Young hopefuls complete Forsythe test

For Howard, this year's Infiniti Pro Series champion, the test was all about becoming accustomed to the car, track and then team, in that order.

"The test was fantastic! I have to thank the Forsythe Team for giving me the opportunity to run their car. Driving the Champ Car is not as physically demanding as I expected, I was expecting it to be a lot harder in my arms.

"Because of the downforce you can feel a big difference between the slow and the fast corners, the steering just gets a lot heavier on the fast stuff and that's something that I've never really experienced before with the cars I've driven. I also didn't expect the brakes to be as powerful, it is unbelievable how quickly you can stop the car."

For Carroll, who has tested twice before for the RuSPORT team, the test was about impressing the team.

"We didn't go out on track the first day because of heavy rain, so once we finally got out the next day the track was very green and it took a while to come in. Then it started getting better and we were able to work on the setup, and by the end of the day the car felt great and we managed to put some very fast laps in.

"The MSR Houston Road Course is quite technical; it has some very high speed corners where you can really feel the downforce of the Champ Cars and some slower sections where mechanical grip is more important."

Pagenaud, the Champ Car Atlantic Champion, who consequently has a $2m cheque in his pocket was delighted with his graduation.

"It was a very successful test, and I'm very happy with how it went. I really enjoyed working with the Forsythe Team, the mechanics the engineers, everybody was just great. By the end of the test I was very happy with the car, we just got faster throughout the day and whatever I needed they were able to give me.

"There's definitely a huge difference between the Atlantic cars and the Champ Cars; the braking in these cars is just unbelievable, it's amazing how late you get on the brakes and how deep you can go into the corners.

"There is also huge downforce and the car is heavier so you have to be more aggressive on the turns, but you also have to be very smooth on the throttle. It's just a great car to drive."

Forsythe team manager Phil Le Pan said: "All three guys were very impressive; they got up to speed very quickly and were able to help us continue with our test program and everything we've been working on for the last month.

"We were also able to make some changes on the cars throughout the day that would suit each driver's driving style and help them go faster."