Johnny rules out racing in Rockingham

Herbert got his first laps in a Champ Car and his first taste of a banked oval with a test in a 2000-spec Dale Coyne Racing Lola-Ford at Rockingham today (Tuesday). In recent weeks, he had also been linked to a one-off race deal with the Sigma Autosport squad for the September 22 race.

But talking to Autosport.com at the 1.5-mile Northants facility, the 37-year-old ruled out a 2001 outing, saying: "There's no chance of a race deal for this season. I keep hearing I'm meant to be racing here, but I think I'd be mad to do it, because I won't have had any testing. That would be a bit hairy."

Herbert said his Rockingham test would provide him with food for thought when it came to working through his options for 2002. For the remainder of 2001, he will concentrate on testing duties for the Arrows Formula 1 squad and an ALMS sportscar programme with the Champion Audi squad.

"The idea is for me to get a bit of a taster," he said. "It gives me a bit of an impression and it's something to think about when I leave here."

CART mandates a rookie test for drivers new to the series' ovals, and Herbert hoped that the Rockingham run-out would cover this requirement.

"The idea is for me to do this rookie test and cover the 100 miles that you have to do," he explained. "That would be good to get out of the way."

The Englishman is undecided on whether to concentrate on securing a CART seat or an Indy Racing League deal for '02, but says that an outing in the IRL-sanctioned Indianapolis 500 is key to whatever series he decides upon.

"The '500' is still what I want to do," he said. "If I run CART next year, I still want Indy to be part of my programme."