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12.06.04 Toyota Atlantic, Formula BMW USA Drivers Make Most of Champ Car Test SEBRING, Fla. (November 29, 2004) – Some of the top rising stars in the Bridgestone Presents The Champ Car World Series Powered by Ford driver development system got the opportunity to showcase their skills in a 750 HP Champ Car Monday during testing at Sebring International Raceway. Both the Forsythe Championship Racing and Dale Coyne Racing teams of the Champ Car World Series were on hand to put some of the top open-wheel talents cultivated in the Champ Car system through their paces, and the teams came away impressed by the skill coming up through the ranks. The 2003 Champ Car champion Forsythe squad tested Alex Figge, a three-year veteran of Champ Car’s top development series - the Toyota Atlantic Championship - and the team also got a good look at Andreas Wirth, who captured the Formula BMW USA championship this season in Champ Car’s entry level development series. Figge, a 22-year-old California native who won in Monterrey, Mexico last season while finishing seventh in the Atlantic championship, ran a total of 91 laps in the #1 Indeck Ford-Cosworth/Lola/Bridgestone normally driven by Paul Tracy in the Champ Car World Series. No official lap times were released at the test, but Figge recorded an unofficial top lap of 53.57 seconds on the eight-turn, 1.67-mile Sebring “short” road course. “I really want to thank Champ Car and the Forsythe team for this experience,” said Figge. “I thought it was a good test and I ran as competitively as anyone. The biggest difference between a Champ Car and an Atlantic car is obviously the power. At 750-horsepower it’s a big jump from the (240-horsepower) Atlantic car and that was challenging. At this point I’m still keeping my options open for next season but I’d love to be in Champ Car at some point down the road.” After capturing four wins and 11 podium finishes in 14 Formula BMW USA events this season, the 19-year-old Wirth earned his chance to test with the Forsythe squad. The native of Germany performed well in his first Champ Car experience completing 114 laps with an unofficial best time of 54.43 seconds. “Wow, what a powerful car!” said Wirth after his first run in the #7 Indeck Ford-Cosworth/Lola Bridgestone. “I learned a lot and I continued to improve my times, so I’m pretty happy. I just want to thank Forsythe Racing and both Formula BMW USA and Champ Car for this test.” Another talented up-and-coming young American driver also fared well testing for Dale Coyne Racing on Monday. Ohio native Bryan Sellers got in the most work during the day-long test session, logging 130 laps at the Sebring circuit with an unofficial best time of 53.72 seconds. The 22-year-old Sellers, who earned three podium finishes and was seventh in his first season in the Toyota Atlantic Championship in 2004, felt his experience in the development series certainly helped during the test in the #11 yokeTV.com Ford-Cosworth/Lola/Bridgestone Champ Car. “I think having a year of Atlantic seasoning under my belt definitely helped prepare me for running a Champ Car,” said Sellers, who also tested a Newman/Haas Racing Champ Car in 2002. “That experience allowed me to get up to speed more quickly.” Dale Coyne Racing also tested Australian sports car driver Marcus Marshall and the 25-year-old Gold Coast, Queensland native also opened some eyes posting an unofficial quick time of 53.71 seconds while running 68 laps of testing. Formula BMW USA 2004 Rookie-Of-The-Year James Hinchcliffe got the opportunity to demonstrate his abilities at the next level in the Champ Car development system as well. The 17-year-old Canadian racer earned a test with Polestar Racing Group of the Toyota Atlantic Championship after finishing second in the BMW series this season. Hinchcliffe completed 86 laps in the #4 PaySystems car accessories for the Polestar team today and he benefited from the guiding hand of Ronnie Bremer, who drove the car to a fifth-place finish in the Atlantic series this season. Bremer was on hand to coach the talented teen through his first Atlantic experience. Hinchcliffe returns to the track on Tuesday to complete the two-day test. The top rookie in the Atlantic series in 2004 will get his chance to show what he can do in a Champ Car on Tuesday as well. Canadian phenom Andrew Ranger will test for the Forsythe team at Sebring as the top stars of the Champ Car development ranks continue to get a chance to shine. The 18-year-old Ranger finished fourth in the Atlantic series this season after recording six podium finishes for the Sierra Sierra Enterprises team. Atlantic graduate Michael Valiante, who finished 14th in his Champ Car debut earlier this month in Mexico City, will also test Tuesday for the Dale Coyne Racing team. Contact Merrill Cain, Toyota Atlantic Communications (586) 630-1474 |
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