Manning to race at the Rock

"To drive a Champ Car is a dream in itself," said Manning, "and the thought of seeing all those grandstands at Rockingham full of England flags will be pretty awesome."

Manning has already driven the team's Ray Mallock Ltd-run Lola B2/00 at the Northamptonshire circuit. Manning used the run to complete the 100-mile rookie orientation programme required before he can start a race in the CART series.

"It went very well," said Manning. "The car's given me a lot of confidence and it was a chance to get my eye in. I don't want to say too much before qualifying, but it was pretty fast, up around where the race pace was last year."

Bob Berridge, a leading player in Team St George, commented: "Darren came to my notice when he won his first British Grand Prix F3 support race in 1996. He was someone I thought was a very special talent and to get him into ASCAR all these years later and to be involved in the team that has put him in the Fedex CART series on the world's stage is tremendously satisfying."

Manning and RML will be advised and assisted at Rockingham by experienced CART team Dale Coyne Racing. Johnny Herbert - who is believed to have been the team's first choice, but turned the drive down, may also be on-hand to offer his help.