Reynard aims to star in home CART race.

Reynard Champcars will take to the track in the UK for the first time next year, following yesterday's announcement of an oval race at Rockingham Speedway.

The inaugural oval event - races at both Brands Hatch and Silverstone have taken place in the past - will be staged on 22 September, as part of the 2001 FedEx Championship Series. Reynard has proven itself to be the leading manufacturer in the CART series since its debut in 1994, and has enjoyed numerous years of success in the predominantly US-based championship. Since taking victory in its first event with Michael Andretti, the company has gone on to notch up 75 race wins and 5 Constructors Championship titles, but racing in England will provide its staff with a special thrill.

''We're very excited by the prospect of seeing our cars racing so close to where they are built,'' said managing director Mark Smithson, ''Many of the staff involved in manufacturing and developing these cars have never seen them in action on the track, and this will be a great opportunity for these people - and the British fans - to experience the speed and excitement of Champcars.''

''Rockingham will be an excellent venue for the inaugural UK race for Champcars, with its new one-and-a-half mile oval circuit, which will encourage close, competitive racing. Most British motor racing enthusiasts will not have seen such a spectacle in this country and the event is set to add a new dimension to motor racing - it'll certainly rival Formula 1.''

The Rockingham round forms a European double-header with its German rival at Lausitzring. The British race will be the second of the two events, with the soon to be renamed Eurospeedway Brandenburg Berlin staging the first CART event on the continent on 15 September.