Ford and CART excited by link-up

The move, which was revealed in this week's AUTOSPORT magazine, will see Ford badge the engines that its subsidiary company Cosworth is to provide to the whole field. The championship will be known as 'Bridgestone presents the Champ Car World Series powered by Ford.'

CART had previously announced that its entire field in 2003 would be powered by spec-turbo engines provided by Cosworth, following the defection of Japanese manufacturers Honda and Toyota to the rival Indy Racing League.

"We're very happy to have this agreement with CART finalised," said Dan Davis, director of Ford Racing Technology. "Ford has been a staunch supporter of the CART series since our debut in 1992, and this is a continuation of our involvement. Not only does this relationship allow us to support our technical partner, Cosworth Racing, but the race series and its high-profile markets will make an excellent platform for Ford to showcase the many new and exciting products that will debut over the next couple of years."

CART President Chris Pook was equally enthusiastic with the deal, which comes as a major boost to the beleaguered series. Along with Honda and Toyota, several of CART's highest profile teams and drivers have moved to the IRL in recent months. "We are obviously very pleased and very excited about joining forces with one of the legendary names in all of motor racing," said Pook. "I think you're going to see us now take this series to the next level."