Happy Valentines.

It's been a while since I last wrote to you all, but the wait has been worth it as I finally have the news I have been waiting for.... It looks like I am going to be driving the #12 car for PKV Racing this year - which is fantastic.

To be honest with you, the team actually told me that it was looking good at the end of last year. Their decision was apparently based on the first test that I did at Sebring and, even though we have had another test at Sebring since then, as far as Ii know, it was a done deal before that. However, you never really know and, until you have a contract in front of you - and I haven't had one until now - it's just talk. In motor racing, people change their minds all the time, so it's nice to have it confirmed at last.

It hasn't been that hard to sit on the news because, like I said, I haven't had it in writing until now, so the last thing I wanted to do was say that I was racing a Champ Car and then look like a complete idiot when it didn't turn out to be true. It's been quite nice, quite exciting, to be able to get on with what I've been getting on with, to learn without any attention, as it were. Obviously, the people who are important to me, and those who are important to the programme, have known, but it's nice to be able to do a big announcement, when everyone is feeling more comfortable with the whole idea.

Of course, even with the knowledge that everything was looking good, there's always a bit pressure, even at second Sebring test. I didn't have the contract then, and they could have turned around and changed their minds, so the pressure was still very much on. I wasn't sure if they were making me do a race distance to see if I was capable - and, if I wasn't, whether they going to turn around and say 'sorry, but you need to have more practice', or what have you.

Obviously, it was a big weight off my mind doing that, as it was twice as long as I had ever driven a race car for before. I didn't know how I would handle it but, as it turned out, it was fine and I learned so much from it.

Fortunately, the team is not expecting too much from me, because they have seen it all before. How many people have come into Champ Car with this little experience? I guess not anybody - I'd be surprised if there is anyone who has been in a Champ Car before with my level of experience, so the team knows what a steep learning curve it is, and I'm grateful to them for being behind me.

They could have taken some hotshot who would be fast straight away, and who they wouldn't have to put all the work and effort into, but they're prepared to put the work in and try to make me quick. They see it as a two- or three-year plan, finishing races in 2006, trying to get rookie of the year and gaining experience. The most important thing for me is to finish races and gain that experience, gradually working my way up the grid, figuring out what it's all about. Everything is going to be so new to me - the length of the races, the pit-stops, the strategies.

I probably know half of the circuits from my season in Atlantics, but half of them will be new to me. However, while I think that's quite a big thing, it will also be one of the least of my worries, because we're intending to go to the tracks beforehand, to suss them out and see what they're about, because I don't want to get there on the Thursday for the track walk and try and figure it out from there. We'll watch videos and even try the computer games to try and learn the tracks, and then go there with at least some knowledge - it's better than nothing.

There's also so much to set up on the car, although, of course, there is a new car coming out in 2007, which is going to help me a lot, because it will make it more of a level playing field. I think that was part of the reason for PKV signing me now, so that, come 2007, when everyone starts from scratch again, I'll have big car experience. I'll have already driven with the horsepower, because it's a massive jump.

It's all part of a long-term plan - nobody's looking at this short-term. Everyone's trying to move it forward and they can all see a future in it, which is really good. I just have to keep doing my best, keep putting all the effort in and keep the team behind me, because that's going to be the most important factor in my success.

I'm really not sure about who my team-mate is going to be. I'm not really privy to that information - I do ask, but I keep getting told to be patient!

I guess the buzz around the team is Franck Montagny, because he did such a good job at Sebring on the last test. However, everybody that has tested has been so professional, so good, that it must be really difficult for the team to choose. A lot could come down to politics - who fits in best - or whether there is anyone who can bring money, if indeed the team wants money. It's all about putting the pieces of the jigsaw together, so we'll see.

I don't know about Jimmy Vasser or Cristiano da Matta, or whether they will be involved. I think Jimmy would be awesome if he decided to do another year, but it is down to what he wants to do - nobody is forcing him to do anything he doesn't want to do, so we'll wait and see. I know, whatever he decides, that he's going to be invaluable to me with his advice and his 'mentorship', if you like. It would be good to have a team-mate who could help my programme along, because I need someone who is going to help me, especially in this first year, rather than be all-out for himself. I guess the team's decision will be made a little around that as well.

If Jimmy decides not to drive - and I suspect that he will still do bits and pieces, a few races here and there because, to be honest, I don't know if Jimmy knows whether to retire or not yet - he will oversee the whole thing, and be there for everybody. It's not just a team based around me, it's a team of two drivers, and there is enough expertise - we have some awesome people here right now - that I guess we will share everybody around and everybody will be useful to each other. It's just a case of getting the communications in place I guess.

Anyway, that's enough from me for now.

Speak to you soon,

Katherine