FA: Genoa returns with two-car team.

Genoa Racing, which competed in the Champ Car Atlantic Championship in the early 1990's, is to return to the series in 2007 with a two-car effort.

The team, owned by Angelo Ferro, will have former Atlantic driver and long-time successful open-wheel racing engineer Thomas Knapp as team manager and lead engineer while former Champ Car champion and Atlantic standout, as well as current Champ Car PKV Racing co-owner, Jimmy Vasser will be a team consultant.

Ferro, Knapp, and Vasser teamed together at Genoa Racing when Vasser first established himself as a future star, producing six wins and eight poles while finishing second in the 1991 Atlantic Championship. As the trio relived old times last month, the idea was born to reform the team to help the next generation of racing talent, with the decision taken to head back to the Atlantics for 2007.

"We're all very excited to be returning to the Atlantic series in 2007," Ferro said. "Genoa Racing is in a position to offer two subsidised seats to select, championship-calibre drivers next season, and it's the team's intention to challenge for the Atlantic Championship."

Vasser added that he was thrilled at the prospect of giving something back to a team that shaped his early career.

"My racing career certainly wouldn't have turned out the way it did without people like Angelo Ferro, and the opportunities like the one I got at Genoa Racing," he said. "I'm honoured to help the team in whatever way they need as they return to Atlantics and I'm happy to try and help them develop young drivers much like they helped me when I was coming up."

In addition to Knapp and Vasser, the team has assembled an experienced line-up of technical staff consisting of engineer Dan Toborg, mechanics Simon Morley, Kevin Edgley, Geoff Bushor and Jeff Stevens, along with technician Chris Oldham. Each member of the team brings 15-20 years of racing experience, attained at the highest levels of international motorsport, from Atlantic to Champ Car and Formula One competition.

"Genoa Racing will give our drivers all the tools required for them to run at the front of each and every race," said Knapp, who managed the 1999 Indy Racing League championship Team Menard programme and also engineered the pole-winning car at the 2000 Indianapolis 500. "The personnel that the team has assembled brings an unprecedented level of motor racing experience to this effort.

"We're currently looking for the right driver combination. Ideally, we'd like to find one driver with Atlantic racing experience and potentially one series rookie. We're looking for mouldable young drivers with a good head on their shoulders. You love raw speed but we are looking for well-rounded individuals who realise they've got to do a lot of things well, in and out of the car, in order to succeed."