DRR Signs All-Brit Driver Lineup for 2010

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British drivers Mike Conway and Justin Wilson will compete for Dreyer & Reinbold Racing in 2010


It’s not easy to move up the grid in the Indy Racing League, but Dreyer & Reinbold may have advanced without ever turning a wheel by signing Justin Wilson.

“In the 11 years of our team, this is one of the biggest steps we’ve made,” said Robbie Buhl, who co-owns D&R with Dennis Reinbold. "It’s been a long time since we’ve been in a competitive position like this.”

Since it’s formation in 2000, Dreyer & Reinbold has more or less been a mid-packer. Buhl captured the team’s lone victory in their debut but as the IRL morphed into CART and the big money/big teams took charge, D&R struggled to keep up.

Despite having 2004 Indy 500 winner Buddy Rice on board for two full seasons in 2007-08 and Tomas Scheckter in a part-time role last year, success has been limited as D&R’s lineup usually consisted of journeymen or ride buyers.

Mike Conway, who returns for his second season of IndyCar at D&R, managed one podium in ’09 and showed flashes of brilliance yet struggled as most rookies do and never had any continuity as far as teammates.

But, with sponsor Z Line Design and Wilson leaving Dale Coyne to come to D&R, there is suddenly a much more formidable look for this Indianapolis-based team.

“We’ve made a lot of changes to the team and to the structure and really stepped up our game on the commercial side,” said Reinbold. “We’re starting with a clean sheet of paper and two good drivers and I’m fired up.”

Wilson, the only winner of an IndyCar race in 2009 other than a driver from Target/Ganassi or Team Penske, has been a front-runner since coming to Champ Car in 2004.

While the 32-year-old Brit admittedly isn’t a force on ovals yet, he’s always in the hunt on road courses and street circuits.

“I don’t see any reason we can’t contend for wins, especially considering how well Mike ran at times last year,” said Wilson, who won for RuSport (2007), Newman/Haas/Lanigan (2008) and Coyne (2009).

“I was very impressed with what I saw when I visited the shop two weeks ago and this just feels like a good fit.”

It was expected that Wilson would stay with engineer Bill Pappas and Coyne after giving the longtime owner his first win in 24 seasons of trying last year at Watkins Glen.

“The Z Line thing didn’t surprise me but Justin’s deal did,” said Coyne. “It wasn’t about money, that wasn’t the issue. I just wanted Justin to sign a two-year deal so we could build our consistency. I think his deal with Dreyer & Reinbold is only for one year and that’s Justin’s prerogative. We’ve talked a couple times in the past two days and I wish him well.”

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By Dave Lewandowski - Indycar.com
Monday, February 8, 2010


In the past three weeks, Justin Wilson:

• Hastily returned to his Colorado home from the Indy Racing League preseason meetings in Indianapolis to be present for the birth of his second daughter.
• Co-drove a Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates Daytona Prototype to a runner-up finish in the Rolex 24 At Daytona.
• Kicked some tires at the Dreyer & Reinbold Racing shop and decided that's the team he'd wanted to join forces with for the 2010 IZOD IndyCar Series season.

"I'm ready to catch up on some sleep," the affable Brit said.

Wilson, who presented Dale Coyne with his first open-wheel racing victory last July at Watkins Glen International and finished ninth in the championship standings, has moved to the No. 22 Dreyer & Reinbold Racing entry with primary backing from Z-Line Designs.

"I looked around and met the people. I was really impressed," Wilson said. "Speaking with (general manager and competition director) Larry Curry and (co-owners) Dennis (Reinbold) and Robbie (Buhl), I liked what I saw and the progress they'd made over the off‑season. That's when it really started to come together.

"We just worked it out from there. It came together over the last two weeks."

Wilson recorded seven top-10 finishes and led three races - including 49 laps in the Watkins Glen victory -- in '09 with Dale Coyne Racing. Other highlights included third place in the opener at St. Petersburg and carrying momentum from The Glen with a fifth place a week later at Toronto. In 2008, Wilson entered the IZOD IndyCar Series with Newman/Haas/Lanigan Racing (won at Belle Isle among seven top-10 finishes).

"It was a pretty tough call to leave Dale and move on with my career," said Wilson, 31. "That's not an easy decision. I just got to thank Dale and Gail (Coyne) for everything they've done. It was a great year. I have really fond memories. I've spoken to Dale a few times and we still get along really well, which is nice. I've got a lot of admiration for him.

"It was just a great opportunity (to go to D&RR) and I feel like this is the direction to go. Obviously, Z‑Line had presented that. They've got an agency that was looking for them to see what was available and it just progressed. I was pretty shocked that I'd get this opportunity. But I'm very pleased to be driving the Z‑Line Designs car again, and driving for this team, and the IZOD IndyCar Series."

Wilson will partner with Mike Conway, who enters his second IZOD IndyCar Series season in the No. 24 car (high finish of third at Infineon Raceway in August) for Dreyer & Reinbold Racing's first full-season two-car team.

"I did have some good teammates last year," Conway said. "It was just the case of they weren't always there the same weekend, we'd been changing so often. But it's great to have Justin on board. I know he's a great talent. And I think we can both bring a lot to the table and really move the team forward and get some good results."

Buhl, who posted a victory for Dreyer & Reinbold Racing in its initial race in 2000 at Walt Disney World Speedway, expects both to progress while working with the team that has invested in personnel and testing.

"In this business, as you grow as a race entity, you can have your flashes of brilliance and you have big highs and lows," he said. "But how you really grow and strive is you want to be consistently in the game week in and week out. That is the challenge. With having the capabilities of Mike and Justin, that puts us in that position to go in every weekend with that mind-set. I think this is really going to transition Dreyer & Reinbold Racing to a place that we've been striving to be."