KIDDERMINSTER driving ace Nathan Freke believes he is getting the measure of the high speed oval tracks after going full throttle at the full open test in Florida last week.

The 25-year-old, who has signed up to race in the American Indy Pro series with Michael Crawford Motorport, got a chance to survey his opponents and crucially have more race time on the circular circuits which he will be spending so much time competing on this season.

The former Formula Ford champion is more use to racing on more traditional tracks in the United Kingdom but showed signs that he is getting up to speed on them.

In the morning session Freke was third fastest on the 1.5 mile long Homestead Oval but dropped down the rankings to 19th by the end of the day, averaging nearly 185 miles per hour over 146 laps.

The test gave Freke, who runs a karting business in the town, a chance to get used to his Delara car and adjust its settings, which had been conservatively set by team mechanics because it was his first big test on an oval track.

"I think that I adapted to the car and circuit faster than the team had expected, I was driving flat out with my right foot on the throttle and my left foot on my right foot to make sure it stayed flat out," said Freke.

"The car was probably too comfortable to drive, which is why we were not on the absolute pace, but now I know how the car is supposed to feel under me we can put that right next time. It is very different to anything I have driven before and at 185 mph the average speed is very quick.

"But the team were happy with how I did and were surprised at how quickly I am getting use to the new tracks."

Freke is also hoping that the team can arrange more practice on the oval tracks before the first race of the season at the Homestead Oval on Saturday, March 29.

The driver, who is splitting his time racing for and running his business, is also settling into the team and enjoying the different attitude in America.

Freke said: "The attitudes to life in Britain and the USA are totally different and at first it took me a while to get use to them.

"But now I am really loving it over there, it's more relaxed than in Britain and they have a wicked sense of humour that I really like.

"The team have made me feel very welcome. I think they sense that I can help them take a step up to a higher level and that this is my big chance to shine."

The driver is also hopeful that the search for extra sponsorship and financial backing is going well. He needs to raise a further £100,000 to ensure he can race until the end of the season.

"We are tal king to various people about sponsorship but the best thing I can do is go out and race well and draw attention to myself," added Freke.