Sharp excited about Sears

Sharp drove a racing school single-seater around the twisty 2.2-mile road course, where he won a Trans-Am race in 1993. There had been fears that the Californian track lacked sufficient passing places and run-off to be suitable for single-seater racing, but Sharp was positive about the prospect of tackling the circuit in an IndyCar.

"I'm really excited about racing out here," he said. "It's going to be big. I think it's going to be tremendously exciting for both the drivers and the fans.

"I love the sweeping turns going down the hill from turn seven. It's a little daunting, but a lot of fun. I like the modified section at turn nine because it will provide a lot of passing and a great braking zone."

Sears Point usually plays host to sportscar events and one of NASCAR's road course meetings, but will join Watkins Glen and St. Petersburg as one of the first three non-ovals to be used for an IRL IndyCar race. The inaugural IRL race takes place on August 28, the circuit having already been approved for IndyCar use after Dario Franchitti completed a compatibility test at the track in his Andretti-Green Dallara-Honda last November.

Sharp looks set to become a major contender in this year's IndyCar championship. After a lean season with Kelly Racing in 2004, he switched to Fernandez Racing's Panoz-Honda over the winter and has been near the top of the timesheets in all three official pre-season tests. He also has plenty of road course experience from his years in sportscars and a season of Champ Car racing.