Tatiana Calderón will make history for AJ Foyt Racing in the 2022 NTT INDYCAR SERIES season, becoming the first female driver to compete for the team owned by the legendary four-time Indianapolis 500 winner.
ROKiT Group is expanding its marketing partnership with AJ Foyt Racing for 2022 as the team will enter two ROKiT-branded Chevrolet, with Colombian Calderón, 28, hired to drive the No. 11 ROKiT Chevrolet in road and street course events. No driver has been signed yet for the oval tracks.
The agreement expands AJ Foyt Racing to a three-car team with the previously announced Kyle Kirkwood in the No. 14 ROKiT Chevrolet and veteran Dalton Kellett in the No. 4 K-Line Insulators USA Chevrolet.
“I’m thrilled and very thankful to Jonathan Kendrick, ROKiT and AJ Foyt Racing for the opportunity to race in the NTT INDYCAR SERIES,” Calderon said. “Ever since I started my single-seater career in the United States 11 years ago, INDYCAR has been a reference for me, and it’s a dream come true to be on the grid this year. I can’t wait to get to St. Petersburg for the first race of the season. I’m well aware of the challenge ahead, but this is the chance of a lifetime, and I’m keen on making the most of it.”
Entrepreneur Kendrick, the co-founder and chairman of the ROKiT Group of Companies, has supported Calderón's career since 2020 when she competed in the World Endurance Championship and Super Formula Japan.
“One of our fundamental principles in the overall marketing of the ROKiT brand worldwide is our support and promotion of women in motorsport, and as part of that principle, we’ve supported Tatiana for a long time now," Kendrick said. "We recognized her talent and charisma early on, which we’ve seen grow and develop, so we’re very excited to be expanding our partnership with Larry and the AJ Foyt Racing Team by having Tatiana drive the No. 11 ROKiT Chevrolet alongside Kyle Kirkwood in the No. 14 ROKiT Chevrolet this season.
“We know Tatiana is already a role model to many young female drivers around the world, and we think the huge exposure of the NTT INDYCAR SERIES will serve only to increase her reach even further to become an inspiration to many more women to get involved in motorsports.”
Calderón spent the last two seasons competing in Super Formula in Japan for Threebond Drago Corse and for Richard Mille Racing in the FIA World Endurance Championship. She has been a test driver for the Alfa Romeo Formula One team for the past four years. Her extensive resume includes stints in Formula 2, Renault Series Formula V8 3.5 (where she was the first female on the podium in Bahrein in 2017), GP3, European Formula 3 and the British Formula 3 series, where she was the first female to score a podium.
She began her single-seater auto racing career in 2010 and 2011 in Indy Pro 2000, the middle rung of the Road to Indy ladder series.
Born in Bogota, Colombia, and living in Madrid, Spain, Calderón tested the No. 14 ROKiT Chevrolet last July at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course.
“I’m thrilled with the continuation and expansion of the ROKiT AJ Foyt Racing Team,” team president Larry Foyt said. “We welcome Tatiana Calderón in car number 11 joining Kyle Kirkwood in car 14, both in the very cool ROKiT liveries. Tatiana showed a lot of potential in her test at Mid-Ohio. With Dalton Kellett in the No. 4 K-Line Insulators Chevrolet, I think our three-car team is in for an exciting season.”
Calderón will test with 2021 Indy Lights presented by Cooper Tires champion Kirkwood this week in Sebring, Florida. Kellett is planning to attend in an advisory role.
Calderón and Kirkwood will make their NTT INDYCAR SERIES debut alongside Foyt returnee Kellett in the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg presented by RP Funding on Sunday, Feb. 27, with live coverage start at noon (ET) on NBC.