To: rec.autos.sport.indy
From Newsgroup: rec.autos.sport.info

TORRANCE, Calif. (January 9, 2004) - Super Aguri Fernández Racing today
announced that 24-year-old Kosuke Matsuura of Aichi, Japan, will pilot
its #55 Panasonic ARTA Honda-powered Panoz G Force/Firestone entry in the
2004 IRL IndyCar Series.



Matsuura, a long-time member of the ARTA Project driver development
program founded by team co-owner Aguri Suzuki, has spent the past three
years garnering attention through his racing efforts in <?xml:namespace
prefix st1 ns "urn:schemas-microsoft-comffice:smarttags" />Europe.
He finished third in the 2003 Formula Renault V6 Eurocup, claiming three
wins [Donington Park, Oschersleben and Estoril] and five additional
podiums, including six consecutive podium finishes to close out the
season. In 2001 and 2002, Matsuura was a force in German Formula 3
competition, finishing second in the 2002 championship with two wins
[Hockenheim and Zandvoort] and six pole positions.

"I have been supporting Kosuke Matsuura through the ARTA Project since
he was competing in karts," said Suzuki. "He is very decisive and
clever when driving, and he is very fast. I am looking forward to the
first win for Super Aguri Fernández Racing."



Co-owner Adrián Fernández was on hand when Matsuura turned his first laps
in an IRL IndyCar Series car at Phoenix International Raceway on November
12, and was immediately impressed: "I'm excited about the season. I was
very impressed with what I saw and believe Kosuke is going to do a good
job for us. Obviously, there will be things to learn, but I think he has
what it takes to be very competitive."



Matsuura, who began his career in karts at the age of 14, will make his
U.S. racing debut when the IndyCar season gets underway on February 29 at
Homestead-Miami Speedway.



"It has been my dream to race in a top category and also in the United
States," said Matsuura, "so I am very happy to be able to compete in
the IndyCar Series. I am especially excited to race at the Indy Japan and
the Indy 500. I will do my best to meet the team's and the sponsors'
expectations."



The 2004 season will mark the second year of IRL IndyCar Series
competition for Super Aguri Fernández Racing, which will continue its
partnership with Honda. The team will once again be led by Managing
Director Tom Anderson, co-owner of Fernández Racing, with John Dick
returning as race engineer and Steve Ragan as chief mechanic. In addition
to Matsuura, the other major change within the team is a switch to the
Panoz G Force chassis, which emerged with dual crowns in 2003 - the IRL
IndyCar Series Championship and the Indianapolis 500.



"We are very impressed with Kosuke's natural driving ability and
appetite for speed," added Anderson. "Kosuke has had enough experience
to understand the details of the sport, and has shown in his first tests
the ability to learn very quickly - a trait needed for success in the
IndyCar Series. We have also seen Kosuke's larger-than-life personality
in action, and believe this will be a great team motivator. We are
excited to return for our second season in the IRL IndyCar Series with
the support of Panasonic and Autobacs, and to continue our long-term
relationship with both Honda and Firestone. It's going to be a really
good season."

-honda-

--
Static
http://www.kingscastlebbs.com
All Racing All the Time
--- Synchronet 3.11a-Win32 NewsLink 1.69
* Kings Castle - North Attleboro, MA - telnet://kingscastlebbs.com

Another American getting his shot in the Irl, that is great news!

On Sat, 10 Jan 2004 14:40:51 GMT, The One <noone (AT) nowhere (DOT) com> wrote:


You're just jealous, Flat-Foot.

Suck any tanks dry lately?