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INDIANAPOLIS — There have been plenty of rookies make their way into the IZOD IndyCar Series that have received more than their fair share of press.

Then there are those who enter the series to little fan fare, quietly going about their business until those around them suddenly ask, “Who was that?”

This year one of those drivers quietly entering the series is Simona De Silvestro, a 21-year-old native of Switzerland who will drive the No. 78 entry fielded through a partnership between HVM Racing and Team Stargate Worlds.

“It’s a great honor to be in a big series now with the IZOD IndyCar Series,” said De Silvestro. “I’m really looking forward to it. I think everybody worked really hard to put this deal together, and I did too. I’m really looking forward to it and can’t wait to go to the first race.”

De Silvestro made a name for herself last year in the Atlantic Championship Series. Driving the No. 78 for Team Stargate Worlds principal Imran Safiulla, De Silvestro won four races and fell just short of winning the Atlantic Championship Series crown.

After testing at Sebring (Fla.) Int’l Raceway and Barber Motorsports Park in Leeds, Ala., in the last few weeks, De Silvestro knows her transition to the IZOD IndyCar Series will take some time.

“We did four days in the cars (two each at Sebring and Barber),” De Silvestro said. “I wish I had a little bit more testing. But at the end, it’s an open wheel car and I think I know what I have to do to be fast. But for sure there is a lot to learn.

“Of course it’s a little weird when you come from one series and you’re winning and then you kind have to re-learn everything,” she added. “It’s a bigger car, longer races and all of that. But I don’t feel any pressure from that because it actually gives me confidence because I’ve been winning there. I think if I do my job right I think we can be really successful here too.”

De Silvestro isn’t the only one confident about her transition from the Atlantics to the IndyCar Series.

“Bringing on new talent is always exciting,” said Keith Wiggins, owner of HVM Racing. “Of course you want some continuity, and the longer you can do a program with consistency with the drivers you inevitably can build a strong program.

“I think she’s got that speed, so we’ve just got to harness it all. First of all, we’ve got to finish and be in the middle of the pack and work from there,” Wiggins said.

“For me, you know, everything is new,” De Silvestro said. “The races are much longer. I think the goal for me for this season is to learn as much as I can and try to help the team. I think my speed is getting there, but I am really working towards having good results at the end.”

De Silvestro makes her IZOD IndyCar Series debut March 14 during the Sao Paulo Indy 300 on the Streets of Sao Paulo, Brazil.