Lemarie to drive for Pollock's squad

The 34-year-old Frenchman, a test driver for BAR over the past four years, will drive PK Racing's single Lola-Ford entry in the ChampCar series. His most recent racing has been in sportscars, including a stint with Stefan Johansson's Gulf-backed Audi squad.

Pollock has launched the team in conjunction with businessman Kevin Kalkhoven, and will operate out of the former PacWest premises. Former grand prix driver Mika Salo was also in the frame for the seat, but his most likely option seems to be with Audi in the DTM touring car series.

"Patrick is an extremely solid driver who is racing fit," said Pollock. "He is definitely well prepared for this opportunity to get back into competitive racing. He has invested a lot of time over the last four years setting up an F1 car, and in that capacity he was invaluable in providing input and giving his feedback to the engineers and mechanics.

"When you're a new team in a series, as PK Racing is in CART, you need to have a driver who is well-versed in the driving and the testing aspects because this team is being put together in an extremely short time frame. I have been in a position to observe Patrick's work for a number of years, and I know that PK Racing is getting a driver whose knowledge and experience are major assets for our team," he added.

Lemarie said: "I'm very pleased that Craig and PK Racing have given me this opportunity. I may not have raced that much competitively in the last few years, but you never lose the competitive spirit, and I know that I have plenty of that."