The Champ Car World Series is hoping for a long, lasting and fruitful relationship with its new Atlantic Championship chassis-engine package and so it is only fitting that a machine largely responsible for the newest love affair with Champ Car Atlantics should be unveiled on Valentines Day.
The launch of 300hp Swift-Cosworth machine gives the Atlantic Series and Champ Car itself an ideal opportunity to meet and greet many of the new drivers and teams that the 2006 Atlantic Championship has attracted. Currently, no less than 40 cars have been ordered, including a combined eight cars from current Champ Car teams Forsythe Racing, Mi Jack-Conquest Racing and Team Australia and another two from Champ Car team co-owner Paul Newman.
All 40 chassis will be delivered to their teams no later than March 8th, giving competitors just a few short weeks to get their cars in order for the first major open-test on March 21-22 at the California Speedway road course. The 12-race 2006 Champ Car Atlantic Championship season will then officially get underway on April 9th at the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach.
The new Yokohama shod car will be unveiled in a special ceremony on Tuesday evening, February 14th at the exclusive Petersen Automotive Museum in Los Angeles.
"We're very excited to celebrate the official launch of the 2006 Champ Car Atlantic Championship race car," said Vicki O'Connor, Managing Director for the Champ Car Atlantic Championship Presented by Yokohama. "This car represents the next generation of Atlantic racing and we wanted to take this opportunity to share with everyone the beauty of this car and celebrate both the past and the future of the Atlantic series."
