Van Hooydonk back in F3000

Van Hooydonk has switched to Coloni from Astromega, with which he ran last season. He joins Turkish driver Can Artam at the team, while the Coloni-managed CMS Performance squad will field Austrian Mathias Lauda and Argentine Hose Maria Lopez.

Van Hooydonk said: "I have a very good shot at the title and I do not want to waste the opportunity Coloni Motorsport has given me. I have good knowledge of the cars and the circuits which will be very helpful to me."

Team boss Paolo Coloni said: "We have signed four very talented drivers who all have the potential to achieve their respective objectives this season.

"This is the strongest line-up we have been able to secure during our history and the whole team is very eager for the season to get underway and for our drivers to start realising their potential."

Renault Development Driver Lopez topped the timesheets during the first two official F3000 test sessions. He said: "Testing and racing are two different disciplines but I believe I can carry over the form to the races and do very well in this championship."

Lauda is the youngest son of three-time Formula 1 World Champion Niki Lauda, while Artam is the most inexperienced of the Coloni quartet.

The 10-round F3000 championship gets underway at Imola on April 24.