Rice, Martinez complete successful Forsythe test.

Two-thirds of Forsythe Championship Racing's new-look Mexico City line-up, Buddy Rice and David Martinez, completed over 400 trouble-free miles in their first test with the squad at the MSR Houston road course yesterday.

The purpose of the test was to get both drivers used to the team and the Lola-Cosworths they will be driving in the Champ Car finale next weekend. Remarkably, given their differing careers, both Rice and Martinez will be Champ Car rookies in Mexico, the American having deviated to the IRL following his Toyota Atlantic success and Martinez still making his way up the Champ Car ladder.

The last time Rice was in the cockpit of a Champ Car was almost six years ago, when he tested one of the turbo-charged machines after capturing the 2000 Atlantic title. For Martinez, meanwhile, it was the first time getting behind the wheel of a Champ Car, although the young Mexican is no stranger to adapting to new types of car as he has driven in
Atlantic, A1GP, Formula Renault V6, Barber Dodge Pro Series and F3 over the last few years.

Rice received his call-up to the squad after AJ Allmendinger - who only joined Forsythe four races into the 2006 campaign - revealed that he was quitting the championship for a full-time NASCAR ride next year. The American has been racing in the Indycar Series for the past few years, and was grateful to get a chance to test the Champ Car ahead of his race debut.

"I'm very glad that we were able to get out there and get some laps under our belt before we get to Mexico, it's a big benefit and it will definitely help our performance," he admitted, "I feel really good, everything went just as planned. I really enjoyed working with the Forsythe team and getting to know my engineers and the rest of the team. These guys are really well organised and everybody is very professional, so that made the transitions to Champ Car much easier.

"We were able to get up to speed right away, although getting used to the turbo lag takes a little while. I also had to the brakes, which work extremely well, but, after only a few laps I
got very comfortable and was able to push hard. Everything went smooth, now we just have to get down to Mexico and get back on track and keep gaining speed so we can have a strong result."

Martinez also noted the difference in performance between the Atlantic car he has campaigned in 2006 and the Champ Car he will run alongside Rice and veteran Paul Tracy next weekend.

"I'm very satisfied and very happy with the test, and we were able to run over 200 miles without any problems," he reported, "Driving these cars is an amazing experience - the
power, the aerodynamics, the brakes, everything is just top notch.

"My engineer and I developed a very good relationship throughout the day, taking it easy at first and gradually getting faster. By the end of the day, we were turning very competitive laps. We basically did a lot of different tests to prepare me for a full race weekend, including simulated qualifying runs with new tyres, pit-stops and long runs with full tanks so I could feel the wear of the tyres and the change in the balance of the car as the fuel burns. However, I'm feeling very relaxed after this test. It's never easy to come into a world class series as a rookie, but after driving the car I have a better idea of what to expect and that's going to be a big help for Mexico."