Genoa Racing has been left impressed with the performance of young Finn Henri Karjalainen during a two-day test in one of the team's Atlantic cars last week at Sebring.

The 22-year-old Karjalainen placed 17th in his rookie season in the Atlantic Championship Powered this year with a best finish of tenth on the street course at Trois-Rivieres.

With team and driver both seeking a deal for next year, team manager Thomas Knapp said he had been impressed and was keen to sign Karjalainen up for the 2009 campaign.

"We were impressed with Henri, both in and out of the car," said Thomas Knapp, team manager and chief engineer. "He never put a wheel wrong, and was responsive to our direction.

“He hadn't driven at Sebring previously, and met our performance targets over the two days. We would like to complete a deal for the season, and develop him into a consistent threat for the 2009 Atlantic championship."