Press Snoop: Deals, F1 tests and memorial awards.

Vitor Meira of Brazil is the latest open-wheel driver to be announced this month in the busy world of open-wheel racing. Meira is the newest driver for Team Rahal and will race the #17 G-Force-Honda in the Indy Racing League's IndyCar Series at the next race at Twin Ring Motegi in Japan on Saturday 17 April 2004 - the same weekend as the Champ Car season's opener race at the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach.

Meira is not hired for the season - just Japan...so far. Rahal hasn't yet announced who his full-time driver will be for the second car this season or his Indy 500 plans. That comes later.

Meira, who hasn't raced this season, will team with American Buddy Rice, who has been filling in for the recuperating Kenny Brack. Meira comes from the F3000 series and South American open-wheel racing. The past two years, he has raced in IRL with Team Menard, with a personal best of third at Texas Motor Speedway in 2002.

Also racing with Meira and Rice in Japan will be a third Team Rahal driver, Roger Yasukawa, who will also run in the Indianapolis 500. He is not a full-time driver with the team.

Rahal is president of the Road Racing Drivers Club, a 52-year old honorary invitational group of race drivers and members of the motorsports community. Last Friday, Rahal announced the establishment of the Bob Akin Memorial Motorsports Award, in memory of the late Bob Akin, who lost his life in a tragic vintage-racing accident in 2002. Brian Redman, a former RRDC president, said that Akin is sadly missed.

"This award has been provided by his friends to perpetuate his memory," he noted.

The unique award, a Steuben Glass trophy, will awarded for the first time this year to an amateur, vintage or semi-professional American road racer who best exemplifies the qualities and characteristics of Bob Akin, who was a long time RRDC member and a gentleman, one of 'the good guys', epitomising 'speed with style'.

The award criteria includes a passion for motorsports and automobiles, a history of successful amateur and/or vintage racing, a high level of sportsmanship and fair play, an articulate and courteous presence, a sharp wit and mischievous sense of humour, a broad range of interests and meticulous attention to detail, a record of contribution to motorsports and the community, and a devotion to family and friends.

The 2004 award will be presented at a spring race this year and, thereafter, at the end of each racing season. The recipient will be selected by Redman and RRDC member Archie Urciuoli, as well as Akin's son, Bobby. The permanent trophy will be on display at the International Motor Racing Research Centre in Watkins Glen, New York, and the recipient will receive a smaller, engraved version of the award.

Last year's IRL IndyCar champion, Scott Dixon had his first of four days testing with the Williams Formula One team. Last Friday, he tested at Paul Ricard in France, with regular Williams driver Ralf Schumacher and test drivers Marc Gene and Antonio Pizzonia.

Dixon ran 59 laps, with gearbox problems limiting his morning session. His best time was 1min 11.753secs, less than a second slower than pacesetter Jenson Button, who turned a 1min 10.887secs - not an inconsiderable feat given that Friday was an acclimatising run. Now that his appetite has been whetted, Dixon has a few days to sleep on it and think about how it was, before his full-fledged three day Williams test at Barcelona over 7-9 April.

"Although it's a steep learning curve, I've had a really enjoyable day and, in general, I'm pleased with how it went," the Kiwi said.

Dixon is the first IRL driver to run in Formula One, although there have been several CART drivers cross over - mostly to the Williams team - with mixed success. Names such as Jacques Villeneuve and Juan Pablo Montoya, as well as Cristiano da Matta. Other CART drivers with less success included Michael Andretti and Alex Zanardi, both of whom returned to CART. Andretti has since moved over to the IRL and retired from driving to concentrate on being a team owner, while Zanardi suffered the loss of both legs in a horrific crash during the German round of the CART series a couple of years ago, but is now racing specially equipped sportscars.

Dixon races a G-Force-Toyota for Target Chip Ganassi Racing, which moved from CART to IRL two years ago. JPM and Zanardi also came from Ganassi's team when he was racing CART. Dixon has more than open-wheel experience on ovals, having won the 2002 Indy Lights Championship and raced in CART before moving to IRL.

"This, the IRL, is a high-speed formula," Williams team owner Frank Williams said, "Juan Pablo came from a formula similar to that and did well. Scott is clearly very talented and it will be fascinating to see how he performs in a Formula One car."

Williams will have at least one, if not two, vacancies starting next season. It's already been announced that Montoya is moving to McLaren next year; and Ralf Schumacher has not been exactly discreet about his discontent with Williams over salary and contract negotiations for this and future years.

Chip Ganassi Racing had problems stateside on Friday, when it's NASCAR Nextel Cup arm - Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates - had its primary race car for Jamie McMurray seized at Bristol Motor Speedway for a rear window which was too large. McMurray had to resort to the back-up car, chassis #214, in what the team said was an 'unfortunate situation'. McMurray qualified the #42 Texaco/Havoline Dodge sixth out of the 44 cars which ran, but it was Ryan Newman who took the pole with a speed of 128.314mph.

Mi-Jack Conquest Racing made good on its promise to announce its second 2004 Champ Car driver on Friday, when team co-owner Eric Bachelart named Alex Sperafico of Brazil to run in an updated Reynard. He will be a rookie this season as he only ran two Champ Car races last year with Dale Coyne Racing. His background includes the South American F3 Championship and the Barber Dodge Pro Series before he went overseas to race for European Minardi in the FIA International F3000 Championship. Sperafico tested an Indy Lights car with Bachelart in 2000, and will partner with F1 refugee Justin Wilson, who will also be a rookie contender.

The Champ Car Medical Team isn't the only group to have changes this year relating to the change of ownership. Champ Car Ministries will also be operating with a much reduced budget this season. Bridgestone Tyres and many other friends helped Champ Car Ministries make it through the end of 2003 without a deficit.

Reverend Bob Pirtle said that there was uncertainty at the end of the 2003 season regarding the future of Champ Car and, for that reason, he discouraged contributions until it was known what would be needed.

Champ Car Ministries, a non-profit organisation, has made adjustments and will be back this season to handle pastoral care to the Champ Car community. There has been a drastic reduction in its staff overhead and a 2004 budget less than thirty per cent of what it has been in the past. Pirtle, and founder Hunter Floyd, will try to attend all Champ Car races, and one of them will be at least at all of the North American races. Floyd will come out of retirement for four races, and Pirtle, who has taken outside employment, will handle the others. They hope to be able to attend the overseas races, time and funding provided.

Champ Car Ministries, which had been CART Ministries until CART changed its name, has been in existence since 1985. Floyd provided non-denominational services to all the CART community, including the Toyota Atlantic and Barber Dodge Series. Soon after its founding, Floyd was joined by Father Phil Rea as chaplain and coordinator of the Catholic activities. Later, former SCCA chaplain, Pirtle, became part of the group.

Father Phil will not be back this season, as he has been called to the Vatican.

CARA Charities, which was founded in 1981, has been a big contributor to Champ Car Ministries. CARA's fundraising efforts were sorely hampered last fall with the cancellation of the season's finale race at California Speedway due to the terrible California wildfires. That also forced the cancellation of the annual CARA Runway Madness auction and festivities. The auction was held later on the Internet.