New season, new series - Stefan looks forward to Indy Lights

It's a fact of motor racing life that talent is rarely enough to guarantee a young driver the chance to go racing. Most have to bring funding to a team, and in the current financial climate sponsorship is even harder to find than normal.

And that's how it has been for Stefan. After a season in the National Class of British Formula 3, ideally he would have moved up to the International Class for 2009, but financially that was out of the question. It looked like the brand new - and less expensive - Formula Two might be another possibility, but instead Stefan has followed his brother Justin across the Atlantic and he'll soon be racing in the Indy Lights series. His deal to compete in a limited number of races was announced at the end of February, and - with his first event just days away - he explained how this came about.

"It's been a really long winter! It's probably the longest time I've spent without sitting in a race car and it's been very frustrating. Obviously the credit crunch has been a real problem and there was just no way I could commit to a series and start a testing schedule. We initially looked at Formula Two and worked really hard to try and find a sponsor and the support needed to compete in the series, but there just wasn't anyone in a position to help. I had looked at racing in the US and didn't think it would be possible because of funding, but then I was thrown a lifeline by FIRST Motorsports. The programme they were offering fitted with both my objective and my budget, and I knew the team would be able to give me a great car. So it all happened pretty quickly - a deal was decided and my flights were booked and here I am preparing for my biggest challenge yet.

Q: What have you been doing since your last F3 race in October, apart from looking for support for 2009?

Stefan: Well, I spent a lot of time keeping my fitness levels up, and I want to take this opportunity to thank the BRDC Superstars scheme, and also Stewart Wild and everyone at Formula Fitness for their hard work over the winter. We had a Superstars gathering for a fitness competition in early December, which was fun and gave me a good insight into which areas I needed to work on. The neck is a very important part for a driver and it's quite tricky to keep the strength in that area when you're not racing, so the neck training machine was very useful. I also came across to the States to visit my brother and we went to Daytona to watch the testing for the Rolex 24 Hours race. That was really impressive and made me very interested in racing in the US. I also got to visit the mountains a few times and experience temperatures of down to minus 40C. I did a lot of cycling with my brother and tried some cycling on a track at the velodrome too, which was a new experience for me. I've also been introduced to iRacing, an online racing simulator, which is proving very useful for learning the new circuits I will be visiting this year. It's so realistic, and after watching on-board footage from the tracks I can see it's inch-perfect to the real tracks. Oh, and it's great fun too!

Stefan's first two races are on the street circuit at St Petersburg, Florida, on 4 and 5 April. The car he'll be driving - with number 18 on - is being prepared by Walker Racing, which has a long and successful racing history.

Q: How do you feel before your first race?

Stefan: I really don't know what to expect. I've not driven the car yet, and the first race is only a week away! It's going to be a tough challenge because I haven't been in a car since October and most of my competitors have been doing lots of winter testing. The Indy Lights car is much bigger and more powerful than anything I've raced before, and there are also new circuits for me to learn. But I'm really pleased with my team, they're very professional, very thorough and they have the same mindset as me, they're very competitive. I'm testing for the first time at Sebring this weekend, and I can't wait to get in the car and get going.

Q: Indy Lights runs alongside the main IndyCar Series, which Justin is competing in. How do you feel about racing on the same tracks and the same weekends as him?

Stefan: It will be great! I've not had many chances to see his races live, and he hasn't seen many of mine, so it will be interesting to watch each other's races. It should help me learn too, because he's been to these tracks before and I'll be able to tap into all of his circuit knowledge. We can also trade data and info over the weekend. I'm in a single-car team so to have Justin there and get that kind of advice is going to be really beneficial. I hope I can offer him some helpful data too!

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