Rookies happy with Forsythe test

The pair had some seat time at the MSR Houston circuit in preparation for this weekend's season finale in Mexico.

The test enabled Rice to drive a Champ Car for the first time in six years. His last outing came with Chip Ganassi Racing after winning the Toyota Atlantic title in 2000.

"I'm very glad that we were able to get out there and get some laps under our belt before we get to Mexico," said the 2004 Indianapolis 500 winner.

"It's a big benefit and it will definitely help our performance during the race. I feel really good."

Rice has made a few road course starts over the past two years in the IndyCar Series, but he has had very limited time to learn the different type of car.

"Getting used to the turbo lag takes a while and the brakes work extremely well, but after only a few laps I was comfortable," he said.

"Everything went smooth, now we just have to get to Mexico and get back on track so we can keep gaining speed."

Martinez finished sixth in this year's Atlantic series, and he had his first ever taste of Champ Car machinery at the same test.

"We took it easy at first and gradually got faster," he said. "We did a lot of different things to prepare me for a full race weekend, and I'm feeling very relaxed after this test.

"It's never easy to come into a series like this, but now I have a better idea of what to expect and that's going to be a big help."