The leading stars of the Champ Car World Series gathered in Brussels yesterday as the Belgian media got the chance to meet local star Jan Heylen and his championship rivals.

The men who pilot the new Champ Car DP01 were all in attendance at Autoworld Brussels at the picturesque Parc du Cinquantenaire.

Each was individually introduced to local media and fans with the DP01 of Heylen presenting a unique contrast against the host of historic cars on display.

"I got here last week and I've been tremendously busy with media and sponsor commitments. Everyone is very excited about the weekend ahead," Heylen said.

"Everyone in Belgium knows about Formula One but we are bringing a great show over from America and I am confident we are going to have a lot of fans coming out to take a look.

"Hopefully they'll like what they see and make the trip to Assen as well."

Veteran Paul Tracy is one of the drivers who competed in Champ Car the last time the series raced in Europe in 2003 – in fact – the year Tracy won the Vanderbilt Cup.

"Coming to Belgium is a very exciting opportunity for everyone in the Champ Car World Series," Tracy said.

"It’s a great time for the series to come to new venues and the reaction from the fans has been really positive here in Belgium and the Netherlands.

"I'm really looking forward to hitting the track tomorrow for the first time."

This weekend's Belgian Champ Car Grand Prix will be followed by the Bavaria Champ Car Grand Prix in Assen, Netherlands.