Indy Pro Series Chris Festa insists that joining the new Chip Ganassi Racing team is a good move for him, despite meaning he will be entering his third year in the category.

Festa, who has previously raced for Cheever Racing and Sam Schmidt Motorsports, will take the helm of the #9 CGR entry, partnering rookie Pablo Perez in the new two-car outfit.

“This is a great opportunity for me as a driver to join a team of this calibre,” the 21-year old noted, “Chip Ganassi has a great record of success in motorsports and the team always does everything first class. There will be a lot of testing opportunities for a young driver like myself, and I can't wait to get out there and compete for race wins and the championship. I think I can be an asset and help my team-mate and team to develop the programme faster.”

Perez will make his first start in the Pro Series when the 2007 championship kicks off at Homestead in March.

“I am very excited about racing in the United States for the first time,” the 24-year old Argentine admitted, "Most drivers in Argentina think about racing in Europe, in Formula One, but, in my case, I always wanted to race in the Indianapolis 500. This is the first big step towards that ultimate goal. Racing in the US. will be a learning process and very different from anything I am used to, especially the ovals, but I think it will be a lot of fun.”