Pippa Mann will make her debut behind the wheel of all-electric single seater machinery at Formula E's in-season test following the Ad Diriyah E-Prix this month, driving for Dragon.
Mann, 35, began her career by racing karts before progressing up the junior single-seater series, joining the Indy Lights Championship for 2009 before making her competitive IndyCar debut in 2011, driving for Conquest Racing and Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing.
Contesting the iconic Indianapolis 500 a total of six times, Mann currently holds a personal best record of 17th place at the race while she is currently the fastest female driver at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, becoming the first female to top over 230mph at the 2.5 mile-long circuit.
“I have actually never driven an Electric Car, let alone an Electric Race Car so to have this opportunity to return to my roots and drive an Open Wheel Car again on a tight street course is something that I am looking forward to immensely,” she said.
"I am very excited to the challenge of driving a Formula E Car, and I applaud Formula E for their forward thinking in creating opportunities for Female Racers.
"It is empowering to have the chance to engage with a Championship Series who is giving the opportunity to elevate Female Talent the right way."
Completing Dragon's test lineup in the team's second car, full-time drivers Jose Maria Lopez and Maximilian Gunther will share driving duties in the second machine, with the pair taking turns over the one day test to further develop Dragon's Penske EV-3.
With teams being handed an extra test slot by Formula E if they run a female driver at the in-season test, Mann will join Amna Al Qubaisi, Carrie Schreiner, Jamie Chadwick, Simona de Silvestro, Carmen Jorda, Tatiana Calderon, Beitske Visser and Katherine Legge at the test.
Jay Penske, Team Principal and Owner of Dragon, added: "We are looking forward to working with Pippa at the test in Riyadh. She has a lot of experience across a wide range of motorsports disciplines, and we expect her to provide valuable feedback on the Penske EV-3 package."
The Ad Diriyah E-Prix will take place on December 15 to kick-start Formula E's new era of all-electric racing.
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