VINELAND, NJ — Jeret Schroeder, the 1995 U.S. Formula Ford 2000 national champion and the winner of the 1996 "Rising Star" award in the SCCA Player's/Toyota Atlantic series, announced that he will not be a member of the California-based Lynx Racing team in the Atlantic series in 1997.

Schroeder is currently exploring several different options for 1997, and on Oct. 29 he participated in an exploratory test in an Indy car with Payton/Coyne Racing.

Schroeder drove one of the Plainfield, Ill. - based team's '96 Lola Cosworth Indy cars for 85 laps at Sebring, Fla. The test was held in conjunction with a Firestone tire test.

Schroeder finished fifth in the 1996 SCCA Player's/Toyota Atlantic series in the Purity Farms/Ireland Coffee-Tea/Lynx Racing Ralt RT-41. His goal is to compete in Indy cars, and the test was his first opportunity to actually drive one of the machines.

"He was competitive on his very first day," said Dale Coyne, co-owner of the team. "He never put a wheel off, he never missed a shift, and we were all very impressed with how smooth he was and how much respect he had for the car.

"At first he took it easy as he was getting used to the size and weight of the car, since it's a lot different than anything he's driven before. He respected that, and he took some time to get used to it. But he kept getting more used to it and improved as the day went on. He did his fastest lap right at the end, in the heat of they day. He was only a couple of seconds off Scott Pruett and Alex Zanardi in the heat of the day, as well as Michel Jourdain, whom we tested the day before. He was very competitive, and we'd love to do more testing with him. He got along great and communicated well with the crew, too."

"It was absolutely incredible," Schroeder said. "The first time I decided to put my foot all the way to the floor, it literally took all the air out of my lungs. The car has so much power, it is hard to describe.

"Every upshift feels like a dragster launching off the starting line. It hits you back and off the seat. It's non-stop pulling. There's no waiting between gears; it's like a cycle accelerates. It just goes. And it stops shorter than an Atlantic car going at a higher speed. It's a heavier car, so it took awhile getting used to the mass, but in terms of style it's no different to drive than an Atlantic car."

Source: IndyCar News Service