Herta in for injured Nakano.

Walker Racing has announced that CART veteran Bryan Herta will stand in for the injured Shinji Nakano for the next two races, after the Japanese driver suffered head injuries while testing at Milwaukee.

This means that Herta will compete in both the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach and the Rio 200 in Rio de Janeiro, while Nakano recovers, although it is not clear whether there is an option for the American to continue further should there be any delay in the Japanese driver's recovery. He is currently contracted to Forsythe Championship Racing, and is merely on loan to Walker for the listed events, despite his regular team having scratched from the series so far this season.

''Bryan is a winner and was a natural choice to use as a substitute driver for Shinji,'' team boss Derrick Walker said, ''We were very fortunate to be able to find a driver of his calibre, and we owe Forsythe Racing, and Gerry Forsythe in particular, for allowing us to use Bryan.''

Nakano continues to make good progress in recovering from his injuries, and is recuperating under the care of neurologist Dr. Terry Horner, who decided, along with CART medical expert Dr Steve Olvey, that Nakano should not race at Nazareth, Long Beach or Rio.

''After missing the first couple of races of the 2000 season, I was definitely itching to get back in the car,'' Herta said ''So when Derrick presented me with this opportunity, it was a good chance for me to do some competitive racing while giving the Forsythe team some time to sort out their situation. I'm grateful to Derrick and Gerry for allowing me this opportunity, and at the same time I wish Shinji the best in his recovery, and look forward to returning the car to him in good condition.''