Nippon champ Firman gets BAR test.

British American Racing has offered newly crowned Formula Nippon champion Ralph Firman Jr the chance to make only his second Formula One appearance when it begins testing in Spain next month.

Firman, the son of the Van Diemen founder of the same name, will join the Brackley-based team at Barcelona on Sunday 15 December, when he will get to run in one of this year's BAR004-Hondas.

The 27-year old finally clinched the Nippon title this season, his sixth in the Japanese F3000 equivalent. Running with the crack PIAA Nakajima squad directed by former Tyrrell and Lotus F1 pilot Satoru Nakajima, the Briton scored four wins as greater consistency took him to the title ahead of Nippon veteran Satoshi Motoyama, whose victory in the final round was his fifth of the year. Firman is also a former British F3 champion, and winner of the prestigious McLaren Autosport Young Driver of the Year Award, which led to his only other appearance in an F1 car in 1995. He has called on F1 teams to give him a chance to show his worth since clinching the Nippon title, and BAR has finally responded.

"We congratulate Ralph on his success this year, and are delighted to offer him a Formula One test," commented team principal David Richards, "As Japan's top series, Formula Nippon is widely recognised as one of the best proving grounds for future talent, and BAR will continue to monitor the series as part of our ongoing evaluation of young drivers."

The Nippon series went through a purple patch of providing drivers to Formula One in the 1990s, with the likes of Eddie Irvine, Mika Salo, Pedro de la Rosa and Ralf Schumacher all having graduated from its ranks, but has struggled to find recognition since the Spaniard joined Arrows after winning the title.