Buurman will drive on the Homestead-Miami Speedway on February 9th and at Palm Beach International Raceway on February 12th. The tests will allow the team and driver to evaluate each other and give Buurman a sample of American open-wheel racing.
"This is a great opportunity for me to sample racing in America, and I'm excited to have the chance," Buurman said. "I have to thank Sam Schmidt Motorsports for providing me the platform to expand my racing career."
In 2009, Buurman drove in the GP2 Asia series as well as in the new Superleague Formula, where he finished fourth in the final standings driving for RSC Anderlecht. He won a pair of races in the final round of the series at the Circuito del Jarama, beating established open-wheel champions such as Sebastian Bourdais.
Buurman also drove in the Superleague Formula in 2008, where he finished second overall in the championship. Along with that, he ran with Trust Team Arden in the GP2 Series where he earned a couple of podium finishes with a best of second. Prior to that, he enjoyed success in the F3 Euro Series, World Series by Renault, and other European formula based on Formula 3 or Formula Renault 2.0.
"Yelmer's credentials are quite impressive," team owner Sam Schmidt said. "We're happy to provide him with this opportunity to try out Firestone Indy Lights, especially getting him some seat time on an oval. We'll use this test to allow him to learn and give us an opportunity to evaluate him. We're looking forward to it."
Sam Schmidt Motorsports has been the dominating force and all-time win leader of Firestone Indy Lights having won 30 races to date (including one joint victory with Andretti Green Racing in 2006 and four Freedom 100 victories) and three driver championships. The 2010 season kicks off on the streets of St. Petersburg on Sunday, March 28, 2010. Coverage of the event will be available on indycar.com. For more information, visit www.samschmidtmotorsports.com
Information:
www.firestoneindylights.com
www.yelmer.com
www.gr8industries.com
For more information, please contact GR8 Industries, Sanne Hoogeveen, M: Sanne@gr8industries.com.
