KIDDERMINSTER racing ace Nathan Freke is gearing up for the biggest moment of his career when he puts pedal to the metal at the Miami Homestead Speedway in the opening round of the Indy Pro Series on Saturday.

The 25-year-old is set for a baptism of fire when he tackles a high speed oval track for the first time in a competitive race, watched by an estimated 80,000 strong crowd and an even larger television audience on the ESPN sports channels.

When Freke revs up the engine of his Dallara on the starting grid it will represent a change in fortunes for the gifted young driver.

After a frustrating 2007 without a team to drive for, he has been given a chance to show what he is capable of on one of the biggest motorsport stages possible.

The Indy Pro series is the feeder league to the popular IndyCar Championship, which attracts millions of fans from across the world, and is the equivalent of Formula 3.

To succeed with team Michael Crawford Motorsport, Freke must show that he has quickly acclimatised to the oval courses, which make-up over half the 16-race series.

Freke has only had two chances to try the oval courses, with solid a performance on the Nashvile Superspeedway test.

His second chance at the team's track ended after 25 miles on Friday, after his car's engine failed.

It means Freke will have had little time to get used to the g-forces he will experience while racing at speeds of 180 miles per hour on the 100 mile long track.

Father Clive Freke said: "Nathan is a bit apprehensive, which is only natural because it is a leap into the unknown for him but he's also very excited.

"He realises this is his big chance and is determined to do well.

"He's not set himself any targets but if he could get around the track without damaging himself, or the car and finish in the top ten then that would be a good start to the season.

"He is totally focused on the oval track, which is a completely new discipline for him to get used to.

"Nathan will have both his right and left foot on the accelerator to make sure he doesn't let up the pace.

"He will also be experiencing powerful g-forces, luckily he's a fit lad with plenty of upper body strength, so should be okay."

Behind the scenes Freke is still searching for extra sponsorship to help pay for his American dream.

He has already generated half the money needed to pay to race for the team and has a three-month deadline to find the remaining £100,000 in order to complete the season.

But Clive Freke is eager to sign up companies with connections to the United States in order to take the pressure off their finances.

"At the moment we have people working hard to find companies who want to support Nathan," said Mr Freke.

"We're looking for a company in Britain which has a lot of business in America or connections in the US.

"It's all up in the air but if Nathan can do well then it may help our cause.

"We want companies to get in on the bottom floor of what could be a very exciting season."