A new challenge for the American
source:
irl.racing-live.com
Fernandez Racing officially announced Wednesday
morning that Scott Sharp would drive its second Honda powered Panoz in the 2005
IndyCar Series season.
Sharp moves over from Kelley Racing, where he had raced since 1998. Sharp's car
has a familiar look, as primary sponsor Delphi along with associate sponsors
Futaba, ATT and Bryant Heating and Cooling also move with Sharp. The car will
carry the same color scheme as his Kelley Racing car.
Over his 10 years in the IRL, Sharp has won eight races. His current streak of
90 consecutive starts is a record for the series.
Fernandez Racing is in Homestead for the IndyCar Series open test. Along with
fielding the No. 8 car for Sharp they are also fielding a Honda/Panoz for second
year driver Kosuke Matsuura.
At this point the team does not have a 2005 entry for owner Adrian Fernandez
despite winning three of the final six races in 2004 and closing out the season
fifth in points.
The Sharp announcement was made by Bill Lafontaine, Delphi corporate director of
media relations, "We are very excited about this opportunity to team up with
Fernandez Racing, an extremely talented organization with a wealth of
engineering experience."
Delphi continues their long relationship with the Indy Racing League not only as
a team sponsor but also as both the official electronics provider and official
safety supplier to the IRL. Additionally it was announced that Delphi will
continue as the sponsor of the Delphi Indy Racing League safety team.