Rahal Letterman confirms Sharp, Simmons.

With Danica Patrick and Buddy Rice moving on to pastures new, Rahal Letterman Racing has confirmed that it will cut back to a two car entry in the 2007 Indy Racing League, with Scott Sharp coming in to partner Jeff Simmons.

Sharp, the only driver to have raced in all eleven seasons of IRL competition, joins the RLR stable after two years with the Delphi Fernandez Racing team and will bring primary sponsorship from The Patr?n Spirits Company to the #8 Dallara while Simmons will continue in the #17 Team Ethanol Dallara he was brought into following the death of Paul Dana during the opening meeting of the year at Homestead.

"The addition of Scott Sharp gives Rahal Letterman Racing an experienced driver to team with Jeff Simmons," Bobby Rahal, co-owner of Rahal Letterman Racing said. "Scott has demonstrated over the years to be one of the most consistent drivers in the IndyCar Series and he is a proven race winner and someone who will be an outstanding representative for our organisation and for Patr?n Spirits.

"Jeff came to our team under the most difficult of circumstances, but he met the challenge of filling the void in the Ethanol programme both in and out of the car. I continue to be optimistic on Jeff and his future in this sport. His rookie campaign was auspicious simply in the fact that he showed improvement on track while dealing with a difficult set of circumstances off the track.

"As an organisation we are fortunate to be able to pair this driver combination with two world-class corporate partners giving us a foundation for a successful 2007 season and beyond."

Sharp has finished nearly 75 per cent of his races in a 14-year career and comes to RLR as the career leader in IndyCar Series starts (129) and with nine wins and 35 top-five starts to his credit. He captured the first IndyCar Series championship in 1996 and has posted eight top-ten championship results in his career.

"I'm very excited to join Rahal Letterman Racing," he said. "The team has been at the front of the open wheel scene ever since its inception and has proven to win races with different drivers, chassis and series. I can't wait to work with Bobby, the entire team, and with Jeff. I expect us to be a formidable combination! I'm equally thrilled to represent Patr?n and expose their highest quality tequila to a very ripe fan base. It should be an exciting year both on and off the track!"

Simmons finished second in the Rookie of the Year competition, despite starting two less races than winner Marco Andretti, and collected a team best four consecutive top-ten results on his way to 16th in the championship.

"I came to RLR under difficult circumstances, but the team has been extremely supportive and I think as a team we started to come to grips with the Dallara towards the end of the season," he said. "I am looking forward to starting on equal footing with the rest of the field and entering the season with a full winter of testing.

"The addition of Scott in the Patr?n car is a real plus for RLR. Scott brings a lot of experience and that is another great resource for me to draw on as we prepare for the 2007 season."

Simmons two team-mates from last season will both have new drives in 2006, with Patrick having joined Andretti Green Racing and Rice hoping to secure a drive in the Champ Car World Series.