New All-England Team Ready for Debut

Livery at its interim stage prior to various sponsor logos
Image: Courtesy Team St. George

INDIANAPOLIS (September 5, 2002) - The entry list for the Rockingham 500 on September 14 in Corby, England will feature a new team, as Team St. George and rookie driver Darren Manning make their CART FedEx Championship Series debut.

The all-England Team St. George was announced today in Brooklands, the historic home of motor sport in England. The team is working in conjunction with experienced CART team members from Dale Coyne Racing in suburban Chicago, which has a number key members hailing from Britain.

27 year-old Darren Manning, widely regarded as one of Britain's best motor racing rising stars, will pilot the Team St. George Ford-Cosworth/Lola/Bridgestone around Rockingham's 1.479-mile high-speed oval. Manning was awarded the seat after success in ASCAR oval racing series and Formula One experience as a test driver at B.A.R.

"It's something special, a dream come true," said Manning. "To drive a Champ Car is a dream in itself, it's really got some horsepower. But the special thing here is to be a part of Team St. George. It's a fantastic feeling to be in the middle of all that- and the thought of seeing all those grandstands at Rockingham, full of England flags on September 14, will be pretty awesome."

Manning has already covered nearly 200 miles of shakedown running in the Team St. George Champ Car. This included the all-important CART 'Rookie Test,' a mandatory 100-mile run under the observation of Frenchman Nicolas Minassian, who made seven Champ Car starts with Target Chip Ganassi Racing in 2000. Lapping at average speeds of 200 mph, Manning completed the test, including pit-stops in just over half an hour.

"Yes, I've got to learn the car, but I feel confident already and I'm determined to be out there, in the thick of it," said Manning. "The fastest racing in the world and we're in it - fantastic!"

The stunning Team St. George car will feature an innovative paint scheme is designed by Ian Hutchinson, one of England's foremost racing livery designers, who in the past has developed liveries for the Silk Cut Jaguar Le Mans cars and by the Jordan and Benetton Formula One teams.