INDIANAPOLIS — After a long off-season Playa Del Racing is ready to get back on track with Al Unser III back behind the wheel of the Ethos for Earth car No. 21 in the Indy Pro Series.
Playa Del Racing will make its 2008 debut at the Homestead-Miami Speedway on Friday during testing with several other teams. Al Unser III will return to the driver’s seat for the first time since the 2007 Nashville race. Unser also drove Playa Del Racing IPS entry last year.
“It’s been a long and cold off-season, but we’re ready to go racing,” says Susan Schafer, co-owner of PDR. “We have had our share of off-season issues, but we’re extremely excited about getting back on the track this week at the test in Homestead.”
PDR’s team will feature a new face this season with the hiring of veteran engineer Doug Forker. Forker will bring over a decade of experience in motorsports engineering in hopes of elevating PDR to the team’s first victory in 2008. Team veteran Rick Duman will return for the second straight year as crew chief.
 “I’ve been doing this for a long time, and I feel like this is a great place to call home,” says Duman. “There are a lot of great teams in this league, but I feel this program is one of the best growing programs out there.”

In other IndyCar news:

• Conquest Racing is set for the 2008 IndyCar Series season with today’s announcement that the team has signed former Formula One driver, Brazilian Enrique Bernoldi, as a teammate to Frenchman Franck Perera who was confirmed last month. 
Bernoldi will be making his debut in the IndyCar Series this season and will get his first taste of the #36 Honda/Dallara/Firestone Conquest entry tomorrow at Sebring International Raceway. 
“I am very happy to be joining Conquest Racing. I think we have an interesting season ahead of us,” expressed Bernoldi. “At the beginning, we will have to learn a lot because it is a new car for the team and for me and especially to race on ovals which I never did, but it will be interesting. I’m very motivated and I think we will do a good job. Having Eric (Bachelart) here helps as well because as an ex-driver he understands more what the driver needs. It is a very positive relationship with him and everybody on the team. I look forward to testing the car this week, and even if it is a little late being one week away from the first race, everybody’s target is to learn quickly and be competitive through the season.”
Bernoldi, a 29 year-old from Curitiba, Brazil started his career, like many, in karting where he captured numerous titles before moving to Europe and claiming the Formula Renault 2000 Eurocup Series Championship in 1996. His championship allowed him to graduate to British F3 where he had two successful seasons which included seven victories and a runner-up position in the 1998 Championship. He then spent two years in F3000, all while getting his first taste of Formula One as a test driver for Sauber. In 2001, he signed on with the Arrows Formula One team making 28 starts over his two seasons with them. In 2003, he earned two wins and five podium finishes in the Formula Nissan World Series as well as two wins and seven podiums in 2004 while finishing third in the Championship before returning as a Formula 1 test driver with BAR in 2004 and 2005. Recently, Bernoldi competed in the StockCar Brasil series and participated in the Argentinean TC2000.