Scheckter set to land Vision seat

The South African was told by his former Panther Racing team that he could peruse other opportunities, with the former series' champions still trying to secure funding for their 2006 programme.

Now the former race winner is expected to sign soon with Vision, having shared the No. 20 Vision Honda/Dallara with Ed Carpenter in the second day of testing at the track.

Scheckter, who claimed his second IndyCar Series win last season at the Texas Motor Speedway, recorded 71 laps with a best lap of 175.277 mph, while Carpenter turned 56 laps with a top lap of 175.073 mph.

Although the team have yet to announce plans to field a second car in the IndyCar Series, Scheckter said he was hopeful the test would lead to more seat time with Vision Racing.

"I've talked to the team and obviously team co-owner Tony George about adding me to the team," Scheckter said. "They want to add a second car, and they want to go about it the right way. They want to win races, so hopefully we can work something out.

"This is where I want to be. It's a great racing series, and I've put four years of my career into this. I want to see the series succeed, and I want to do a good job for whoever I'm driving for."