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©1999 SpeedCenter Publishing Championship Auto Racing Teams team owner Barry Greenannounced today that veteran Champ Car race engineer Steve Challis willjoin Team KOOL Green for the 2000 FedEx Championship Series. Challis has worked with Player's/Forsythe Racing and driver Greg Mooresince 1995, winning that season's PPG-Dayton Indy Lights Championship andgoing on to five victories and five poles in the FedEx Championshipbeginning in 1996. To date, Moore has earned a win and a pole at Homesteadin 1999, together with two additional podium finishes and currentlyoccupies ninth place in the FedEx Championship Series points race. "We're thrilled to have someone of Steve's experience and abilities joiningTeam KOOL Green," said Green. "He's proven to be one of the top raceengineers in our sport and we believe he'll be a very valuable addition toour engineering capabilities next year." Challis' primary role will be to work as race engineer for Paul Tracy,joining team manager/crew chief Tony Cotman to form the core groupresponsible for the engineering and preparation of the #26 KOOLHonda-Reynard. "This is great news for myself and Team KOOL Green," said Paul Tracy. "Theguys in my engineering group have been working overtime since our raceengineer left the team in April. Although things have worked out real well,having Steve on board next year puts us back on track personnel-wise.Besides, Steve's a great guy with a lot of experience and ability. Havinghim with us will really strengthen our program next season." Challis will also interface with the Team KOOL Green engineering staff,including technical director Don Halliday (who also serves as DarioFranchitti's race engineer) and director of engineering Scott Graves.Challis' addition will allow Tony Cicale to return to his role asengineering consultant and enable Tino Belli to focus on his duties as TeamKOOL Green's director of research and development after the pair split timeas Tracy's race and test engineers for the balance of the 1999 season. "First, I'd like to thank Jerry Forsythe and Player's for giving me apriceless opportunity to become involved in Champ Car racing," saidChallis. "The past few seasons have been among the most rewarding of mycareer. But when Roger Penske announced Greg was joining his team nextyear, that thrust my situation into the forefront. Greg wanted me to gowith him to Penske but a number of other teams sensed there might be somechanges at Player's/Forsythe and contacted me about next year, so it forcedme to come to a decision before the end of the current season. "I'm excited by the opportunity to join Team KOOL Green and work withBarry, Paul and the rest of the team. We've been fierce competitors throughthe years and it'll be challenging and fun to work together with everyone.With a team like this, the Honda-Reynard-Firestone package and a driver ofPaul's experience and talent, I'm looking forward to a lot of success in2000 and the years to come. "Number one on any engineer's wish list is to work with the fastest driversout there and, in Paul Tracy and Dario Franchitti, I think Team KOOL Greenhas the fastest driver lineup in Champ Car racing. Paul and I have becomepretty close friends over the past few years and I think, both beingCanadian, we have a good understanding of one another. I've watched himdrive from a very young age and I'm convinced he is the fastest driver inthe series, bar none. I think Tony Cicale has done a great job with himsince joining Team KOOL Green and I really think what we've seen from Paulthis year is only the tip of the iceberg. "Another thing that attracted me to Team KOOL Green was the chance to workwith Barry Green. Barry has always run a first class operation and hecontinues to show that through his commitment to taking care of his peoplein the face of a race and testing schedule that gets more hectic everyyear. The team is top notch and goes about the whole business of Champ Carracing in a first class manner. "The final thing that attracted me to Team KOOL Green is theHonda-Reynard-Firestone package: it's the package I've wanted to work withsince I first got into Champ Car racing." A native of Vancouver, British Columbia, Challis operated his ownautomotive high performance shop and served as a consultant to Greg Moore'sfather Ric when he competed in the Player's Challenge, IMSA GTO and SCCATrans-Am series in the late1980s and early ‘90s. He worked as raceengineer/crew chief when Greg began racing Formula Ford 1600 and 2000,winning the USAC Formula 2000 West Series in 1992 and moving to Indy Lightswith Moore Racing in 1993 and '94. Challis began focusing on raceengineering after joining Player's/Forsythe Racing with Moore in 1995,winning ten of twelve races and the PPG-Dayton Indy Lights Championship. "I've been trying to win the FedEx Championship since 1996," says Challis,"and with Team KOOL Green, Paul Tracy, Honda, Reynard and Firestone, Ithink we've got the tools to do just that." Source: Team Kool Green | ||
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