Da Matta, Junqueira join RSR Jaguar

The deal marks da Matta's return to full-time racing, five years after the ex-Formula 1 driver and 2002 Champ Car champion suffered severe head injuries when he hit a deer while testing at Elkhart Lake.

Da Matta will share his car with long-time friend and former Champ Car rival Junqueira, while fellow ex-Champ Car man Jones will be one of the drivers in the team's second entry.

Team boss Paul Gentilozzi was thrilled with the line-up he had secured.

"We believe that 2011 holds a lot of promise," said Paul Gentilozzi. "We have our rookie season behind us, and look forward to a more competitive sophomore season with all of the changes and developments that we have made to the programme. We have such great talent in our driver line-up, all of these guys will bring a unique perspective and influence to the team."

Da Matta said he saw his ALMS Jaguar move as a new start.

"I have had a great career in open-wheel cars, and I feel that it is now time to begin a new chapter in my life," he said. "I have always admired GT racing, so I am excited to get started and to be a part of the American Le Mans Series with JaguarRSR."

Junqueira, who has been unable to get a full-time IndyCar drive since 2008, added that he had chasing ALMS opportunities for some time, and was delighted to be linking up with da Matta for the move.

"It is a series that I have been looking forward to joining for the last couple of years," he said. "I am excited to be working with Cristiano. He is an extremely talented driver and it will be an honour to call him my team-mate.

"We are both from Brazil, actually from the same city. We have always been battling with each other on the track, my fondest memory was in 2002 when we fought for the Champ Car World Series championship title, he won and I finished second.

"It will be nice to have him on my side, to work with him instead of trying to beat him."