Genoa places order for Infiniti Pro Series car.

Veteran car owner Angelo Ferro and his well-known team, Genoa Racing, recently ordered its first Indy Racing Infiniti Pro Series car.

The team has been active in motorsports for nearly two decades competing in various series including SCCA Can-Am, Formula 3000, Toyota Atlantic and, most recently, Indy Lights.

"I like the ovals. You get more spectators," Ferro said. "But I like road courses, too. I like any type of racing as long as you win."

Genoa Racing, named after Ferro's hometown of Genoa, Italy, has fielded cars for such notables as Jimmy Vasser, Greg Ray and Ivan Capelli. The driver for the Pro Series team is expected to be announced in February along with the location of the race shop, which has been narrowed to San Francisco or Indianapolis, according to Ferro.

The first Dallara chassis, fitted with an Infiniti V8 engine and Firestone tires, will be shipped to the Indy Racing League in March for testing purposes.

The Infiniti Pro Series will debut on July 8, 2002, at Kansas Speedway. The Kansas race will be the first of seven anticipated Infiniti Pro Series events in 2002. Races will take place at the same track and on the weekend as Indy Racing Northern Light Series events, with every Infiniti Pro Series race distance set at 100 miles.

The Indy Racing Infiniti Pro Series was created on the same founding principles as the Indy Racing League. The V8 engines will produce approximately 450 horsepower for the single-seat winged chassis, providing an ideal training ground for the 650-horsepower, single-seat winged cars of the Northern Light Series.

Additional details of the series will be released when they become available, including the complete schedule, television package and series logo.