Access, Ray confirm Phoenix G-Force-Honda entry.

Access Motorsports will enter a single car in the 2003 IRL IndyCar Championship Series for former Champion Greg Ray from Phoenix onwards using a G Force-Honda chassis/engine package.

After their initial deal to run George Mack in a Falcon chassis foundered, Access Motorsports, a team co-owned by former IRL Champion Ray, has confirmed that it will enter the 2003 IRL IndyCar Championship from Phoenix onwards.

Ray will use a 2003 Panoz G Force GF09 chassis coupled with the new Honda Indy V8 engine, the first team to use that combination. The team will make their debut at the Purex Dial Indy 200 at Phoenix International Raceway on March 23rd.

Access Motorsports joins Target Chip Ganassi Racing, Mo Nunn Racing and AJ Foyt Enterprises (all Toyota customers) in using the Panoz G Force chassis.

"The Panoz G Force certainly showed at the 'Test in The West' that it is the chassis to have this year and the performance at the Speedway is always strong as well," Ray said.

"We are very excited about becoming the first Honda powered Panoz G Force on the grid. Having the right package of engine, chassis and personnel is very important and we believe we are putting all the right pieces of the puzzle together.

"Our plan is try and debut the car at Phoenix but we know we have a lot of preparation to do prior to that."

The addition of Honda to the Panoz G Force entry list is a major bonus for the American chassis manufacturer according to Chief Executive Officer, David Bowes.

"Toyota has done a fantastic job with the Panoz G Force entries testing already and we are very pleased to add Honda to the list," Bowes said.

"We are very keen to work with all three-engine manufacturers. The larger base of engine packages bolted into our cars really helps our development process.

"Our new car has already proven to be very strong, but the addition of Access Motorsports and Honda will give us additional data to help make all our entries even more competitive."

Although the funding is only in place for one car at the moment, and no sponsorship deals were disclosed, George Mack is believed to be first choice for a second seat if and when it materialises.