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INDYCAR: Rahal Signs James Jakes
Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing announced today that the team will enter a second full-season program for James Jakes.
Marshall Pruett  |  Posted February 05, 2013  
James Jakes will partner with Graham Rahal this season. (Photo: Marshall Pruett)
After coming close to signing with Rahal Letterman Lanigan (RLL) in December, former Dale Coyne Racing driver James Jakes has concluded a one-year deal to partner with Graham Rahal in 2013.

“It was the deal they were able to put together for me,” Jakes, 25, told SPEED.com on Tuesday. “Having done some research, it was the right decision. If you look at what Bryan Herta, Danica Patrick, and even Takuma Sato [did at RLL], their cars have been fast. Graham’s there for a multi-year deal, and I think it’s a great building foundation for me. Two fast drivers propel each other forward.”

His new team owner was excited to have a promising driver in place to return RLL to two cars for the first time since 2007.
Jakes should have his best season to date with RLL's resources at his disposal. (Photo: Marshall Pruett)

“I am really pleased that James is joining our team,” said Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing co-owner Bobby Rahal. “I have seen him run competitively on numerous occasions and have felt all along that given the environment we can create for him, he can achieve the success he has sought in Indy car racing. He and Graham get along and communicate well and I think that is important for the team. We’re pleased to have him and we think it will be a good combination.

"James is obviously an aggressive, competitive driver and I think that having both he and Graham on board raises the performance of the team as a whole.”

Despite coming close to landing the fourth seat at Andretti Autosport, Jakes will continue his association with Honda and will have former Andretti and KV engineer Eddie Jones in charge of his car.

“It’s great to be back with Honda,” he said. “I know they didn’t win the championship last year, but they won the Indy 500 and they’re doing everything possible to win the title 2013. I’ll have all-new faces to work with this year on the team, but I’d obviously heard of Eddie Jones. He has a great reputation and he’s been in IndyCar a long time. I’m confident in what the RLL team will be providing me.”

The RLL team will be out for the first time this year testing at Sebring later this month, but James will wait until Spring Training to make his debut.

“The plan is to run at Alabama,” he confirmed. “We wanted to get out before that, but we’d prefer to get everything right and debut at Spring Training. I’d like to do Sebring before, but we don’t race there so there’s limited reasons to go. But I’m excited about getting started. The standing starts; I haven’t done them for a while, but that will also be a fun part of testing.”
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