After two seasons in DTM, Joey Hand will return to racing full-time in North America next year, having joined Chip Ganassi Racing and Ford for its factory assault on the TUDOR United SportsCar Championship.
The 35-year-old Californian was confirmed Tuesday to partner Scott Pruett in the No. 01 Riley-Ford, which will carry primary sponsorship from Ford EcoBoost following the departure of Memo Rojas and sponsor Telmex.
For Hand, who ends his long-term relationship with BMW, it marks his return to the Ganassi organization after being part of the team's Rolex 24 at Daytona effort for three years, including winning the 2011 race.
“What an opportunity. To say I’m thrilled to be joining this team would be an understatement,” Hand said. “With the successes of Chip’s team in sports car racing, the great history of the No. 01 car and getting to team-up with a legend like Scott Pruett, I think Christmas came a little early for me this season.
“I had a great experience with the team in 2011, 2012 and 2013, and now here we are back together full-time in the TUDOR United SportsCar Championship. Daytona is right around the corner to kick off the season and I can’t wait to start working with Scott and the team.
“In all honesty, I’ve wanted to drive for this team since I was a little kid. I’m excited about my long-term future here and what we can potentially accomplish together as sports car racing continues to grow.”
Ford, meanwhile, takes on an increased role within the team following a successful first season with the 3.5-liter EcoBoost V6 that delivered three overall wins.
“The evolution of our Ford EcoBoost technology continues to be the major focus of our program for 2015,” said Jamie Allison, Ford Racing director.
“We look forward to continuing that climb with Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates in the TUDOR United SportsCar Championship series and we welcome Joey Hand to our program joining Scott Pruett as we compete for wins every race and a Ford championship.”
