Conway switches to IndyCar

The 25-year-old rookie had his first taste of an IndyCar Series machine during a test with Panther Racing last summer at the Infineon Raceway. Although no official times were available, Conway was recognised as the fastest man at the test.

He has spent his whole career to date in European single-seater racing, having won the British F3 title and Macau Grand Prix with Raikkonen Robertson Racing in 2006.

Conway subsequently spent two seasons racing in GP2, winning at Monaco last year, while also testing for the Honda Formula One team.

"I'm looking forward to the opportunity to race in the US with Dreyer & Reinbold Racing in the IndyCar Series," Conway said. "I'll be visiting a lot of new tracks for the first time, especially oval tracks, but I'm very much looking forward to the challenge."

The Briton will drive for Dreyer & Reinbold for the first time in a private rookie test before the IndyCar Series open-test at the Homestead-Miami Speedway on 25-26 February. These tests will be his first laps on an oval.

Team co-owner Dennis Reinbold believes that Conway, who is managed by former Champ Car race winner and F1 driver Mark Blundell's 2MB Sports Management company, can take his squad forward.

"We're excited to get the things rolling in getting ready for the 2009 season," Reinbold said. "We've made a lot of improvements in the off-season, and combined with Mike's talent, we're excited to see lots of positive results in this year's IndyCar Series events."

Dreyer & Reinbold are planning to field a second car, and autosport.com understands that their 2008 driver Milka Duno is a strong contender for this seat, but that her teammates last year Buddy Rice and Townsend Bell are unlikely to stay with the outfit.