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Hildebrand admits a sense of urgency to reestablish himself

Ed Carpenter Racing’s new fulltimer, JR Hildebrand, has said that he feels some pressure to repay the faith that the team has put in him by signing him for the whole season.

J.R. Hildebrand, Ed Carpenter Racing

J.R. Hildebrand, Ed Carpenter Racing

IndyCar Series

Ed Carpenter, Ed Carpenter Racing Chevrolet, J.R. Hildebrand, Ed Carpenter Racing Chevrolet
J.R. Hildebrand, Ed Carpenter Racing
J.R. Hildebrand, Ed Carpenter Racing
Ed Carpenter, Ed Carpenter Racing Chevrolet, J.R. Hildebrand, Ed Carpenter Racing Chevrolet
J.R. Hildebrand, Ed Carpenter Racing Chevrolet
J.R. Hildebrand, Ed Carpenter Racing
J.R. Hildebrand, Ed Carpenter Racing

Since being let go by Panther Racing mid-2013, the 28-year-old Californian has raced in the Indianapolis 500 three times for ECR, scoring a top 10 finish each time, and for the past two years has also raced in the GP of Indy on the IMS road course.

For 2017, he has replaced Josef Newgarden, and gained Denver-born Justin Taylor – Audi Sport’s engineer from last year’s World Endurance Championship runner-up lineup – as his new race engineer.

“I’m just really looking forward to making good on a great opportunity,” said Hildebrand. “Being in the situation that I’ve been in – going from fulltime to not being fulltime any more – it’s not an opportunity that a lot of guys have to get back to being fulltime.

“So there’s definitely a little sense of urgency for me personally to show that was the right move for the team and that we’re all heading in the right direction.

“But I feel good about that, knowing that I’m stepping into a great situation, with a team that’s had a high level of success over the last couple of years. There’s a lot of familiarity for me at ECR which makes a big difference but we’ve also got some fresh blood on the engineering side, guys who I’m really honestly excited about working with.”

On the other side of the coin, Hildebrand believes that being able to race full season will also mentally free him up to take more chances.

He said: “The way I’ve looked at running at Indy, there’s been a little bit of caution over the last couple of years, knowing that it’s the only event I’m going to be doing during the year, so feeling the need to come away with respectable finishes. When you’re racing fulltime, there are just some areas where maybe you feel better about the little calculated risks that, when you’re an extra car in an extra program, you don’t take.”

Hildebrand stated that while he has missed being a fulltime driver, he believes that working with Carpenter and regularly attending the races has been beneficial to his personal data bank.

“You gain some insights being away from it that you don’t really see or don’t really understand when you’re in the middle of it constantly,” he mused. “So while there’s nothing that really replaces being in the car as frequently as when you’re racing fulltime, I think in terms of the process and the way I focus on a race weekend and those finer details, at a minimum I come into this year with a different mindset and outlook than when I was a rookie.”

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