Calmels Sport at Indy 500

Speed ​​is a central quality in motorsport, both on the track and behind the scenes. So, after having witnessed – in front of his television – the popular and sporting success of Fernando Alonso last May in Indianapolis, Didier Calmels immediately decided to make a dream come true. One more, one would be tempted to say, after those already experienced in Formula 1 from 1987, via his association with Gérard Larrousse, and since 2008 in Endurance with Signatech. Because man is not the type to let difficulties distract him. Better still, they goad him. So much so that the day after the 101st edition of the legendary American event, he got in touch with various teams to support him in his new challenge.

The first of them was obvious: Andretti Autosport, the same one which had welcomed the double Spanish F1 world champion. But what about the pilot? Jean-Éric Vergne was at the top of the list thanks to his past connections with the American team entered in Formula e, notably. But the affair dragged on and convinced Didier Calmels that a plan was being played out behind his back... notably with McLaren. The identity of the future pilot has also evolved in response to the involvement and motivation necessary for such a project. In the end, Tristan Gommendy won, while an agreement was quickly reached, in July, with the very Francophile Schmidt-Peterson Motorsports team where simon pagenaud and Tristan Vautier made their debut in IndyCar...

Discover the rest of our exclusive report on the arrival of Calmels Sport at the Indy 500 in issue 2131 of AUTOhebdo, available from this Monday at 22 p.m. in digital version on all platforms, and from Wednesday on newsstands.