JANUARY 26, 2006

McLaren signs up Van der Garde

Twenty-year-old Dutchman Giedo van der Garde, a protege of Jos Verstaooen, will join reigning Champions ASM for the 2006 F3 Euroseries season. Van der Garde has raced for the past two seasons in the series and should therefore be a title challenger. The best news for the Dutchman, however, is that he has become a member of the McLaren and Mercedes-Benz Young Driver Support Programme which will no doubt him as his career develops.

"Giedo is a promising young driver, and we are looking forward to working with him to maximise this potential," said Martin Whitmarsh of McLaren. "We feel that by placing Giedo with the ASM team for 2006, he has the best opportunity to develop and demonstrate his talents."