Trio test for Forsythe.

Forsythe Racing have tested three young hopefuls in one of their Lola Champ Cars as team boss Gerald Forsythe tries to piece together his team for 2007.

Atlantic championship runners Andreas Wirth and Richard Philippe were joined by newcomer Lawson Aschenbach at the Houston MSR road course with all three hoping to add their names to the lengthening list of candidates for the second Forsythe seat alongside Paul Tracy next season.

Wirth finished third in the Champ Car Atlantic Championship for Forsythe this year with back-to-back opening round wins at Long Beach and Houston. He also made his Champ Car debut this year with Dale Coyne Racing competing in the last 2 rounds, scoring a 9th place finish in Australia.

2005 Formula BMW USA Champion Philippe graduated to Champ Car Atlantic at the tender age of 16, becoming the youngest driver in the Series. He went on to become a consistent front runner having his best qualifying effort of third at Cleveland, and scoring his first career podium at the same event by finishing second.

After successful karting, Formula 2000, and Formula BMW USA seasons Aschenbach competed in the 2006 SPEED GT Championship and became the first ever rookie Champion capturing his first career victory at St. Petersburg, finishing on the podium three times, and never scoring outside the Top 10. At the same time the 23 year old also managed to earn a Bachelor of Science degree from Vanderbilt University in Engineering and Mathematics.

"It's great to be back in a Forsythe Champ Car and especially around this track that is so much fun and so physical," said Wirth. "We were able to test a lot of things for the team, we had an extensive test plan and it all went very well.

"Unfortunately when we tried to go a little faster we had some problems; I was out with new tyres and on my third lap the car started to get very loose, which isn't normal because usually that's when the tyres grip the most. So I came in and the mechanics discovered that I had picked up a small screwdriver somewhere around the track and it had completely gone through the tire. So we ran out of tyres and weren't able to get the most speed out of the car.

"I'm very thankful that the Forsythe Team chose me again for their testing programme and trusted me with one of their Champ Cars. Overall it was a good test, I'm happy. This is where I want to be next year so every test day gets me better prepared for the 2007 season."

"Everything went pretty well; basically we just spent the day testing a bunch of things for the team and not really working on the car that much," added Philippe. "But I was actually pretty pleased because I managed to get up to speed pretty quickly and run competitive laps.

"I had tested a Champ Car for Forsythe during the pre-season and having a full year of Atlantics under my belt has definitely helped me. One of the main things I've learned is how to use the aerodynamics of the car; it's very different than driving a car without downforce. I mean it's still a huge step but the Atlantics definitely help prepare you for Champ Car. So overall it was a good day, I really enjoyed working with the Forsythe Team and I hope I can get back in a Champ Car soon."

"That was an amazing experience," enthused Aschenbach. "These cars are just incredible, they handle like a dream! It takes a while to get used to it, especially the breaking power that you have at your disposal. Also I had never driven a car with downforce so that also took some getting used to, basically the faster you go the more grip you have. You get to a point in a corner when you think you are at the limit and then you go faster and the car just gets better and better.

"I had set some goals for myself before the test, basically I just wanted to make sure I kept it on the track and that I got up to speed in a safe manner. At the end I gave it all I had and with our last set of new tyres I was getting pretty tired. More than anything this experience really opened up my eyes to how fit you have to be to race in Champ Car, it was a lot more physical than I expected.

"I have to thank the Forsythe Team for giving me this amazing opportunity. They gave me a great car and everybody just made my job so easy, I really appreciate it."

After parting company with both Mario Dominguez and AJ Allmendinger during the course of the 2006 season, Forsythe gave Buddy Rice and David Martinez a run in the final round of the season in Mexico City as team boss Gerry Forsythe now adds another trio of names to the list of potential drivers for next year.