Carpentier's Indy dream

The Canadian driver finished third in this year's Champ Car World Series, ahead of his Forsythe team-mates Paul Tracy and Rodolfo Lavin, but decided on a switch to the predominantly oval series alongside Cheever's regular driver Alex Barron.

"For me it's something that I've wanted for quite a long time actually," said Carpentier. "I was watching the (1995) 500 when I was still in (Toyota) Atlantic, back when Jacques Villeneuve and Scott Goodyear went at it.

"It's something that I would like to do. It's a track I would like to race on and in front of the giant crowd, the people. It's a different race."

Carpentier told his native press that he has always been a fan ovals and that he expects to settle quickly in the IRL. "I've been a speed skater since I was four years old," he said. "I raced in Canadian and North American championships in the US and Canada. I used to go to Lake Placid in the winter for a few weeks to train on the outdoor ovals.

"Last winter I'd say was the time that I really started looking into it (the IRL). I looked at pretty much all the races this season before I made the final decision. I've always been a fan of oval racing."