Mercedes DTM Driver Robert Wickens Confirmed with Maranello for Florida Winter Tour

It is always exciting to hear driver announcements when the upcoming season is right around the corner, but we are ecstatic to confirm that Mercedes DTM driver Robert Wickens will compete in the 2014 Florida Winter Tour as a member of the Prime/Maranello North America racing team. He will compete in the Rotax DD2 class against some of the worlds best two-speed Rotax racers in the sunny southern USA state with the championship beginning in January at the Homestead-Miami karting facility.

Wickens has spent the last three seasons living in Germany and competing as a driver for Mercedes in the Deutsche Touring Masters, one of the most prestigious car racing series in the world, scoring victories in his past two seasons. He is a household name in Canadian karting, where he got his racing career started before transitioning to professional motorsports. When the opportunity arises, Wickens can be found at a kart track supporting his brothers Prime/Maranello North America racing team and drivers, giving tips and jumping into a kart whenever possible.

He last competed in go-kart at the Las Vegas SKUSA SuperNationals in 2013 where he qualified on the pole-position against what was one of the strongest Rotax DD2 fields ever, featuring the worlds top talent, eventually finishing fourth in the Final. For the Florida Winter Tour Wickens intends to compete in all three rounds and battle for the championship.

Prime/Maranello North America will also have program graduate Luke Chudleigh race for the team at the FWT. Chudleigh now competes in Europe, most recently in the Formula Renault 2.0 category and will keep his skills sharp in the off-season with some karting action. The team will also field a handful of other drivers across a selection of categories.

Robert Wickens:
“I am really looking forward to getting back in a kart for the Florida Winter Tour this winter. I always have so much fun coming back and working with Maranello North America. Trevor is a big part of the driver I am today and I always enjoy having the chance to work with him. Hopefully it won’t take too long to shake the rust off and give him some results.”

Wickens last competed in a kart at the 2013 SKUSA SuperNationals, qualifying on the pole-position in the Rotax DD2 class and finishing fourth in the Final (Photo by: Cody Schindel/CKN)