By BOB PEARCE
Champ Cars, once known as Indycars, compete in the Championship Auto Racing Teams series, the top single-seater category in the United States.
As a rival to Formula One it has spread in recent years to Japan, South America, Australia and this year Britain and Germany.
Three chassis manufacturers and four
engine manufacturers supply around 16 teams, most with two cars, and the grids often contain 10 more cars than F1.
The cars are less technically advanced than F1 (they don't have power steering or traction control), but are more versatile, running on high-speed (up to 240 mp/h-386 km/h) ovals as well as traditional road and street courses.
The series is billed as "the fastest racing on earth."
More frequent use of safety cars and yellow flag periods reward canny fuel tactics, and grid positions have less effect on the final result than in F1.
Champ Car drivers have had mixed fortune in F1, with Jacques Villeneuve making a successful switch to claim the F1 crown a couple of years after winning the American title. But Alex Zanardi and Michael Andretti were unable to make the same impact.
The latest Champ Car star in F1, Colombian Juan Pablo Montoya, is already being talked about as a future champion.
