Ahead of the game.

It's nice to be in demand, even if it means that I am seeing more of the inside of aeroplanes than the inside of my home at the moment.

Having flown out to Dubai to do my bit for queen and country in the A1 Grand Prix series, I then found myself heading back to the United States, not to observe the first week of Sebring Champ Car tests as I thought, but to get ready for an earlier-than-expected chance to prove myself in the top flight.

First thing first, and I have to again thank Team Great Britain and John Surtees for the chance to drive the A1 car. Even though I was only due to drive in two 20-minute practice sessions, and spent those bedding in a new engine and brakes rather than going for a time, it was a fantastic experience, and I definitely believe that anything you can drive makes you a better driver.

A1 Grand Prix is a fantastic series, and a great concept, and it was good to be a part of it, however fleetingly. I know that John has said nice things about what I did for the team, so I hope I can have another go in the car. It would be nice to set a 'real' time, as it's not much fun looking at your name down in 22nd or 23rd on the timesheets!

Dubai was a fantastic place to visit - I'd never been to the Middle East before, so that was another first - but my stay was to be cut short by a 'phone call out of the blue from Kevin Kalkhoven, who suggested that I give Paul Gentilozzi a call because he might be able to give me a run in his Champ Car a week prior to my PKV test.

So I called Paul, and he confirmed that I was very welcome to test the Rocketsports car for an afternoon - Richard Lyons is in the car all of the previous day and in the morning before I am due to drive - but the opportunity should make my life a hell of a lot easier going in to next week, and I feel a lot more comfortable about doing it already. I get to learn for two or three days, go away and think about, and then come back again next week, having already had a chance to learn the circuit, learn the car and learn what is expected of me before I have my D-Day test with PKV.

I'm really looking forward to the PKV test now, although I'm still nervous about it too, partly because it's at Sebring - I've never driven there before and everyone says it's so bumpy - and partly because it's two full days and they're going to ask me to do full race distances and everything because they want to see whether or not I have what it takes to move up to Champ Cars next season.

It's going to be much harder physically than the F1 test I did recently, partly because of the amount of time I'm going to spend in the car, and partly because of the car itself. We didn't have power steering on the Minardi and I expected that to be heavier than it was, but I still expect the Champ Car to be a bit heavier on the steering, mainly because it's a big heavy car and nowhere as nimble as the F1 car. Obviously, it's going to be very different because its going to be on slick tyres and with the turbo, and I think it's going to be more of a brute - I'm going to have to manhandle it around more than drive it smoothly. I'm really looking forward to it though - I just hope I can do a good enough job to make Kevin want me in his car next year.

For the PKV test, I'm going to have Sebring to myself, with Jimmy Vasser probably setting some baseline laps so we can compare data and things. He'll primarily be there to act as team manager and driver coach, and I'm really looking forward to working with him because he's got so much experience and knowledge that he can impart to me - I'm going to be like a sponge.

Kevin has told me that I don't need to set the world alight or lap at record pace or anything like that, but if I do a good job - and am consistent and provide good feedback - he'll put me in the Champ Car next year. That is one hell of an opportunity.

As I have said before, one half of me wants to try and win the championship in Atlantics and gain some more experience. This was my first full year in racing, so I've probably still done less than 30 races. That's the half of me that says 'don't run before you can walk'. But, then, the other part of me reckons that, if you get the chance to drive a Champ Car, you can't afford to turn it down. I cant say 'actually, Kevin, no...' - I'll rip his arm off for the chance to race next year.

Of course, it's entirely up to Kevin, and what he wants to do with me, in the end. The Rocketsports opportunity raises the question whether, if I make the grade in testing, he wants to place me at PKV or with another team. It's entirely possible that he would farm me out, although I'm not sure to whom. I'm not even sure if Rocketsports have been mentioned but, at this moment, the chance to get extra miles before the PKV test is just a real nice gesture from Paul Gentilozzi and the Rocketsports guys.

Of course, there is a question mark hanging over Jimmy Vasser and whether he wants to carry on racing next year. I wish I could tell you whether he intends to retire or not - every time I see him, I ask him, but he just tells me to 'shut up' - in a nice way. He must get asked the question 20 times a day, so it's probably quite annoying. He's such a good driver, that you kind of hope he stays on and does next year, but then half of me thinks that, if he retires, perhaps I can have his drive!

He'd be a really good team boss and I think that, if he gets as much time to focus on that as much as the driving, it'll make all the difference to the team and they'll continue to improve towards 2007, when the new cars are introduced. I'm really not sure on that one - and I'm not sure Jimmy knows to be honest. If he did, he would tell us, I'm sure, but I think he's in two minds too, because he's told me that, as long as he thinks he can beat whoever they put in the car, he's not going to retire, which is fair enough. And he's got to be thinking 'well, I can beat Katherine right now', hasn't he!

Should the Champ Car thing not work out, I've already got plans in place for Atlantics. In fact, as far as we're all concerned, that's what we're doing - it's far easier to say we're doing Atlantics and then maybe step up to Champ Car, rather than say we're doing Champ Car and then have to step back down. It all depends on how comfortable I feel in the car over these next couple of weeks, and how comfortable the team is with me, and what other options they have as far as other drivers are concerned. If we sit down at the end of the two days next week and decide that Atlantics is the way to go, then I'll be more than happy with that.

I'm in a very, very fortunate position that I can go into the winter knowing that I'll be driving something next year. If I do Atlantics, it will, with a doubt, be with Polestar, who were awesome this year. They really helped me, imparted all their experience and knowledge to me and were just really super people. I think they're going to be the best team to be with next year, and that's where I would go - without a shadow of a doubt. I still speak to team owner Jim Griffiths every week, and we still come up with ideas. If I end up doing Atlantics next year, I'd be keen to get out testing with them as soon as possible - even though we don't get the new cars until March.

I just hope I know one way or the other before the Christmas break. I hope we can all sit down at the end of the test and decide, rather than thinking about it for a couple of weeks. Over Christmas and New Year, time always seems to drag for a racing driver - you want to get back out in a car, and I hope I'm not 'phoning Kevin every day to ask if he's made up his mind!

Speak to you soon,

Katherine