Mauricio test rained off.

Ricardo Mauricio will have to wait a little longer before getting his first laps in behind the wheel of a full-blooded Indy Racing League car after Mother Nature put paid to his initial test session with Re Bull Cheever Racing on Thursday at Kentucky.

The 23 year-old Sao Paulian will now test the #51 Dallara-Infiniti used by team boss Eddie Cheever this year on Monday September 30th at the 1.5-mile oval in Sparta, KY.

Joining Mauricio in the rescheduled test will be Buddy Rice who is expected to be confirmed shortly as a full-time RBCR driver for 2003.

"Red Bull is dedicated to developing young drivers around the world, and we are pleased to be a part of this effort," said team owner and driver Eddie Cheever.

Although the current Dallara chassis and Infiniti engine are now obsolete, much can still be learned from racking up the test laps and while Mauricio's main task will be acclimatising himself to driving on ovals, Rice will be focusing on development work for the 2003 Indy Racing League season.

With Cheever's engine builders, TWR, now an officially approved engine builder for Chevrolet, the chances of this year's Infiniti being reworked and badged as something else next year seem to be dwindling. Although Cheever hasn't yet got an engine deal for 2003 confirmed, the veteran driver was confident of getting something sorted soon when asked about the situation at the season-ending Chevy 500 earlier this month.