Former Minardi boss, and Pitpass columnist, Paul Stoddart has been linked with a possible return to racing, namely with Champ Cars.

There is no doubt that since his departure from the Formula One paddock, the Australian has missed the sport desperately, and some might say, though not all, that the feeling is mutual.

A couple of visits to the paddock, most notably at Melbourne and Monaco surely convinced Paul that he needs another 'fix' of racing.

With a return to F1 out of the question, his entry for 2008 failing at the first hurdle, Stoddart has been linked with a number of ventures, including ALMS, however, the recent rumour regarding Champ Cars is altogether different.

In 2007 the series introduces a new chassis, which means that now would be a good time to get on board. Furthermore, although it is thought that Champ Car and IRL could be unified in the next few years, all it would need is for one major team to defect and the situation could change very, very quickly.

According to reports Stoddart has met with (Champ Car boss) Kevin Kalkhoven, who along with partner Gerald Forsythe, will appreciate the cachet that a former F1 team boss could bring to Champ Cars, especially in the wake of Juan Pablo Montoya's move to NASCAR.

Stoddart has the rights to the Minardi and European Minardi names, while former sponsor Harry Muermans would be keen to be part of any such programme.

It is wide of the mark to say that Stoddart is setting up a team for 2007, however, it would appear that exploratory work is currently being undertaken, indeed once source told us that the Australian is "taking a serious look", but urged us not to get carried away.

Should it come about, Stoddart would have a number of drivers to call on, including Robert Doornbos, Bas Leinders, Patrick Friesacher and Zsolt Baumgartner.

At a time when the outlook is bleak for up and coming F1 drivers, the prospects in Champ Cars are altogether different, with drivers able to earn a living rather than paying millions to drive a handful of laps on a Grand Prix Friday.