OFFICIAL: Simona de Silvestro joins KV

After testing one of their cars yesterday at Barber Motorsports Park, Simona de Silvestro has now officially joined KV Racing Technology for the 2013 season.

The “Swiss Missile” will be joining former IZOD IndyCar Series champion Tony Kanaan to create a two-car program for Kevin Kalkhoven and Jimmy Vasser’s group. She’ll also bring her current Nuclear Clean Air Energy sponsorship over to her new home as well.

De Silvestro suffered through 2012 as she and her now-former teammates at HVM Racing were uncompetitive thanks to a horribly poor Lotus engine. But now it appears that she’ll have a fighting chance next year with the Chevrolet-powered KV team.

“I’m really excited to be joining KV Racing Technology,” De Silvestro said in a team statement. “I think it’s going to be great having Tony as a teammate. It’s never easy to make a change like this, but I’m confident that it’s the right move for me going forward.

“I do want to thank Keith [Wiggins] and HVM Racing for helping me gain a ton of experience these last three years. Even though we struggled last year with our engine, I learned a lot. Now it’s time to move on and look forward to next season.”

Kalkhoven stated that he was looking forward to seeing what the young De Silvestro can bring to the table and how she works with Kanaan, who will be her first teammate ever in IndyCar.

“I have been watching her race for many years and she shows tremendous talent,” he said. “I think we will really see this on the road/street courses and having Tony as a teammate will provide her a wealth of information, so I am excited for what the 2013 season will hold.”

In addition, Imran Safiulla, one of Simona’s key supporters, will be joining KV as a team principal for 2013.