Hinchcliffe, Wickens confirmed at SPM

Schmidt Peterson Motorsports has confirmed its all-Canadian pairing of James Hinchcliffe and Robert Wickens will represent the Honda-powered Verizon IndyCar Series program. First mentioned by RACER several weeks ago, the close friends will be tasked with helping SPM to form its first consistent one-two punch since the team was formed in 2001.

"Not only am I really excited to be able to say I'll be back with SPM for next year and beyond, but I am also really looking forward to being teammates with one of my oldest friends," said Hinchcliffe who, like Wickens, hails from the outskirts of Toronto.

"Robbie and I grew up racing against one another, eventually took different paths, me staying in North America in open-wheel cars and him going off to Europe in sports cars, but it's pretty neat that we both ended up here and we get to live our dream of being professional racing drivers, together on the same team.

"I think 2018 is going to be a great year for the SPM organization, from having Robbie here to the team's new partnership with Honda and the 2018 aero kit; I just can't wait to get back on track and bring some good results home for the Arrow Electronics crew."

The last team with a Canadian theme to grace the IndyCar scene came from the Player's Forsythe Racing program, which delivered the 2003 Champ Car title with Paul Tracy. Launched by the Player's tobacco brand in the early 1990s as an initiative to groom English- and French-Canadian open-wheel talent, Player's made a significant impact by sponsoring racing series, teams and drivers across F2000, Formula Atlantic, Indy Lights, CART, and Champ Car.

David Empringham, Greg Moore, Bertrand Godin, Lee Bentham, Alex Tagiani, Patrick Carpentier, Tracy, and more achieved considerable success as a direct result of Player's support. In the case of SPM, its Canadian team owner, Ric Peterson, and the support of Arrow Electronics along with other sponsors have given the modern IndyCar series its first Canadian driving duo.

"This is an entirely new chapter to add to my racing career, and I am really excited for this opportunity that Schmidt Peterson Motorsports has given me," said Wickens, who amassed eight successful seasons of open-wheel racing before turning to the German DTM series in 2012.

"I think everyone knows the story by now that James and I grew up racing against one another in go karts, and to make it to the largest open-wheel racing series in North America together as teammates, it's crazy to think about. I am very thankful for the six years I had with everyone at Mercedes and DTM; those are memories I will cherish forever. I can't wait to truly see what the Verizon IndyCar Series is all about!"

For Peterson, the opportunity to showcase elite talent from his home country was too good to pass up.

"We're all very pleased to have Robert on board, and not just because he's another Canadian," he said. "He's obviously someone who has been on our radar for some time now, and we're excited about this new chapter in the SPM organization. We've been building a lot of momentum within the team and hope this latest addition will be a great next step as we move forward. I'm also really proud that we'll be able to represent 'Team Canada' and be able to showcase two great Canadian athletes."