Portland test 'important' for RSports.

The RSports team did not have a chance to stop and smell the roses as the 2007 Champ Car season rushed through its opening trio of races in Las Vegas, Long Beach and Houston but, this week, Alex Tagliani and Justin Wilson hope to do just that during the series' next open test, in Portland.

The Rose City's road course will allow the squad - formed late in the day by a technical merger between the Rocketsports and RuSPORT operations - to reflect where they stand, both as a team and in relation to the opposition as the series prepares for the first of the year's road course circuits. Portland is the next stop on the calendar but, following Zhuhai's switch to a date closer to the Surfers' Paradise round, follows a six-week break. As a result, several teams have taken the opportunity of some testing time at Portland International Raceway in preparation for the GI Joe's Grand Prix.

RSports is running both Tagliani and Wilson in this week's three-day test, despite Champ Car ruling that there will be a 600-mile allotment of track time per team during 2007, and both drivers are keen to get some laps under their belts.

"So far, I am very pleased with how this season is going, and actually quite surprised with how fast it all happened," Tagliani admitted. "However, going to Portland for some testing time will be very important for us.

"Our first three races were on street courses, and now we have a couple of road course events coming up, so this test will help us prepare the new Champ Cars for the different terrain. It is also important because this track is one that we will be racing at this season, so it will be very valuable to get as much knowledge and data as we possibly can. That will help us greatly when we return in June for the race."

A string of decent results gave the Canadian's season a healthy start, but Tagliani is keen to close the gap to Newman/Haas/Lanigan and Team Australia, which have scooped the three victories so far.

"We are just hoping to continue the learning process on these new Champ Cars with the hopes of closing the gap and stepping our competition level up one more notch," he confirmed, "I feel that the first three races went very well for us. We were running in the top five in every session except during qualifying in Houston but, once we got started in the Houston race, we were back to pace. It was a shame, as the car was fast in the race but refuelling issues cost us another top five finish. But we are still up there in the championship standings and it is very tight, so we are on the right track.

"Our goal at the start of the season was to obtain as many points as possible in every event so we do not fall behind in the championship standings. We were as high as
second in the points standings after Long Beach and we are still sitting up there in fourth after Houston, so I feel that we have been achieving our goal and that we have good momentum to stay strong throughout the season."

Team-mate Wilson is not as satisfied as Tagliani, after a DNF in Vegas and tenth in Houston sandwiched fourth in Long Beach, and is looking to put matters right as the season enters its first road course phase.

"It has been a disappointing start for us - our results were just not what we were hoping for," the Briton admitted, "However, we have been making good process so, hopefully, our bad luck streak is over and we can move forward in a more positive direction in terms of results.

"I am hoping that we can get some good track time in during our test in Portland. It will be important to get a car that will be ready for the race when we return in June. Portland International Raceway is a unique track, so the more miles that we can do, the better off we will be when we return. It is a good opportunity to prepare for our next race, along with getting us situated for future road course events with this new Champ Car."