At historic Sebring source: champcarworldseries.com The first test of the year in sunny central Florida is usually marked by sunburns and hot laps, but the first meeting of Forsythe Championship Racing's four young hotshoes at Sebring International Raceway was also a chance for a completely new group of drivers, mechanics and engineers to see how the chemistry of the team is going to jell. And if these first few days together are any indication, the recipe is going to produce a tasty dish as the 2006 Champ Car Atlantic Championship Presented by Yokohama revs up for the first green flag of the year at the 32nd running of the fabled Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach, April 7-9. American Leonardo Maia, Canadian James Hinchcliffe, German Andreas Wirth and Frenchman Richard Philippe all ran quick laps throughout the four on-track test days, but from the outset the focus was on getting to know one another and establishing performance baselines for the team itself as much as the cars. "This was a chance for us to see how we're going to work together," said Team Manager John Brunner. "Having dinner together in the evenings may have been more important than the time we spent at the track. I'm very pleased with how everyone got along and we definitely seem to be setting the stage for an outstanding team. It seems like we're all old friends already, and that's a good sign. Plus the boys did some very competitive lap times - icing on the cake!" The team obtained a pair of Swift 014.a chassis to conduct the test, shared among the four drivers. Swift is producing a new car for the 2006 season, designated the 016.a, powered by a 2.3-liter Cosworth engine producing 300 horsepower. The new car will be released to the teams in March. In addition to the Atlantic test, the team brought along one of their Lola Champ Cars for Andreas Wirth and Richard Philippe to get a glimpse of their 750-horsepower Ford Cosworth future. Wirth and Philippe were selected to drive the Champ Car based on their previous test experience, while Maia and Hinchcliffe will get their taste later in the year.
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