INDYCARNATION

It's what I've been wanting to do for many years and I've finally managed to make it happen. I want to thank Sam for giving me the opportunity and to continue with Honda engineers. It's a great moment in my career and a great moment in my life. "

An 8-year-old Simon Pagenaud pronounced to his father and grandfather that they would have to make other plans for a family member to lead its grocery business. He was going to be an IndyCar driver.

"My grandpa thought I was crazy because I hadn't even touched a car or go-kart yet, but I think my grandpa would be really proud today," said Pagenaud, who was introduced Dec. 8 as the driver of the Sam Schmidt Motorsports car in the IZOD IndyCar Series for 2012.

"This means a lot to me. (Just before this announcement) I sent my dad a text saying 'This is the big day.' It's what I've been wanting to do for many years and I've finally managed to make it happen. I want to thank Sam for giving me the opportunity and to continue with Honda engineers. It's a great moment in my career and a great moment in my life."

Pagenaud, 27, of France, brings of wealth of experience in multiple motorsports disciplines to the Indianapolis-based team, which was chief among the reasons for his hiring as the new IZOD IndyCar Series Dallara chassis and engine specification comes online in 2012.

"I went to sports cars, which I think was good for my character because I learned so much -- learned how to develop the car, tires, engines," he said. "Now it's a big advantage for me."

Pagenaud, who helped develop the Panoz chassis five years ago in Champ Car and was involved in the Honda Performance Development sports car engine development in the American Le Mans Series, drove the Honda-powered IndyCar chassis at Barber Motorsports Park in an early round of engine manufacturer testing. He said teething issues will be quickly resolved.

"The first day I drove the Panoz I wasn't very happy, but by the end of the year it worked very well," Pagenaud said. "You can ask Will Power, it was probably one of the best cars we've ever driven. That's what race teams are about, that's why Sam is building such a team. When you have the assets and the right people, you can build a great team and make the car faster than the others. I think the new car will be great for the series."

Teams will take delivery of their first universal chassis next week, and team testing will commence in mid-January.

"He has the attributes we want in a driver and it really came down to fit for not only 2012 but several years to come," said Schmidt, whose team will announce its sponsorship package in the coming weeks. "He's extremely well-qualified for this program in a season that I think will come down to engineering, communication, chemistry and development of the car. When you look at everything that was required, Simon was a natural fit. He knows how to win, he's a champion and most importantly he knows how to develop a car from scratch. 

"He has a shot at winning some races and being a championship contender in 2012."

Pagenaud, who won the 2006 Atlantics Championship at Walker Racing with current Sam Schmidt Motorsports team manager Rob Edwards, competed in three IZOD IndyCar Series races in 2011 with three different teams (filling in for Ana Beatriz at Barber, Justin Wilson at Mid-Ohio and Simona de Silvestro at Infineon).

"This is a chance to move forward and build on the relationship," Edwards said. "It's a great opportunity what Sam has put together to keep a really talented group of people together. We've grown together since 2009 with a team that started as FAZZT and is now Sam Schmidt Motorsports. We're here to build on that foundation, and we have some exciting things engineering-wise that we're building on to maximize the opportunities."

Schmidt said he's actively seeking sponsorship to be a two-car team.

"We'd like that opportunity. We know there aren't going to be a tremendous amount of oval races, but we'd like the second car to be with somebody who has experience on the ovals," Schmidt said. "There are candidates available."