By Andrew Cutler
February 22 2009

With the first pre-season test comming up this week, the driver signing announcements are finally starting to roll in. When it comes to the Firestone Indy Lights Series, THIS is the one that I have been most wanting to see. Perennial powerhouse squad Sam Schmidt Motorsports has signed up Ana Beatriz to a second year with their organization.

In her rookie season the young lady (now 23) from Sao Paulo, Brazil quickly established herself as a championship contender, finishing third in the standings with one victory (Nashville) and eight top-five finishes. With series champion Raphael Matos going to the IndyCar ranks & no word yet as to the '09 plans of Richard Antinucci (one of Beatriz's teammates last year), "Bia", as she is known, has to be seen as the clear front-runner for the '09 FIL title.

"I'm very excited to return to the Firestone Indy Lights with the Sam Schmidt Motorsports team," Beatriz said. "We had a great year in 2008 as a group, and now we can focus on trying to win more races. Being with Sam again is amazing, and being able to stay with team will allow us to continue moving forward. I'm excited (sponsor) Healthy Choice is back with us, and I'm hoping we can win a championship with everyone involved."

Sam Schmidt is equally excited. "We're very pleased to have Ana back to campaign the 2009 season and build upon her success last year. She showed last year that she's a quick learner, and with a full season of experience behind her, we're very confident that she'll be a threat to win races every time our car hits the track."