Johnny Cecotto Jr and Barwa Addax join forces in 2012

Venezuelan driver Johnny Amadeus Cecotto will drive for the Spanish Barwa Addax team in the 2012 GP2 Series, after having reached an agreement with Barwa at the their offices, where the team is based in Valencia.

Cecotto Jr, who is 22, will have a golden opportunity to demonstrate his true abilities in the class which is a platform towards reaching Formula 1 status, in one of the most successful teams in recent years, the Barwa Addax Team, the reigning team GP2 Series champions of last season.

The eldest son of a double former world champion of motorbike racing and ex Formula 1 driver, Johnny Cecotto, competed in the 2010 and 2011 seasons in GP2 driving for the teams Trident and Ocean, showing signs of true talent which did not go unnoticed when the main teams were looking for drivers for this coming season.

After having tested one day at the Jerez circuit in Andalucia, in which he left a very good impression, contacts between Cecotto and the Barwa Addax team intensified with a view to reaching an agreement between both parts. In the end the contracts were drawn up and now we can make it official that he will be driving for the team this season 2012. Johnny Amadeus, member of the talented sporting school of Cantv, is backed up by the Ministry of Poder Popular for Sport in the República Bolivariana of Venezuela.

For Johnny Amadeus Cecotto the agreement with Barwa Addax Team means he will have the possibility of fighting for victory in all the races next season, as well as competing for the overall driver’s championship. This would in turn make him one of the candidates to step up to the highest category, just as his fellow countryman Pastor Maldonado did after having won the GP2 driver’s championship in his fourth season in this class.

Johnny Cecotto: Barwa Addax Team driver: “The fact that I’ll be competing with Barwa Addax in the 2012 GP2 Series means an important step forward in my sporting career - states Johnny Amadeus Cecotto – I have to thank all the sponsors who have given us support in Venezuela, who believe in the work we have been doing and especially to the minister of Poder Popular for Sport, Héctor Rodríguez, as well as viceminister Yuri Quiñones, who have given us the most support, which has meant that we can have options with the best teams in this class. At the same time I hope that I can demonstrate to the Barwa Addax Team that they were right to have placed their confidence in me. I feel certain that we will have a very successful season and will be fighting for the title.”

In recent years, the team run by Alejandro Agag has been able to boast a series of drivers of tremendous talent, many of whom have been able to move up to Formula 1, including the likes of Mexican driver Sergio Pérez, runner-up in 2010, Lucas di Grassi, Vitaly Petrov, Romain Grosjean. Last season Charles Pic, signed up by Marussia F 1, and Giedo van der Garde ensured the team title in the GP2 Series.

Alejandro Agag, Owner and Team Principal: “We are delighted to welcome Johnny Cecotto on board. He is a driver we have been following over the last two seasons. In the test which he did with us in Jerez, he demonstrated his true potential, his ability to work hard and his talent as a driver. It’s going to be very important the experience he has gained, after having competed two full seasons in the GP2 class because it will help him to adapt quickly to the new modifications to the rulings this season. We feel that he is at a very important stage in his career and we want to give him the necessary support, confident that we will achieve great results, not only with him, but also with his sponsors. We will work hard offering Johnny all the means necessary so that he can show the world his true talent as a racing driver.”