Cheever hires Scheckter as team-mate for 2002.

Tomas Scheckter will drive the No. 52 Red Bull Cheever Racing Infiniti entry in the 2002 Indy Racing League season, team General Manager Richard Caron announced Feb. 26.

Scheckter will be a teammate to owner-driver Eddie Cheever Jr., who won the 1998 Indianapolis 500. Scheckter will make his Indy Racing League debut during the 20th Anniversary Grand Prix of Miami on Saturday, March 2 at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

"Joining Red Bull Cheever Racing is an unbelievable opportunity," Scheckter said. "Two months ago, I never would have imagined I would be in this position. I am lucky to be driving in the Indy Racing League with one of the best teams on pit lane."

Both Cheever and Scheckter will drive Dallara chassis with the dynamic Red Bull paint scheme. Infiniti Indy V8 engines will power the cars, which will use Firestone tyres.

Cheever will drive the No. 51 Red Bull Cheever Racing Infiniti, while Scheckter will drive the No. 52 car in the team's campaign to win the Indianapolis 500 and the Indy Racing League championship. Scheckter, 21, a native of Cape Town, South Africa, also will compete for league Rookie of the Year honours.

Scheckter was among the five fastest drivers all three days of the 'Test in the West', Feb. 6-9 at California Speedway and Phoenix International Raceway, testing for Red Bull Cheever Racing. Those testing days and a test in January with the team at Las Vegas Motor Speedway are Scheckter's first experiences on an oval.

"The speed at which Tomas adapted to oval racing is impressive," Caron said. "After only one day of testing at Las Vegas, he went to California Speedway and was fastest of the day in the 'Test in the West'. At the more technical Phoenix oval, his European training allowed him to work efficiently with our engineers, producing times in the top five."

"He is similar in driving style and determination as Eddie. This was a difficult decision considering all the talent on the market right now, but Cheever and Scheckter are a perfect mix for this team."

Scheckter is the son of 1979 Formula One World Champion Jody Scheckter and was groomed through a steady progression of racing karts, Formula 3, Formula 3000 and eventually Formula One as a test driver for Jaguar Racing. He was the runner-up in the 2001 Formula Nissan Championship and the 2000 British Formula 3 series. He also won two races in the 2000 FIA Formula 3000 series.

"There is no science to hiring a driver," Cheever said. "Whatever decision you make is a gamble. Tomas did very well in testing, but he is still an unknown.

"What we do know is that he is single-minded and determined to do everything necessary to be successful in racing. The fact that he is in the best physical condition of any driver we tested is proof of that."

Red Bull Cheever Racing, based in Indianapolis, is the brainchild of 1998 Indianapolis 500 champion Cheever. A leader in American motorsports, the Indy Racing League team is built on Cheever's experience in Formula One, sports cars and open-wheel oval racing. Corporate and technical partnerships with the world's leading energy drink Red Bull, Nissan North America's Infiniti Division, TWR Group and Lincoln Financial Group greatly enhance the team's resources and technology.