As expected, Conquest Racing's first signing for the 2008 Champ Car World Series is Franck Perera, the 2007 Atlantic Series runner-up having impressed in testing recently.
The Frenchman, already dubbed 'Fearless' by insiders, showed that he will have no trouble adapting to the greater power of the Panoz DP01 by posting the fastest time of all during the weekend group test at Sebring, but was already being linked to Eric Bachelart's outfit before the session got underway.
“I think Franck will continue to surprise many people this year,” the team owner claimed, “He was, without a doubt, the best driver in Atlantics last season, and I think he is a great addition to our team. We knew before the test at Sebring that we were signing Franck for the year, but now everyone knows why we are so excited to secure him for 2008.
"The chemistry with Franck is excellent and he is an experienced professional – a pleasure to work with. Our focus is to take this team to the next level and Franck will help us achieve that goal.”
Having failed to break into
Formula One after two seasons in GP2, Perera opted to try his luck in America, effectively stepping back to contest the Atlantic Series. Despite having no prior experience in the class, he found himself topping the timesheets throughout the Laguna Seca test, and soon became a threat when racing began.
Although eventual champion Rafa Matos made a storming start to the season, Perera was on the podium by race five in Portland and, two races later, he scored the first of three wins. He ended the twelve-race season only 31 points out of first place, and earned eight consecutive podiums, finishing in the top five in every race.
Despite being an obvious candidate for the 2008 title, the Frenchman already had one eye on stepping up, and was visible in the paddock at Zolder seeking a drive. Although he first tested with Forsythe at the end of 2007, Perera is delighted to have inked a deal with Conquest.
“This is a great moment and opportunity for me to be joining the Champ Car World Series with a team like Conquest Racing,” he said, “I want to again thank both Eric and Anthony Blumberg for believing in my ability.
![Franck Perera - Condor Motorsport [pic courtesy Champ Car Atlantic Championship]](http://pix.crash.net/thumbs/310459.jpg)
