Super Aguri to begin testing next month

The newly announced Japanese outfit were confirmed yesterday as the 11th team for the 2006 championship, and with less than six weeks to go before the team show up in Bahrain for the first round, Super Aguri have much work cut out for them.

The first priority is getting the cars ready. Super Aguri have bought the 2002 Arrows chassis from former Minardi owner Paul Stoddart, and they plan to run the old machines in the first few rounds of the season.

At the same time, the technical staff at the Leafield factory are working on a brand new car, with the hope of seeing it make a racing debut at the Spanish Grand Prix in May.

The second priority is signing up sponsors and suppliers, as well as filling in the drivers' line-up.

So far, Honda have committed to support Super Aguri, at the very least with engine supply. The team are also negotiating at the moment with Bridgestone for a tyre supply.

Honda's protege, Takuma Sato, is certain for the lead driver role. The two other seats - of the second racing driver and the test driver - remain open, and a team spokeswoman said there are a few candidates for these roles.

She also told autosport.com Super Aguri will make their testing debut at Barcelona, on February 21. An official launch is not planned at the moment, and will most likely take place in Bahrain, ahead of the Grand Prix.