Indy Racing League champion Sam Hornish Jr has beaten pre-race favourites Team Penske in the first event of the new season.

Hornish dominated the race at the Homestead track in Florida from pole position, with Penske drivers Gil de Ferran and Helio Castroneves second and third.

Penske are the favourites to win the IRL title this season after switching over from the rival Cart series, in which they were the most successful team in history.

Penske won the IRL's blue-riband event, the Indianapolis 500, on a one-off entry last season.

Never close

It is the presence of the prestigious Indy 500 in the IRL that prompted Penske to switch series for 2002.

Hornish, who started from pole position, lapped the field with about 65 laps remaining.

Although two late caution flags allowed De Ferran and Castroneves to get back on the lead lap, they never got close enough to challenge for the victory.

Jeff Ward was fourth, driving for the Ganassi team which also races in Cart.

Eliseo Salazar was fifth and rookie Tomas Scheckter , son of 1979 Formula One world champion Jody Scheckter, sixth in his IRL debut.

Hornish led 166 of 200 laps. He was fast and able to drive anywhere on the 2.4-kilometre (1.5-mile) oval. He passed on the outside and was virtually unpassable on the inside.

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Results from the Indy Racing League Grand Prix of Miami at the Homestead-Miami Speedway:

1 Sam Hornish Jr (USA) Dallara-Chevrolet 200 laps 140.325 mph
2 Gil de Ferran (Bra) Dallara-Chevrolet 200
3 Helio Castroneves (Bra) Dallara-Chevrolet 200
4 Jeff Ward (USA) G-Force-Chevrolet 199
5 Eliseo Salazar (Chi) Dallara-Chevrolet
6 Tomas Scheckter (ZA) Dallara-Infiniti 198