Perera Completes Test for Forsythe/Pettit Racing

Franck Perera

Forsythe/Pettit Racing completed two days of testing with Champ Car Atlantic Rookie of the Year Franck Perera at MSR Houston, the 17-turn, 2.38-mile road course located 13 miles south of Houston. MSR will also be the site of the Series final test dates in March 2008 before the season kicks off with the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach April 18-20th.

“Over the two days of running, we laid out some very stringent tests and performance requirements for Franck," explained Tom Brown, technical Director for Forsythe/Pettit Racing. “Running flawlessly both days, it was extremely encouraging that Franck met and exceeded each requirement set for him. He is a consummate professional with a rare touch and feel for the car."

Within the very first few laps of the morning session, Perera’s ability to quickly learn the car and track along with his vast shakedown and testing experience enabled him to immediately be up to speed and provide valuable feedback. Over the course of the two days, the engineers were able to gather extremely productive suspension, braking and aerodynamic data through a battery of testing procedures in preparation for next season.

In addition to providing valuable feedback and helping with improvements to the car, Perera was also able to put in some extremely competitive lap times. Overall, it was a win-win for Forsythe/Pettit Racing as the team was able to get their testing done and at the same time evaluate one of Champ Car’s rising young stars.

“I want to thank the entire team for everything, especially Mr. Forsythe and Mr. Pettit for giving me this chance," said Perera. “The Atlantic Cars are great, but being in a Champ Car is why I came from Europe to America to race. It was really fun to be in a fast car again like the F-1 and to help Tom Brown and all the engineers prepare the car for next season. I was also glad to show that I was very competitive compared to the testing here last February and I wanted to go even faster for sure, but in the end the team was here to test the car and I stuck to the plan."