Panther pin hopes on Tomas.

Panther Racing's two Tomas,' Scheckter and Enge, are among the most colourful in the IRL IndyCar Series paddock and are the two men charged with helping get Panther Racing back into the winners circle in 2005.

Scheckter welcomes the fresh air blowing through the Indianapolis-based team that has a series-high 14 victories and two championships, and the commitment from Chevrolet to provide its sole IndyCar Series team with the power to return to Victory Lane.

Last year, the South African with 44 IndyCar Series races in his seat started strong before the #4 Pennzoil Panther Racing entry came down with a case of season-long hiccups. He started third and finished fifth (both season highs) in the opener at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

"We had our struggles last year, but a lot of things happened that were out of our control, and this team moved ahead and is focused on winning races," said Scheckter, who signed a contract extension at the season finale at Texas. "It's really great to be back here with Panther, for sure. This team is very confident in my ability and I know Panther is one of the strongest teams in the series.

"In our preseason testing we learned that Chevy is going to be as strong as ever, and Pennzoil has a great tradition in open-wheel racing. I'm already working together well with my new teammate and we expect success this year."

Enge also expects success on the 14 ovals, two road courses and one temporary street circuit on the schedule. Two 2004 races with Patrick Racing (finishes of 16th and 13th) gave him a taste for the vagaries of oval racing and the highly competitive IndyCar Series.

In testing at Homestead-Miami Speedway and Phoenix International Raceway in the past month, Enge topped the morning speed chart twice.

"I am really looking forward to my first full IRL season," said Enge, a veteran of FIA F3000 competition. "I have had a lot of opportunities to learn that Panther Racing is one of the best teams and I am proud that I am driving for them. I have a very good teammate in Tomas Scheckter. We are working very well together."

Also helping Enge get up to speed is veteran engineer Andy Borme. The member of Helio Castroneves' 2001 and '02 Indianapolis 500-winning teams was hired in the off-season.

"I know that the season will be demanding because there are a lot of tracks where I have not raced before," Enge said. "I believe that I will be able to learn them quickly because you have to find the speed as soon as possible. I would like to fight for the Bombardier trophy for the rookie of the year and I am sure that there will be tough competition.

"One of the highlights of the season will definitely be the Indianapolis 500. It is a classic race with a great history and I am lucky that I will have a chance to race there."

"We've very excited about our whole package going into 2005," commented team co owner Doug Boles. "Chevy is committed to winning races this year, and especially the Indianapolis 500.

"Tomas Scheckter has led more laps at Indianapolis than anybody else in the series, and Tomas Enge brings a wealth of talent and a winning tradition, so we're thinking those guys are going to be strong.

"If all the stars align, and we can add a third driver at Indianapolis, that's something we'd like to accomplish. We've won more races than anybody in the IndyCar Series, and we've won two championships, but we haven't won the Indianapolis 500, and that's what really drives everybody at Panther Racing."