Franchitti signs for two more years

Franchitti has long been linked to making a switch from the CART championship to Formula 1. After a test with the Jaguar team last summer, the 28-year-old signed only a one-year deal for 2001, which some thought was in order to leave an opening for F1 next year. However, his latest deal shows that the Scottish ace has turned his back on any immediate switch back across the Atlantic.

"I have to do what makes me happy and this season I have had one of my most enjoyable," said Franchitti. "I also need to be somewhere that is going to provide me with the chance to win races and Team Kool Green can do that. Formula 1 is something that I still look at, but everything that I'm doing over here is something that makes me happy."

This is Franchitti's fifth season in Champ Cars and after finishing second to Juan Pablo Montoya in the 1999 championship - the pair had equal points, but Montoya won on number of victories - the Team Green ace is still fighting to win the title.

Franchitti had a winless season last year after a heavy pre-season testing accident, but he is back in the thick of things this year. Dario currently lies fourth in the standings, 23 points behind championship leader Kenny Brack.

With nine races still to go this season, Franchitti is hopeful of finding title glory and with a contract sewn up for two more years, he also believes the best is still to come.

"I think everyone at Team Kool Green will agree, we still have a lot of work to do," he said. "There's a championship yet to be won this year and then it will be on to 2002 and 2003, when I believe the best is yet to come for myself and the team."

The Champ Car series heads to the Road America course at Elkhart Lake this weekend where Dario took pole position last year, but was forced to retire midway through the race with mechanical failure.