Kanaan set for BAR test.

Indy Racing League champion Tony Kanaan is set to be given a run behind the wheel of a BAR Honda after his title success last season.

Speculation late in 2004 suggested that Kanaan could be given a test with the Formula One team as a reward for winning the title and country man - and BAR sporting director Gil de Ferran - has now confirmed that the test will take place at some point this year.

"It's going to happen," de Ferran said at Indianapolis ahead of the US Grand Prix. "It's definitely going to happen later on this year."

Kanaan himself admitted to being excited at the prospect of displaying his talents in an F1 machine.

"I know a lot of people talked about it last year when I won the championship and I think it's still going to happen," he said. "We didn't have time schedule-wise to make it happen with BAR but at the end of the year my mate Gil said it's going to happen with the Honda people. It would be a dream come true to drive one of these for sure."

Should Kanaan impress he could emerge as a possible target for BAR for the 2006 season should Jenson Button depart for the BMW Williams team as has long been rumoured, but Kanaan admitted that would leave the team with a problem due to his long-term deal with the Andretti Green Racing IRL outfit.

"I'm ready to get the test and I'll do my best, that's all I can say," he said. "If they like me, it's going to be their problem because they've got to ask Michael [Andretti - AGR team owner] what's going to happen there."

Fellow IRL stars Danica Patrick and AGR team-mate Dan Wheldon - both of whom impressed at the Indy 500 with Patrick fourth and Wheldon winning the event - were also in the paddock.