>>
Bridgman predicts big year in Champ Car Atlantic
|
02 March 2006
Essex, UK - 2 March 2006: Back in England for a short spell after a successful and intensive first stint of testing for the Champ Car Atlantic Championship, British driver Tim Bridgman says the US open-wheel series is going to have one of its best years ever.
The 20-year-old, who will be driving with Jensen MotorSport in the premier development series, spent 10 days testing the 2005-spec car at the Houston, Buttonwillow (in LA) and Pahrump (near Las Vegas) circuits.
"They refer to the Atlantic car as a 'big puppy'. It's a good fun car to drive, a real challenge. You have to be assertive and push the car, which I like," said Bridgman, who with plenty of good running under his belt, believes the new 2.3-litre, 300-horsepower Mazda-Cosworth-powered Swift is the perfect stepping stone to the Champ Car World Series.
Bridgman says he is looking forward to driving the new car at the first official test on March 21-22 at the California Speedway and commended his team on their preparation. "If the test programme is anything to go by then we are going to have a really good season working together. Judging by the amount of effort everyone's putting in I think that we are going to give it a good shot," he commented. "The team have been great; they have all worked really hard, so a big thanks to Mike and Adam, the guys on my car, who have been awesome - I couldn't have asked any more from them."
Bridgman, who attended the season launch of the Champ Car Atlantic series at a gala dinner in Los Angeles in February, says he is impressed with the following the open-wheel series garners in the United States. "Everyone in the States is mega enthusiastic, they love their sport, and Motorsport is no exception. The fans come down to the test tracks - they say hello and wish us luck."
The Essex-native, the only UK driver officially announced for the series so far, believes the first race will be an event to behold. "However many we get out on the grid - 25, 30, 35, 40 - going through Long Beach for the first race is going to be an awesome sight," he said. "As Kevin Kalkhoven put it at the launch, it's the re-birth of open-wheel racing in America so it's going to be a fantastic year to be starting my career in the U.S.A."
Bridgman returns to the West Coast of America in two weeks for further unofficial testing before the first group test in March.
- Ends -
<< back to news
