After stints in Formula One and NASCAR, Nelson Piquet Jr. is shifting gears and heading for Red Bull Global Rallycross.
The son of three-time F1 World Champion Nelson Piquet will drive the No. 07 Ford Fiesta ST for SH Racing Rallycross, led by owner James ‘Sulli’ Sullivan.
BSN Supplements will serve as a primary backer on the No. 07.
If you’re an IndyCar follower, Sullivan is a familiar figure as he is co-owner of the No. 11 KVSH Racing Chevrolet that won last year’s Indianapolis 500 with Tony Kanaan and is currently being driven by Sebastien Bourdais.
The SH camp becomes the latest full-time GRC squad with IndyCar ties, as Bryan Herta Autosport (under the name Barracuda Racing) and Andretti Autosport also have rallycross programs.
“We are up against some steep competition – some of which we compete against in IndyCar – but we’re in it to win it bar none,” Sullivan said in a statement.
Piquet Jr. competed last season in the NASCAR Nationwide Series for Turner Scott Motorsports, earning five Top-10 finishes.
He became the first Brazilian to win a Nationwide Series event in 2012 at Road America, and was also a full-time Camping World Truck Series driver in 2011 and 2012; in the latter season, he won Truck events at Michigan and Las Vegas.
Preceding the move to NASCAR was a two-and-a-half year run in Formula One with the Renault team (now known as Lotus) that saw him go from test driver to full race driver.
“Competing in GRC is such an exciting prospect for me,” Piquet said. “I’ve always loved being diverse in my racing career and cannot wait to see what this year brings.”
The 2014 Red Bull GRC season begins May 18 at the Top Gear Festival Barbados. NBC will broadcast the race on May 24 at 1 p.m. ET, beginning the NBC Sports Group’s 2014 coverage of the series.
