Ingram V-Prix today annouced their new test driver for 2021, former FIRST driver Oleksandr Zozulya. Zozulya returns to the sport for the first time since 2019, where he finished 8th while driving for FIRST. It has been confirmed that Zozulya will be running in various practice sessions throughout the year for Ingram, starting with the Malaysian V-Prix this weekend.
Zozulya's FV career before this point has been solid if unremarkable. After success in the junior series, Zozulya made his practice debut for FIRST at the 2017 Japanese V-Prix, before getting his full race debut at the French V-Prix. Zozulya finished a creditable 8th, just ahead of his teammate. He scored a podium in just his 4th race in Austria and followed that up with two further trips to the podium and ended the season in 10th. Zozulya was retained by the team for 2018, but the FIRST Kamen was an uncompetitive car and only in the monsoon of Malaysia could Zozulya force the car into the points. 2019 was a return to form for the team and Zozulya scored points consistently throughout the year, picking up another podium in Italy. The Ukrainian also had a one race stint at Andromeda in a swap with Will Hoskins, Hoskins ultimately replacing him permanently for the 2020 season. Zozulya left the sport at the end of the season, but there remains a feeling of unfinished business. Since he left the sport, Zozulya has dabbled in other forms of motorsport with great success, including driving Virtual 24 hours, 2nd place in the 2020 eVirtual series and winning the VTC World Cup. Despite all of this, Zozulya remains just 24 and eager to return to the pinnacle of virtual motorsport. It will be interesting to see if Zozulya will get to drive the Ingram in anger this season, or if he will be confined to the simulator. Rumours continue to swirl about Mattson's future in the sport and this signing will only add fuel to that particular fire. Where all this leaves youth and reserve driver Urmo Kruuda is also a question mark. Remarkably Zozulya's first appearance in an FV car was in the 2014 IGP Falcon at the Young Driver Test, his next will be in the 2020 IGP Tawny.
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