Wilson: Panoz feels more like F1 car.

Justin Wilson recalled his brief stint in Formula One after finally getting behind the wheel of Champ Car's new Panoz DP01, claiming that the spec machine felt more akin to a grand prix car than the Lola he has campaigned for the past two years.

Wilson completed a three-day test with RuSPORT's Panoz at Sebring on Thursday, and admitted that it was good to be back in action after the long break that followed the 2006 season-finale in Mexico.

"It is good to finally get into the new car and get a real feel for it," the Briton said, "We had problems today with the gearbox and shifter system, which was a bit frustrating, but I'm confident that the team can sort out the problem. Other than that, it's a very quick car that's nice to drive. It feels a little more like an F1 car with its high nose and paddleshift - definitely a more modern car than what we had."

Having re-signed with RuSport just before the test, Wilson spent three days sharing information with temporary team-mate Mario Dominguez, who joined the squad for the test in order to get an early feel for the Panoz.

"The entire team has been working very hard to get us to this point," Wilson said of the frantic preparation back at base since the first DP01s were delivered in December, "It's reassuring to me to see the passion that everyone has to get these cars on track because, the more track time we have, the better understanding we'll have of it. We came away from this test with a lot of positives, but also some work to do."

RuSPORT president Jeremy Dale also complimented the team for its commitment, hard work and dedication in getting the cars on track.

"It was an enormous amount of work and everyone pulled together to get it done," he reflected, "We also want to compliment Champ Car and Panoz on such a great car - they deserve a lot of credit. The drivers enjoy the car and it will be a big part of moving the series forward."