season with neither having a lot of experience in the competitive series.

“It’s a tough one because of the position that he’s in,” said Ilott of his new team-mate. “It’s a bit of an unknown for me, for the team, for the championship, because for sure he’s quick. But again, it’s a real really tough thing to jump into.

“So I really — I’m a bit nervous for him, and I admire the jump because it’s not easy to do. Obviously Scott McLaughlin has done it in, shall we say, a different environment, but he’s done it, and Agustin has that background but from Argentina.

“It’s more I have to wait and see where we’re at and what we’re doing because it could be more of a data thing or it could be really something that we can work together as a team and build off of. But I know it’s definitely not easy as a rookie.

“But then taking my own experience, we worked really well together as a one-car operation compared to big four-, five-car operations, and sometimes we kick their ass. But that gives me the confidence that no matter what, I can kind of work with what we’ve got and do a good job with it.”

Ilott was heavily involved in the quest to find a second driver for JHR during the latter part of last year, with the Briton relating that he was on the lookout for someone that could help the team to grow quickly.

Despite that, the team chose to bring in a rookie with very little open wheel experience, seemingly weighing heavily the opportunity to have a driver from team owner Ricardo Juncos’ home country of Argentina.

Canapino certainly brings a lot of attention and potential sponsorship opportunities with him, but he also lacks the ability to jump in and provide feedback in the same way that an IndyCar veteran would have.

“Obviously the closer he can get to what I’m doing and the more similar he’s, shall we say, reenacting what I’m doing, because hopefully I am the baseline in that sense, the better, because that can help us,” continued Ilott.

“Obviously he is a racing driver. He has done many years of it. For sure when we try something, he should be able to feel it. If he feels it in a slightly different way, that’s still feedback for the team. It’s still good.”

Juncos Hollinger Racing has revealed an updated branding scheme ahead of the upcoming 2023 NTT IndyCar Series season.

The new look includes a new JHR logo written in fluorescent green, white, and silver, as well as a new bold livery on the team’s two cars.

The team has always included green in its liveries, but the modern look is decidedly different from past schemes.

“This is an exciting moment in our team’s journey and marks the beginning of a new chapter for us,” said JHR founder and co-owner Ricardo Juncos.

“We have a two-car team for the first time, a driver in Callum [Ilott] with huge potential, and a new driver in Agustín [Canapino] who has enjoyed great success in multiple other race series.

“We felt it was important to have a new identity to coincide with our status as a fresh and invigorated challenger, racing with Latin spirit and American pride.”

The team also has a new mission statement, with ‘The Power of Possibility’ reflecting the team’s self-described energetic approach to racing.

Callum Ilott will be running his second IndyCar season in the #77, and will be paired with Agustin Canapino in the #78, who is a rookie this season.

The 33-year-old driver has had many years of experience racing in his native Argentina, but this will be the first time he will be racing an open wheel car.

Canapino has tested with JHR a couple times, and was also the designated driver for the team’s exhibition runs on the streets of Argentina a couple months ago.

“It’s been great to see the team again for the first time since we ran our IndyCar exhibition in Argentina,” said Canapino. “They’ve given me a warm welcome and are a very good group of professionals. It’s an honour to work with them.

“I´m very excited about this new challenge and am busy preparing to the highest possible level –physically, mentally and technically. I want to give 100%. I’m happy and grateful for this opportunity.”

Juncos Hollinger Racing has announced that Agustin Canapino will pilot the #78 entry in the 2023 NTT IndyCar Series season, contesting all 17 races.

The 32-year-old, nearly 33, will be paired alongside sophomore driver Callum Ilott as the team expands to two cars in the premiere series for the first time and looks to make gains in a competitive field.

Canapino has spent the majority of his racing career driving in various touring car series in his native Argentina, including the TC 2000 Championship and Turismo Carretera series.

He has consistently placed in the top few championship positions in every series he has contested throughout his 17-year racing career, but has had limited experience piloting an open wheel racecar.

Canapino’s car will feature sponsorship from Argentina’s tourism agency, and will sport a ‘Visit Argentina’ livery for the entire season.

“For me, this is a great opportunity, so I am very grateful to Ricardo Juncos, Brad Hollinger, and all the sponsors that are making this possible,” said Canapino.

“I’m going to do my best in every moment to get the best possible results. I’m going in with my mind set on learning and going step-by-step, but I’m also focused on evolving throughout the season.  The goal is to finish the races, get to know the car, and the circuits – especially the ovals.

“IndyCar is the most competitive and difficult category in the world, and the cars are the most demanding and require the maximum effort and preparation on my part.  I am happy to take on this challenge and I’m motivated to perform well and repay those that have trusted me with this opportunity.”

Canapino has had a relationship with team co-owner Ricardo Juncos for a few years, and even drove for him in a couple IMSA endurance races during the team’s short-lived stint in prototype racing in 2019.

In late 2022, he was given an IndyCar test day with JHR at Sebring before being tasked with driving the car around Circuit Termas de Rio Hondo in a multi-day exhibition run in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

Fan turnout for the rare IndyCar demonstration outside the United States was impressive, and showed the high level of enthusiasm Argentinians have for racing.

“To be able to communicate this news today is incredible for me and my team,” said Juncos.  “It has been more than 20 years since I came to North American motorsports.  It has been a long road of uninterrupted hard work in which I have been fulfilling different dreams, and to see this particular one becoming a reality is truly incredible.

“After a complete analysis of each of the driver options we had to drive our #78 car, we have made the decision that Agustin Canapino is the right choice.  Both Brad [Hollinger] and I have full confidence in his ability.

“With a very successful racing career in Argentina behind him, he exceeded all expectations when he trained at Sebring, and he’s confirmed that talent with what we’ve seen in his driving since.”

With this announcement, the only remaining unconfirmed drivers for the 2023 grid are for seats in the second Dale Coyne Racing entry and for the oval portion of Chip Ganassi Racing’s #11.

Juncos Hollinger Racing will stage a series of exhibition runs in Argentina with their IndyCar chassis next month, bringing the series back to the South American country for the first time in 51 years.

The multi-day event will see the car driving through the streets of Buenos Aires, as well as on a couple of the local racing circuits.

JHR co-owner Ricardo Juncos was born in Argentina, and his team carries a large following in his home country.  The team as a whole maintains a uniquely diverse heritage as it continues to grow within IndyCar, including the team’s press releases which are often presented in Spanish and English.

The last time an IndyCar was on track in Argentina was in 1971 when the series was known as USAC. Al Unser beat out Lloyd Ruby and won both races held at the Autodromo Ciudad de Rafaela to start the season.

“For many years we have been trying to bring a NTT IndyCar Series car to Argentina and today to be in the position to officially announce the car will be returning for an exhibition after 51 years is amazing,” said Juncos.

“This gives us a lot of pride as Argentineans and for all that this means.  Since we are linked to Chevrolet in the United States and to have Agustin Canapino as the driver will be one of the greatest moments of motorsports in our community.

“As an Argentinean and understanding what motorsport of this hierarchy means, it fills us with pride, the whole Juncos Hollinger Racing team, our friends and all the immense amount of people who in different ways collaborated to make this possible.

“I think this is a very important step forward in terms of promoting IndyCar not only in Argentina, but also in all Latin America and I hope it will be the basis that will allow us in the near future to have our country more involved in the IndyCar Series championship.”

Agustin Canapino is an Argentinian race car driver that has had some links to Juncos in recent years.  He recently completed a seat-fitting at the team’s Indianapolis shop, and will perform driving duties throughout the exhibition alongside his promotional role.

It is believed that Canapino is one of the multiple drivers in consideration for the team’s expansion to two cars next season, which will see Callum Ilott gain a team-mate after running his first full season as the team’s only driver.

“For me, to have this chance to be the driver of the Juncos Hollinger Racing NTT IndyCar Series in Argentina is a great privilege, a great honor, and great responsibility for which I have been preparing myself for a long time,” said Canapino.

“I would like to thank Ricardo Juncos, Brad Hollinger, and the entire Juncos Hollinger Racing team, as well as those who have made it possible for the car to come to Argentina.

“I only have words of gratitude, and at the same time I want to invite everyone to come to this incredible event that we will have with the National Tourism in which I will also be competing in the race of two drivers was the big icing on the cake which is the Indy Exhibition. This is not just another car, it’s the team of Argentina.”

Canapino will get to sample the car next week at a private Sebring test before taking part in the event some 4,500 miles to the south.

The exhibition runs will take place between the fourth and ninth of November, and are expected to draw a sizable audience of fans that do not usually have the opportunity to see the cars in person.

Juncos Hollinger Racing has confirmed that it will be fielding a second car in the 2023 IndyCar season, expanding from its current single-car operation.

JHR has run a few limited IndyCar races since its debut in 2017, but had continued to heavily focus on its operations in the Road to Indy series while it built a complete program.

This season, team owner Ricardo Juncos teamed up with Brad Hollinger to continue expansion and joined for a full season with rookie driver Callum Ilott.

Now only one year into the team’s fully-formed IndyCar ambitions, a #78 entry will be added alongside the #77 for the entirety of next season.

“To be able to announce this today and make this a reality is incredible,” said JHR co-owner Ricardo Juncos. “We have stood by our words from the beginning that we would continue to grow and expand and that is what we are doing.

“We wanted to start this year with one car, to start the protocols and procedures for the team.  Our philosophy that we work with is a little bit different than the standards, so we wanted to make sure we implanted our plan the right way by focusing on one car before we expanded.

“We are doing exactly as we planned and will continue with our two-car team for the foreseeable future starting in 2023. We are going to keep building this team the way Brad [Hollinger] and I planned from the beginning, and to do what is the best in terms of development, technical, marketing, and everything else.”

There had been rumors for quite some time that the team would expand for the upcoming season, and Ilott even described how he has been instrumental in helping the team make decisions surrounding the expansion.

Having a team-mate will be of great help for both driver and team, especially considering JHR does not have a technical partnership with one of the bigger teams like other small teams on the grid do.

A driver for the new entry has not yet been decided upon, and will be announced at a later date.

This year is a rookie season in IndyCar for both Callum Ilott and his team Juncos Hollinger Racing.  Both had done a couple races before, but neither had competed in a full schedule of the premiere series before this season.

That has made for an uphill climb as they learn all the details needed to be competitive, and has solidified the team’s decision to expand to two cars.

Many small teams enter technical partnerships with other large teams to obtain this additional perspective, but JHR has been largely on its own throughout the year.

A second entry has not yet been announced by the team, but it is seen as a near certainty and Ilott has revealed that his expertise is being used to make many of the decision involved in the expansion, including which driver to put behind the wheel.

“They will confirm [a second car], but the idea is to run two cars next year,” said Ilott to Motorsportweek.com, all but confirming the team’s intention.

“Because I’ve been there from day one, I am involved in the discussions of what we will do and what the plan is.  I’ve been very keen on being part of the team build, whether it’s in personnel or drivers.

“So yeah, I offer my input and thoughts.  There’s always compromises, but we’ve got to make the team the best in can be.

“I would rather get the person that benefits everything as a whole.  Of course, I could learn a few more things from an experienced guy, but you’ve got to look at everything as one and get the best situation out of it.

“There’s not many drivers faster than me.  So ‘good luck’ I say.”

That final quip aside, Ilott is quite confident that having a second car will help extract more pace as the two drivers will be able to feed off each other throughout each weekend.

Racing in a one-car team has been a significant disadvantage for the young Briton throughout the season, and a second point of reference for both driver and team is almost always helpful to have.

Looking back, the 23-year-old former F2 driver feels that he would have benefitted from having a team-mate in his rookie season more than he will next year.

“I think it would have been massive this year having an experienced team-mate just to direct me and direct the team in some areas,” continued Ilott.  “I think we did a great job anyway with the way we were.

“The benefit next year will be more for the team than for me.  Obviously if I can get an experienced guy and learn on the areas I haven’t been able to learn, that would be great.  It would have been interesting.

“For the team, I think it’s great to have something to compare to, because right now it’s asking me ‘what do you think?’  And that’s it.”

Juncos Hollinger Racing has announced that it will retain the driver services of Callum Ilott for the 2023 IndyCar season and beyond.

Both Ilott and the team are competing in their inaugural full time IndyCar season this year, and have decided to continue their partnership as both grow and mature within the series.

Ilott has earned one top 10 finish this season, and sits firmly in the middle of the rookie points race despite missing one race due to a hand injury sustained in the Indianapolis 500.

The deal was described as a long-term, multi-year agreement, and will see the young driver continue to grow and learn in a stable environment.

“We’ve got some clear goals that we need to achieve towards the end of this year,” said Ilott. “Then I think over the winter the hard work starts again to develop, get the most out of this IndyCar paddock, and try to push to get as many results as possible in the next couple years.

“Yeah, I’m super excited to continue what we’re doing, show what we can do as a little powerhouse.”

Ilott raced for two years in Formula 2 and held various roles as test and reserve driver for the Alfa Romeo and Ferrari Formula 1 teams over the past couple years.

He temporarily gave up his position at the Ferrari Driver Academy to pursue a career in IndyCar starting in late 2021, and is now firmly committed to a career stateside despite technically still being part of the program.

Ilott’s extension with JHR means that he is off the driver market, and will not play into the ongoing uncertainty surrounding Ganassi’s #10 entry and the few other open seats thought to be available for next season.

“Back in 2021, I took my time to choose our NTT IndyCar Series driver from a list of five drivers,” said JHR Co-owner Ricardo Juncos. “Even when Callum was not on the radar for most of the teams here in the states, I knew he was the perfect fit for our team. Not only for his potential as a driver, but his personality and his desire to win which aligns with our team philosophy.

“Today, almost a year later, I’m happy to confirm Callum’s continuation with the team for long term. This is just the beginning of a new era at JHR and I’m looking forward to continuing our work with Callum and to the results we know we can receive together as a team.”

Also as part of the announcement, Juncos made known the intention to field a second car in the series next season. He made note of the large disadvantage his team is dealing with having only a one car program.

Current Indy Lights driver Benjamin Pedersen completed his first IndyCar test session on Monday, piloting Callum Ilott’s Juncos Hollinger Racing Chevrolet for the day.

Pedersen, 22, is in the middle of his second season driving in Indy Lights for Global Racing Group with HMD Motorsports, and has earned a trio of podiums after seven rounds.

The short course at Sebring Raceway, a popular venue for IndyCar testing, hosted the day’s action, and Pedersen was able to complete 55 laps in the allotted time

Also on track was the Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing trio, with Graham Rahal, Jack Harvey, and rookie Christian Lundgaard all taking part.

Rahal was the fastest from his team, but they were all slower than Pedersen, who set the fastest lap of the session near the end of the day.

At this time, Pedersen does not have an arrangement to run in IndyCar next season, but he is beginning to talk to teams about the possibility.

JHR could possibly have a spot available, as the team is looking into whether it wants to expand to two cars in 2023.

Nothing in confirmed at this time, however, and the young driver was using the opportunity to familiarize himself with the powerful machinery as much as anything else.

All four drivers will be on track this weekend, with IndyCar and all the Road to Indy feeder series beginning the second half of the season on the Mid-Ohio sportscar course.