Ganassi sign Lloyd to IRL squad

The 22-year-old Briton dominated the IPS feeder category this year and also had his first IndyCar test with Ganassi during the summer.

His exact 2008 programme has not yet been finalised, but it is set to feature a mixture of IndyCar races and tests, plus appearances for Ganassi's Grand-Am sportscar team.

"I wanted to make sure I'm in a place where I can have good prospects for the future, not just in 2008," Lloyd said. "I felt that by joining this team I have the opportunity to do well, and if I perform well to be there for a long time.

"I can really learn the traits of the IndyCar Series and grow within the team. I feel that although I won't be doing a full season next year, the races that I will be doing I will be in one of the best cars out there with a team I've admired for years. For me, that's actually a more exciting thing than saying I'll be doing a full year in a midfield car.

"I'm happy they have given me this opportunity to be able to drive for them, get some races in and see how that progresses in the future.

"I'm sure over the next four to eight weeks we'll have a clearer idea what our plan will be. I'm looking forward to get going in whatever aspect that might be."

Ganassi managing director Mike Hull said Lloyd had already impressed the team both in his test at Sebring and in a one-off Grand-Am apperance at Sears Point in August.

"He is a talented driver and a perfect candidate for our development program," said Hull.

"In the span of 10 days, he took the wheel of two very different race cars for the first time. He showed at Sebring that he is ready to race an IndyCar, and then at Infineon Raceway for the Grand Am event, proved under race conditions that his skills were immediately equal to the best drivers in the very competitive high-horsepower Daytona Protoypes."