California (8/14/2024) – Highly celebrated former professional British racing driver, James Rossiter, has been signed as the official factory test driver and will take an ambassador role for KALMAR Automotive. James will, together with the entire test team and suppliers, be responsible for the handling of the latest KALMAR innovation, the KALMAR 9×9.
With a career that spans over two decades in motorsport, James has showcased his talent as a test driver for elite Formula One teams, including BAR, Honda, Super Aguri, and Force India. His impressive racing credentials also extend to his roles as a works driver for Lotus, Toyota, Nissan and Peugeot, competing in globally renowned events such as Le Mans, Japan Super GT & Super Formula, Formula E. Most recently, he was test and development driver for the current Peugeot hypercar project for the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) campaign.
Beyond his racing prowess, James has also shown significant commercial skills by significant contributions in leadership positions within the motorsport industry. He served as the team principal of Maserati MSG Racing in Formula E and was previously the sporting director and reserve driver for DS Techeetah.
James’ extensive experience on and off the track, combined with his technical acumen, not only make him the perfect specialist to finetune the driving dynamics for the 9X9, but also makes him the perfect ambassador for KALMAR Automotive, embodying the vehicle’s spirit of innovation and high performance.
The partnership between James and Jan Kalmar, founder of KALMAR automotive is not new, as James was the lead driver for the Lotus Works team headed by Jan Kalmar that competed in the 2011 24 Hours of Le Mans endurance race.
“I only have positive memories of James. Despite a super tough project, James was lightning fast, always positive and an endless team player that pushed the entire team in the right direction,” comments Jan Kalmar. “It was a no brainer for me when the opportunity came up, I am super proud to welcome James and know he will be a huge asset for the entire project.”
“I’m incredibly proud to announce this exciting role with KALMAR Automotive. The passion, innovation & engineering that has gone into the project makes the 9X9 a truly unique car,” comments James Rossiter. “I would like to thank Jan and the entire team for the hard work to get us to this point. We are looking forward to seeing how the automotive world responds to the launch of the KALMAR Automotive 9X9!”
