Showing posts with label Ed Jones. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Ed Jones. Show all posts

Thursday, January 28, 2021

Ed Jones Comes Back Home To Dale Coyne Racing With Vasser Sullivan & SealMaster

Ed Jones discusses the finer points of tackling the oval track at IMS during the INDY500 session activity in 2018. Ed qualified his Ganassi Racing No. 10 NTT Data Honda at P29 and ended his run on Lap 57 when he lost control in Turn 2 having him listed as finishing P30. Image Credit: EJR Facebook Page (2018)


Ed Jones Comes Back Home To Dale Coyne Racing With Vasser Sullivan & SealMaster

People love to speculate, "What would it have been like if ..." when looking over the arch of a driving career and the relationships garnered along the way.

Well, with British/UAE driver Ed Jones back on the Dale Coyne Racing paddock with Jimmy Vasser calling signals in the box, in 2021 fans may see the culmination of experiences in the side trips to Ganassi Racing with Dario Franchitti in the team coaching role, and Ed Carpenter and his long association with the history of Indianapolis Motor Speedway. One can not wait for what the second chapter in this Coyne/Jones union, sponsored through SealMaster, will garner to this 17 race season.

All on the team believe that Podiums are the intended goal and all believe they have the experience to deliver on this goal.


NTT IndyCar Series News Conference - Wednesday, January 27, 2021
Indianapolis, Indiana, USA

Dale Coyne - Dale Coyne Racing
Jimmy Vasser - Vasser Sullivan Racing
Ed Jones - Driver, Dale Coyne Racing with Vasser Sullivan, No. 18 SealMaster Honda

Press Conference

THE MODERATOR: Good morning to everyone, first and foremost. Certainly glad you could join us for a huge announcement from Dale Coyne Racing with Vasser Sullivan. We'll begin with some introductions.

Dale Coyne is set to begin, we did the math, his 38th year in INDYCAR competition. The former driver, now long time owner of Dale Coyne Racing. Jimmy Vasser is on the phone, former INDYCAR Series champ, turned team owner, winner of the 2013 Indianapolis with than Tony Kanaan as a driver. Fourth season in his partnership with Dale Coyne. Great to see Ed Jones returning to the NTT INDYCAR Series, announcing earlier this morning that Ed will be the driver of the No. 18 Team SealMaster Dale Coyne Racing with Vasser Sullivan Honda during the 2021 season. Ed, of course, 2017 Rookie of the Year in the series, 2016 Indy Lights champion, a total of 47 starts in the NTT INDYCAR Series with 14 top-10 finishes.

We'll begin with Dale. Congratulations. A reunion of sorts. How good is it to have Ed back?

DALE COYNE: We're very happy to have Ed back. We were happy with him a couple years ago when he drove for us. He didn't put an asterisk by that third at Indy. He had a hole in the nose of his car. He touched somebody's gearbox, put a hole in the nose of his car. We couldn't figure out why he was so quick in the corners and slow in the straights. It turned out it was a drag penalty for that hole, otherwise he might have been two positions higher, which really would have been something.

But, no, Ed is a great friend of the team. My wife, myself, we all get along really well. So we're very happy to have him back. As I told Ed when we were talking about all this, we both have unfinished business. We're very much looking forward to a competitive year.

THE MODERATOR: That might be the theme for you in 2021 for sure.

We'll move to Ed right now. 2020, as you know, was different for all of us in so many ways. Different for you, too, without a ride. How did you pass the time last year and how excited are you to be back in the NTT INDYCAR Series?

ED JONES: First of all, it's great to be back. As you said, 2020 was different for everyone. Unfortunately the ride that I had fell through with COVID there. So it was a different year for me a year where I didn't do very much driving.

One side of that was a negative, on the other it was a good time to reflect on things, get recharged. I actually did a lot of sim racing.

I've been back not in the INDYCAR but in some other cars the last few weeks. Feel as good as ever. It's really been fantastic to join up with Dale again, with Vasser Sullivan this time. As Dale said, we have unfinished business. Had a really strong rookie year. Just really looking forward to hitting the floor running, getting back to the standard that we were at.

THE MODERATOR: Do you care to get into how all this came about?

ED JONES: I've always kept in contact with Dale. I've been fortunate where I have a good relationship with pretty much everyone in the paddock, and I'm able to talk to people quite often.

After the year out, I knew I really wanted to be back in INDYCAR. I was talking to Dale, seeing what we could figure out. Things took quite a bit of time. It all came through in the end. That's what's important.

As Dale said, we've had a great relationship. I know a lot of the guys at the team already. Having that extra partnership of Vasser Sullivan, continuing their success, is something I'm really excited to get going with.

THE MODERATOR: Jimmy, what could Ed do for your race team during 2021?

JIMMY VASSER: He's going to jump back where he left off with his consistency. You look at his numbers, 30% of his INDYCAR starts have been in the top 10. So he's a finisher, and he's consistent.

I think also he gives us a chance to fight for the Indy 500. Three starts, third and a sixth. In my opinion, should have been Rookie of the Year at the 500, but that's a whole 'nother story.

DALE COYNE: Co-rookie.

JIMMY VASSER: Right.

We're excited and energized for the 500, what he can bring. Again, just echo what I said about his consistency. I can tell you all our stakeholders and partners are really stoked to have Ed coming onboard. This is going to be good.

Dale, you might have mentioned there's some unfinished business there. The cars particularly on the ovals have proven to be very quick, so we're excited.


THE MODERATOR: Let's open it up for questions.

Q. Ed, they talked about your experience, your expertise, your engineering background. Also returning to this team there's got to be the comfort level. You've worked with these guys before. How important is that comfort level coming back to the team?

ED JONES: Yeah, for sure. Although I had two full seasons in INDYCAR, it was with different teams every year. It's always hard to keep some consistency there. So it's really nice to go back to Dale. As I said, I'm familiar with the team and all the guys there. It should help a lot getting back into things. I've already been in contact with everyone. I'm just really looking forward to that.

It's a different dynamic to what I've had in the past, as I said. Changing teams every year hasn't been ideal, something which I think should be positive going forward.

Q. According to the release today, it said that last year there were issues with traveling because of the COVID situation. Was that from the Dubai standpoint or in Europe?

ED JONES: Well, last year I was meant to race in DTM. Every series in the world, everything in the world, got delayed. The partners I had there weren't so keen after what was going on, so that was the reason why I didn't participate in that last year.

That was the time when I started thinking about INDYCAR, how we could get back into that. Yeah, it was frustrating. As I said, it was frustrating for everyone. You had to deal with it, work on yourself, see how you can make yourself better to be racing again in INDYCAR.

Q. Dale, I'll spin the comfort level question around from your end. How comforting is it to get a guy back like Ed that you've worked with before because you already have an idea what he can do, how he interacts with the team?

DALE COYNE: We're very happy about him. He has a new engineer this year, Ross Bunnell, who has been with us, worked with him before. They like each other, know each other from the past.

Ross was actually ready to move up as an engineer last year. We held him for one more year. He's really ready for the challenge. He is a diamond in the rough. He's going to be a great engineer.

What Ed is really going to enjoy is having Jimmy Vasser in his ear on the radio. Jimmy keeps you pretty pumped up there, so it will be good.

Q. What can you tell us about the status of the 19?

DALE COYNE: We hope to announce our other driver next week.

Q. Ed, after the DTM ride fell through, what did you do all year?

ED JONES: Yeah, I didn't race. I did a few different things. Actually went back to studying, did some MIT courses, which was a bit different for me (smiling).

Otherwise, the only racing I did last year was at Goodwood, racing in the Goodwood Revival, in an AC Cobra. Very different to an INDYCAR. What I also was doing was a lot of sim racing. Although it's not the same, a lot of the drivers are very competitive on there. It was good to keep sharp.

As I said, once I got back in the car finally, I felt like I was right back there. I didn't feel like I'd been away. Although it wasn't ideal, I did the most I could to keep ready and keep fit. I think it will put me in good stead for when I get back in the INDYCAR next month.

Q. Can you tell me more about the studying you did.

ED JONES: Yeah, so I did artificial intelligence, digital business management. It was different. I hadn't studied for 10 years, so it was just something I wanted to do to keep myself busy and learn something new. Probably not what other drivers did, but yeah.

Q. Did you say you did this through MIT?

ED JONES: Yeah, I did. It was online courses.

Q. What did you learn?

ED JONES: Artificial intelligence, about how businesses and companies use it to take advantage of big data. Yeah, very different to what I need for racing, but something I was always interested in, how things are evolving.

On one thing with the data, it's something you can use into motorsport, maybe not from a driver perspective, but with data on handling how you use testing the car and things like that. Through simulation, as well.

It's something which can be beneficial in the future, and something which maybe isn't really important for me now, but something I could use in times to come.

Q. Ed, you mentioned from being almost out of the car entirely, in any car entirely in 2020, to going to kind of a leadership role or presumed leadership role with Dale Coyne Racing this year. Do you feel there are any adjustments or a learning curve you'll have to make specifically with a little bit new car with the Aeroscreen that we have, just a somewhat new role, similar to what you had been doing earlier in your career, hopping from team to team previously?

ED JONES: Yeah, it is different. But I'm fortunate that I have the team around me which is going to allow me to make everything work. I don't feel fazed at all by what is going to happen. I feel confident we're going to be strong from the get-go.

Although it's different circumstances in '17 when Seb had his injury, I had to kind of take lead of the team for a while then. Obviously it's different now, but not something which I haven't done in the past. Even in junior categories, I had to take the lead role quite often.

No, I'm looking forward to it. A new challenge. As I said, I'm happy that I have the Dale Coyne guys. Jimmy Vasser there will be a great addition. The experience from him will help me fast track everything I need to do. Yeah, hope that we can get it done.

Q. Beyond the familiarity you have with this team, with Dale specifically, what excites you the most or what helped push you toward saying yes to this? Obviously a racing driver wants to be in the car as much as possible, and this was an opportunity to do that. Beyond the ability to get back to the INDYCAR Series, the familiarity you already have, what is the biggest excitement for you?

ED JONES: Yeah, so for me there was many options in different categories to race in this year. The way 2019 went for me was really disappointing, my last year in INDYCAR at the moment. It bugged me. I knew it didn't reflect what level I could compete at. There's a lot of young guys in there doing well, and I beat most of them in junior categories, things like that. I know what level I'm at. I know it didn't reflect that. I knew I needed to get back to INDYCAR, prove what I can do.

That's exactly the reason why I pursued this so hard. In a way I was very frustrated about it. For that reason I'm extremely grateful for this opportunity to get back and really give it everything.

As you said in 2017 we had a good run going, but you can't just think of it like that, that it's going to be all great again. You've got to put in the work. I'm going to make sure I get the team around me and do everything we can to make that happen.

Q. Dale, after the 2017 season you left the season finale feeling like you were going to be returning and working with Ed for at least another year, had a handshake agreement that fell apart. You said you always stayed in touch. Doesn't sound like there was necessarily any bad blood or anything you had to work out in order to make this deal possible for this year.

DALE COYNE: No, I mean, we lost Ed to Ganassi. Last year we lost Alex to Ganassi. That's not a bad thing. That's a good thing. People come to our team and want to prove themselves. Obviously everybody wants to drive for Penske or Ganassi. If they can do a nice job with us and move up, that's good for us. That's not bad for us. That's good for us.

We understood what he did, why he did it. It's business. Like I say, we did remain friends through all that. Here we are back together again.

Q. Dale, obviously the guy who Ed is replacing, Santino, one of his strengths was ovals, probably his main strength. Ed has not raced ovals other than the 500 since 2018. Are you confident that you can get Ed performing as well as you did Santino?

DALE COYNE: Yes. I think Santino was a very good racer on the ovals, maybe not as good a qualifier. I think Ed is the same way. I think Ed is a very good racer on the ovals.

We have worked very hard on our 500 cars every year. We've arguably been the fastest Honda the last four years, given a couple situations here or there. I think we've got a good car for Indy. Ed showed he can qualify well with Carpenter there and race well. I think Indy, very much looking forward to Indianapolis.

Q. Ed, are you confident about getting back into the swing of it, especially now that this is your first time with the Aeroscreen on an oval?

ED JONES: Yeah. I feel like I've always been strong on ovals, short ovals especially. To be honest, if I could race INDYCAR ovals every weekend, that would be my dream thing (smiling). It's something which I love to do.

Although the windscreen is different, it's just one of the things you've got to get used to. I changed from old aero kits to the new aero kit. It's not a problem. Just something you have to adapt to and it won't be an issue.

Q. Lack of testing available isn't a worry for you?

ED JONES: Well, I'm pretty sure everyone else gets the same amount. I should be fine. Although I didn't drive last year, I still feel sharp. People came out from longer breaks in the past and get back on it. Yeah, I have no worries about that.

The most important thing is we work well together as a team. I'm confident we can do that. As long as we have that sorted, two days, three days, it will be enough.

DALE COYNE: The other teams went out to Barber for a day and Sebring for a day. I think we've got our three days. INDYCAR moved the window a little later so we're able to do those three days now with the drivers that drive for us. We'll get our second driver done, then we'll get out testing three days February and get our testing done in a hurry.

Wheels up across the rumble strips that define the inside of Turn 5 of the Toyota Grand Prix Of Long Beach. Here in his first year in IndyCar, he is driving the Dale Coyne No. 19 Boy Scouts Of America sponsored Dallara Honda where he qualified 13th and finished the race at P6. Image Credit: Edmund Jenks (2017)

Q. Ed, you came in 2017 as a 20-year-old. How have you grown since that point and how do you think that will help you this year?

ED JONES: Yeah, I think, as you said, when I came in in 2017, I was still very new to everything in America. I had two years in Indy Lights which went well. But, yeah, you learn so much through the early years in INDYCAR.

As I was saying, yeah, as a rookie in the first two years you can always put in some very good results, but it's very hard to be consistently at the front. That comes with experience.

Yeah, I had seasons where maybe the success/reward didn't go so well and it didn't work out. Now I've learned from that. I feel like that although the year out isn't ideal, I feel I've also progressed in many ways. I think that I can come back stronger and have a better shot at racing.

Q. Jimmy, this is your third or fourth season now with Dale. What is it about partnering up with him that you guys enjoy?

JIMMY VASSER: We're like minded. This will be our fourth year, by the way. Dale has been in for 38 years I guess is the number, right? We like that Dale is always going to be here.

I think we really complement each other as two organizations. It takes a village. It's so difficult to try to fight the Penskes and Ganassis and Andrettis of the world, all the way down through the paddock these days, it's so hard. We're able to pool all of our resources and pull against the rope together.

I think we've shown going into our fourth season that it has given success.

British race team Carlin's United Arab Emirates driver Ed Jones negotiates Turn 4 at the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach. Jones was currently sitting at P3 in the IndyLights season points championship where he ended the 2015 season - he did lead the most laps and won the 2015 TGPLB IndyLights race ahead of the Pole Award winner, Jack Harvey. Image Credit: Edmund Jenks (2015)

Q. Ed, obviously you know the team from the past. I guess you kind of know INDYCAR well enough now. What kind of expectations do you go in with this year specifically? Have you set specific goals for yourself in terms of wins, podiums, top 10s or anything like that? What would you be happy with at the end of 2021?

ED JONES: We haven't set targets exactly. But you always go out there because you want to win. The competition is very tough. I think the driver level is the toughest it's ever been. The level of the teams is extremely high. I'm really confident that we'll put things together, we can finish on the podium. Ultimately we want to win the Indy 500.

Again, INDYCAR is so tough now that to get a win, you've got to have everything right. It's all about pulling up all those different aspects. The team has had some great success in the SealMaster car.

I remember the first year they ran that livery in 2018, I had just left the team, Seb was running at St. Pete, they won the race. I thought that is the (indiscernible) car and something I want to drive in the future.

The addition of the guys with Jimmy there, the experience he brings, I really want to target to get back up to speed immediately. As I said, it's very tough. Top 10s from the beginning would be great, but then you want to progress up to the podium again, ultimately fight for wins.

I know it's a tough path, a tough ask, but I really believe that as a team, together we can challenge for that.

Q. Dale, I've got to be the unpopular guy and ask the difficult question. There's a lot of talk about Romain Grosjean being linked to your team for next season. You said you're hoping to announce your driver next week. Can you say if there's any mutual interest there or if you're speaking to Romain, if you're interested in him for this season?

DALE COYNE: You all could make a list of a hundred drivers, we've talked to probably every one of them this winter. Employed, unemployed, America, Europe, every country. It's been kind of amazing.

Obviously Romain is a good driver. We'd love to have him. We're working on a few other ones as well. Hopefully we get all that buttoned up and make an announcement next week and then get out to testing in February.

Q. Ed, it's been sort of talked about briefly within this chat, but your relationship with Jimmy Vasser, how far back does that go? How did it kind of come about? How do you two work together so well?

ED JONES: Yeah, so I haven't worked with Jimmy in the past. Ever since my rookie year, Jimmy was always there. We would have a chat here and there.

It's great when you have a lot of respect for the past champions and guys that have done amazing in INDYCAR before. So I've always respected him, always tried to learn little things here and there, what I can.

I'm really excited to take it to the next level, really draw from that experience. He will be a great addition to have on the stand for me.

Q. Jimmy, Ed had kind of mentioned getting up to speed. What are you going to have to do to help Ed get back up to the speed, especially on ovals?

JIMMY VASSER: I don't expect any real delay. Watching Ed while we were around a bit in '17, then competing against him the following two years, just being a driver and knowing he hasn't been out of the car not that long for a young man like that. I fully expect him to jump in and find his pace pretty much immediately. There's no concerns on my end it's going to take him any time to get back up to speed.

As far as the ovals go, we're going to have a doubleheader at Texas. Some of these tracks, Indianapolis, we're going to be there for so long. Looking at St. Louis. It's really not an oval-centric series like it used to be.

I don't have any concerns either on the ovals or the road, street circuits, there's not going to be any more learning curves.


@29:11
Q. Ed, you're coming into a whole new series, new ownership, new ownership of the IMS track, new car. You've been through an interesting road. What do you think you've learned over the past couple years at INDYCAR, the types of people that you've met, that you can bring forward to 2021?

ED JONES: Yeah, as you said, it's been an interesting ride so far. Probably not the most ideal. Because of that I've learned a huge amount. I've had some great experiences with teams and some not-so-great.

What I learned the most is it's all about who you have around you in the team. That is the most critical part. The most important part I've learned so far is having people around you which you can really trust, people that are there trying to back you. If you don't have that in a team, it's going to be really hard for you to succeed.

Yeah, I feel really comfortable with the guys that we have on the 18 car, which gives you confidence. The experience I learned. Also it's key to find the right people. The engineers we have, Ross, a great addition to the team, somebody I'm really confident in. All those people around you, it's going to make this work. That's probably the biggest thing I've taken from the few years I've had.

Again, you learn so many things in the racing. Everyone keeps on bringing up the oval aspect, getting up to speed. For me, it's not about that this year. I'm not here to try and take time to get up to speed, I've not come back for that reason, or have any excuse like that. I want to be there and be straight on it from the get-go and back like I've never left. That's really important for me. That's my target. I'm looking forward to getting after it.

Q. Jimmy Vasser, he's good at ovals, so on. Is there anything specific you see in Ed that you can bring forward talking to him from the box?

JIMMY VASSER: We're going to find out, right? As I mentioned earlier, Ed has shown consistency. He's a finisher. That's the most important thing. From there, hopefully working with Ross and Michael Cox as a junior engineer that was on the team last year, who is a very bright kid, with Isaac Townsend being promoted in the team up to crew chief working real close with Todd, we got to put together a nice, tight little group, keep it in the box, give Ed a good car that he has shown what he can do good.

He's a pretty methodical driver. If we can be there and then put ourselves in a position to take opportunities, try to make the right calls strategically, then I think we can, like Ed said, just find ourself in the top 10, then let's kind of put ourselves to get in a position to get on the podium, then who knows. From there, things can happen and you can win a race.

So I hate to be cliché about it, but you got to take it one race at a time, one session at a time, really just hone in on keeping it as simple as you can really, not make mistakes.

I'm going to say it again, Ed said it, I don't anticipate any getting used to the new car, the Aeroscreen. We've seen with the other drivers just jumping in. Ed is going to be right on the pace, at least match the pace of the car, what it's capable of, in my mind the first days.

Q. Dale Coyne, it seems like you almost have a potential tiger by the tail with Jones and Vasser together. How do you see it? Where do you involve yourself?

DALE COYNE: Jimmy and Sulli, Sulli is in the air right now or he'd been on here, he's flying from Texas to Daytona. We talked about drivers. Santino has gone off in the NASCAR or Xfinity. Ed was a natural choice for both of us. We looked at who was out there, who was available. My relationship with Ed, we knew his background, what he could do.

I think Ed is going to have a really nice environment there, with the people around him, chief mechanic, Jimmy in his ear. I think it's all going to gel very nicely.

This is all about making that team work. It's not just the driver. The driver is the most important cog for sure. But giving him a good car, having a good team around him, trying to get podiums. Wins are hard to get, but we can get them. That's the goal.

Q. Jimmy, the Rolex is this weekend. How do you feel going into the Rolex? You and Sulli have sort of branched out, doing your own thing this year. What are Lexus' expectations for you? If you can talk about Zach Veach, the enjoyment he's had so far.

JIMMY VASSER: Expectations are we're here to win the 24. Sorry to say, that, Ed. We're competing against Ed in the GTD class. We're going to kick your butt, Ed.

We have branched out, but the team very much looks and feels the same as it had last year with our past partners. But we've stepped it up in our minds with some personnel, engineering, and the driver lineup.

Having said that, it leads me to Zach Veach. He's done three test days in the car. He's really embraced working on the simulator and kind of trying to adapt to the ABS system in the car. I haven't driven it, but it seems to be something that is tough to get used to for drivers.

On the radio, on the in-lap from the qualifier race, he came on the radio and said that was the most fun he's ever had. He's really looking forward to the series. He seems really enlightened and extremely happy. That kind of energy, you know, it trickles down through the whole team. It's infectious. Hopefully that will help keep things light around here and we can deliver not only for the team but Lexus and all the stakeholders in the team.

Q. Jimmy, do you think both your entries are championship contenders?

JIMMY VASSER: Yeah, I do. I do. Although the 14 is very, very strong. We're going to see how Zach, leading the full season as the professional in the 12 car. With Frankie I think he's shown that he's able to win races and get podiums.

We expect between the two cars they should vie for the championship and more importantly we're well positioned with the two cars to get the manufacturers championship for Lexus.

Q. Just wanted to ask about SealMaster. Everyone who watches the races on TV appreciate having such an eye-catching design amongst all the red, whites and blues out there. How do you feel they have kept faith in terms of what they get out of it? You started a relationship with a huge bang with the win at St. Pete. What have they seen has been the value for INDYCAR racing over subsequent seasons?

JIMMY VASSER: First of all, they're a great partner, a very successful program for them. It's based around the franchisees. They get a tremendous amount of value from our media partners in Spectrum. They also activate, although they couldn't, they a few of the franchisees were able to come at Road America.

They understood while last year was the pandemic and they weren't able to do as much, but they're looking forward to things lightening up a bit this year and resuming what they did in prior years.

I think Dale will remember and a lot of people would, there were 110 franchisees that came to St. Pete when we won that first race. When you can give that kind of an experience for them, it's in their blood, you could probably ask anyone, when you bring somebody to an INDYCAR race, you can smell it and feel it and hear it, you get hooked.

They are a great partner, but they're very, very happy with how things are going. Their leadership ironically, too, a bit of an Ed Jones fan. We were really happy about that. Double thumbs up when we let them know who our new driver was going to be. We're really, really looking forward to getting this thing rolling and getting back to business, as usual.

DALE COYNE: There's a lot of nice parking lots and Sonny's Barbecue in Florida (laughter).

THE MODERATOR: Our buddy Asher has chimed in. He has one question for Ed. Go ahead, Asher.

Q. Ed, you were champion in the SealMaster car after some great drivers including Sebastien Bourdais and Santino Ferrucci. How excited are you to be driving that car after all those good drivers?

ED JONES: Yeah, well. First of all, thanks for the question.

It's fantastic to be driving that car. As I said, the first time I saw it was the year after I left Dale the first time. Sebastien had won that race at St. Petersburg. The car looked awesome then. It's looked amazing ever since.

It's always one of the cars when you're on track, you see it. You're like, That looks good. I'm really excited to be there. They've had some great success over four years. Really hoping I can add to that.

THE MODERATOR: Congratulations to everyone. Good to see good people return to the NTT INDYCAR Series. Dale, Jimmy, Ed. Our congratulations to Sulli, as well. Looking forward to seeing the No. 18 team's SealMaster Honda at the opener April 18th, Barber Motorsports Park.

Thanks to everyone. Have a great day.
[ht - FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports]

... notes from The EDJE




TAGS: SealMaster, No.18 SealMaster Honda, Ed Jones, Dale Coyne Racing, Vasser Sullivan Racing, 2021, NTT INDYCAR SERIES, Dale Coyne, Jimmy Vasser, Ed Jones, The EDJE

Tuesday, January 16, 2018

New Platform, New Season - The Future Of IndyCar 2018 Starts Now



New Platform, New Season - The Future Of IndyCar 2018 Starts Now

As drivers sped through a quick right-left portion of the club course Wednesday, January 10th, 2018 at Sebring International Raceway, their hands were notably busy as they got back into the throttle.

Occasionally they made sudden corrections. Sometimes they slid to the right on the exit of the left-hand corner. More than once, they kicked up dirt as they used all of the exit and drifted off the pavement.

The overall theme derived from that portion of the track? The drivers best able to adapt quickly to the changes brought from a new universal aero kit will be the ones who win races.

Marco Andretti, driver in 2018 season of the No. 98 Andretti Herta Autosport with Curb-Agajanian Honda taking first laps in the new 2018 IndyCar universal aero kit platform. Image Credit: Brian Cleary via IndyCar (2018)

Welcome to what is bound to be an eventful 2018 Verizon IndyCar Series season. The introduction of the kit has changed everything for drivers. The car is lighter on downforce, especially in the rear end, making cornering, braking and throttle control more difficult – and more essential to success.

As Ryan Hunter-Reay put it when asked to describe the car: “It’s alive.”

Hunter-Reay, Marco Andretti, Alexander Rossi and Ed Jones had their first shot at the new kit during Wednesday’s test session. Like others who have tested it previously, they described it as completely different from what they’ve driven in the past.

Andretti Herta Autosport with Curb-Agajanian, the partnership between Herta and Michael Andretti’s Andretti Autosport, will field the No. 98 Honda again this year in the Verizon IndyCar Series, with one major change: Marco Andretti will drive it (with Herta calling Marco’s race strategy for a second straight year), while Alexander Rossi moves to Andretti’s previous car, the Andretti Autosport No. 27 Honda. But the underlying story of their switch is the entire team’s effort to piece together four cars with the new universal aero kit in time to get them from its Indianapolis shop to Sebring for the test session.

The term “universal aero kit” makes the 2018 car sound like the Dallara IR-12 chassis has simply been fitted with new bodywork. In reality, the change is extensive, calling for a complete rewiring of electronics, movement of radiators and movement of key elements of the turbocharger system.

“It still has four wheels, but it’s a different car,” said Andretti, driver of the No. 98 Andretti Herta Autosport with Curb-Agajanian Honda. “There are a couple of inherent things that it does differently. I think we’re yet to know if it’s something we can fix or something we’re just going to have to get used to as drivers.”

They cautioned against making final judgments about the effect of the kit after only a few hours of testing, but all repeated the theme about the difference between it and what they’ve driven previously.

“It’s definitely more alive,” said Hunter-Reay, who's back in the No. 28 DHL Honda. “It’s been a busier car to drive. We still have a lot of work to do. We only just started.”

All four Andretti Autosport drivers – Hunter-Reay, Andretti, Rossi and rookie Zach Veach – took part in Wednesday’s session alongside Chip Ganassi Racing’s Jones and Scott Dixon. Zachary Claman DeMelo, the 19-year-old Canadian who won an Indy Lights race last season at Road America and made his Verizon IndyCar Series debut in the season finale at Sonoma Raceway, was scheduled to test for Dale Coyne Racing, but a paperwork issue with results of a recent drug test kept him from participating.

Platform in white, the No.9 Scott Dixon 2018 Honda Dallara. Image Credit: Brian Cleary via IndyCar (2018) 

A hundred yards away in the Chip Ganassi Racing transporter, Mike Hull went over details of the new car and the manpower it took to get cars ready for Scott Dixon and Ed Jones. As managing director of CGR’s INDYCAR operation, Hull oversaw the complicated process of getting the parts and people in the right places.

“We had to have the monocoque modified to be able to accept the new bodywork and its new safety enhancements, which are really important,” Hull explained. “I think everybody now is well down the road with that part of it. The second part was fitting all the bodywork and making sure it fit right. That’s pretty labor-intensive.”

Those who drove the car for the first time Wednesday spoke about braking stability and rear grip. They also spoke about the challenge of adapting to a new style of driving.   

“You’re always looking for new challenges,” Jones (left) said. “Everyone is in the same boat. Obviously, some people have done more testing with it, but it’s going to be good. It’s good for the series to change things up after a while. The cars will be a lot more challenging to drive. It should equal out the playing field a lot more in terms of the difference between teams.”

Additional team testing is scheduled for Sebring in late and more at Sonoma Raceway in California in early February before the entire series heads to ISM Raceway outside Phoenix for an open test Feb. 9-10 on the short oval. The season-opening Grand Prix of St. Petersburg is set for March 11. Until then, the familiarization continues.

“We’re at Day 1. We’re super green,” Andretti said. “We don’t really know if these new characteristics are permanent or not. We’re still going to try to mechanically fix them. If not, then we adapt.”
(ht: Jeff Olsen, IndyCar) 

 ... notes from The EDJE



TAGS: #IndyCar Marco Andretti, Andretti Herta Autosport, Andretti Autosport, Alexander Rossi, Ed Jones, Zach Veach, Ryan Hunter-Reay, Mike Hull, Chip Ganassi Racing, The EDJE

Saturday, August 8, 2015

Mazda Road To INDY Works - 7 IndyLights Drivers Test @RaceSonoma

IndyLights start Race 1 at Mid-Ohio. Image Credit: Bret Kelly via VICS

Mazda Road To INDY Works - 7 IndyLights Drivers Test @RaceSonoma

Many racing series are in play for people who wish to develop their skills as a competitive driver but none have the promise of transition that is infused within American open-wheel racing's Mazda Road To INDY program (USF2000, Pro Mazda, and IndyLights).

According to Rule 6.2.3 of the 2015 Verizon IndyCar Series rulebook, teams are allocated two additional team test days in the testing year window for the purpose of testing a current IndyLights driver. On-track time may be split with a team driver (one IndyLights driver and one team driver), but a team driver may not use more than 50 percent of the available track time.

Seven IndyLights Presented by Cooper Tires drivers, including the top three in the championship standings, will share a test day in Verizon IndyCar Series cars with Verizon IndyCar Series drivers Aug. 13 on the 2.385-mile, 12-turn Sonoma Raceway road course in Sonoma, Calif.

Verizon IndyCar Series teams and drivers testing, with IndyLights drivers testing in parentheses, are:

• Andretti Autosport - Marco Andretti (Matthew Brabham)
• Chip Ganassi Racing Teams - Scott Dixon (Sean Rayhall)
• KVSH Racing - Sebastien Bourdais (Ryan Phinny)
• Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing - Graham Rahal (Ed Jones)
• Schmidt Peterson Motorsports - Ryan Briscoe (Jack Harvey)
• Team Penske - Juan Pablo Montoya, Will Power (Spencer Pigot, Nelson Piquet Jr.)

Brabham drove an Andretti Autosport Indy car July 1 at an Iowa Speedway test alongside Andretti, and other IndyLights drivers periodically test in a Verizon IndyCar Series car. But this is the first large-scale in-season test day.

"This is exactly what we've wanted to have happen with the program," said Dan Andersen, owner and CEO of Andersen Promotions, which operates IndyLights under INDYCAR sanctioning. "We appreciate INDYCAR enabling this with its testing regulations and to encourage it. To see these drivers getting this opportunity is rewarding for them and exciting for us. It's what the program is all about; we want to see them make it to the Verizon IndyCar Series."

Indy Lights is the third and final step on the Mazda Road to Indy driver and team development ladder. The IndyLights champion is awarded a $750,000 scholarship toward the Verizon IndyCar Series with three guaranteed races, including the Indianapolis 500, in 2016.

Harvey, who drives for Schmidt Peterson Motorsports, takes a six-point lead over Pigot (Juncos Racing) and an 18-point lead over Jones (Carlin) into the championship-deciding doubleheader race weekend Sept. 11-13 at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca in Monterey, Calif.

"The test could be valuable for next year," said Harvey, the Englishman in his second season with SPM. "I could show (a Verizon IndyCar Series team) that they could trust me with their car, I can be fast and provide the proper feedback."

Added Pigot, 21, of Orlando, Fla., who won the 2014 Pro Mazda Presented by Cooper Tires championship: "It's something that I've been working toward for quite a few years and climbing the Mazda Road to Indy has prepared me for it. I'm excited to get behind the wheel. Winning the IndyLights championship is the No. 1 goal through the middle of September, and obviously the goal is to move up to IndyCar next year. This (test) could help my chances for next year."

Sam Schmidt, who co-owns the team that operates a four-car IndyLights program and a two-car Verizon IndyCar Series program, said the goals of the test day are to make the No. 5 Indy car driven by Briscoe competitive for the Aug. 30 GoPro Grand Prix of Sonoma to keep it in the top 10 of entrant points and give Harvey "a taste" of driving the Honda-powered machine.

"We're hoping he (Harvey) can win the championship, which would lead to the scholarship and moving up next year in some capacity," said Schmidt, who has seven IndyLights championships as a team owner. "It's always good to start that process as early as possible.

"It's one of the incentives that INDYCAR built into the program and hopefully it will expand with other IndyCar teams."

Graham Rahal leads Marco Andretti, Justin Wilson, and Simon Pagenaud through the Keyhole turn at Mid-Ohio. American open-wheel royal family members Graham and Marco are just two of the drivers who will share instruction time with IndyLights drivers during a test at Sonoma Raceway. Other drivers include 3-Time champion Scott Dixon, 4-Time champion Sebastien Bourdais, Ryan Briscoe, 1999 champion Juan Pablo Montoya, and 2014 champion Will Power. Image Credit: Chris Jones via VICS

TRANSCRIPT - 8/6/2015

Media Teleconference with Dan Andersen, Jack Harvey and Spencer PigotPART #1 >>>

THE MODERATOR: Welcome, everyone, to today's INDYCAR media teleconference.

We're pleased to be joined today by Dan Andersen, the owner and CEO of Andersen Promotions, which oversees the Mazda Road to Indy, and two of the championship contenders from the Indy Lights Presented by Cooper Tires, Jack Harvey of Schmidt Peterson Motorsports and Spencer Pigot of Juncos Racing.

Gentlemen, welcome to today's call.

Dan, it's been a great year for all three Mazda Road to Indy series with exciting races in the Cooper Tires USF2000, and the Pro Mazda Championship Presented by Cooper Tires, as well as the Indy Lights. We see young racers who aim to join the Verizon IndyCar Series in the future. From your perspective, how has the 2015 season been for the Mazda Road to Indy?

DAN ANDERSEN: As always, the young talented drivers we have put on a great show. I don't know how many people on the call have observed our races. Hopefully all of them. But they put on a great show. The training is pretty deep, not just what we try to provide as a series, but the training that they obtain by racing each other.

The best young drivers are here. If you're going to get better, you have to race against the best. If you're running at the front of one of these series, you're doing a good job. They've, again, proved that with the racing they put on this year. We're pretty satisfied with that.

THE MODERATOR: Obviously the goal of the Mazda Road to Indy is to move the drivers up the ranks. Next week some of the drivers from Indy Lights have a chance to sample IndyCars for the first time, joining the Verizon IndyCar Series for a test day.

DAN ANDERSEN: Yeah, it's pretty exciting. It's one of the things that we all wanted to do. Our series has partners with Mazda and Cooper. Andersen Promotions, Mazda and Cooper, this is what we're all about. We're all about training the young kids and getting them ready for an IndyCar seat eventually.

This is the culmination of that. Seven drivers, I believe, are on tap next week. They'll get their laps. They'll get the exposure from this, the experience from this. Hopefully they'll demonstrate the training that they've learned and they'll convince these IndyCar teams to give them a shot. That's our whole reason for being. It is what we're all about at the Mazda Road to Indy. Exciting week for us next week.


Nelson Piquet, Jr. celebrates his win with Formula E team owner at the inaugural FIA Formula E race held on a modified track used for the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach. Piquet went on to win the 2015 Formula E championship and will participate as one of the seven driver Mazda Road to INDY test with IndyCar teams and drivers at Sonoma Raceway. Image Credit: Edmund Jenks (2015)

THE MODERATOR: We are joined by two of the drivers who will be at Sonoma next week. They happen to be the two point leaders in IndyLights. Jack Harvey drives the No. 42 car for Schmidt Peterson Motorsports, and he leads the championship by six points over Spencer Pigot.

Jack, you have to be excited about the chance to get into an IndyCar next week and share SPM's Honda with Ryan Briscoe.

JACK HARVEY: Yeah. 'Excitement' is an understatement for everyone going into the test. The opportunity we've been given from Dan and everybody involved that's on the Mazda Road to Indy program and IndyCar, it's what I've been working for since I was nine years old in go-karts.

More than excited. I don't really have the words to explain just how much I'm looking forward to it. I think Dan summed it up pretty well a second ago. We're all trying to give a good account, show why we should be on the IndyCar grid next year, and hopefully I will be, hopefully Spencer will be.

I think we've had some good races this year. I think that's the level of driver that we get in Indy Lights, across the whole Mazda Road to Indy program.

Could be an invaluable test. Hopefully it's the start of a new chapter for all the guys who are going to it next week.

THE MODERATOR: Spencer, you're actually from Florida, so a young American. You'll be joining one of the best teams in all of motorsports in Team Penske, have a chance to help Juan Pablo Montoya and Will Power as the seek to win the Verizon IndyCar Series championship. How did the opportunity to drive for that team come about?

SPENCER PIGOT: Like Jack said, just very excited to be a part of it, one of the drivers that was chosen.

It came about really, I got a phone call from Tim Cindric. I've known Tim for a few years now from when his son was racing USF2000, got a very surprise phone call if I'd be interested in driving one of their IndyCars. Obviously I was very surprised and almost speechless when he called.

I said, Absolutely, I would love to. Yeah, very surprised this test has come about, but also very excited and can't wait to get behind an IndyCar for the first time.

THE MODERATOR: We'll take questions for our guests.

Q. Spencer and Jack, talk a little bit about looking up on your way up. Do you get any inspiration from Sage Karam?  What do you feel like you learn most from the IndyCar veterans that are in IndyCar?

SPENCER PIGOT: Yeah, for me I've definitely been watching IndyCar racing ever since I can remember, have always had my favorite drivers and ones I look up to. As I've gotten closer and closer to IndyCar, there's definitely some guys that you really watch. Year after year they're always at the front, Scott Dixon, Will Power, they're always winning races. It's something as young drivers, it's what we want to do. We want to be in the Verizon IndyCar Series for many years and be competitive and win races and championships.

So for me climbing up the Mazda Road to Indy, definitely always been looking up to guys like that to hopefully race against and have similar careers that they've had.

JACK HARVEY: Well, I think the interesting thing is if we use Gabby Chaves as an example. We raced all last season. We drew on points last season. I think the main thing he was able to progress from Indy Lights into IndyCar. That's where we're all lucky at the Mazda Road to Indy program: if you can keep winning, making the step, whatever that step is, is actually possible.

Think that's the biggest thing drivers can ask for at the moment. I think that's the main point.

All you're looking for as a driver, if you can go out and do the job on track, you just get the opportunity to progress. I think we're all pretty lucky at the moment that it seems like it's a genuine possibility to do that.

I think Gabby is a guy I look at and would like to try and follow what he's done in this off-season by following the natural order of things and just stepping up into IndyCar.

I think people like Josef, people like Sage, they've all done it. Whatever happens, I'd like to see the champion of Indy Lights continue to progress. I think Dan and everybody at Mazda, everybody at IndyCar have given us a great opportunity to do that. I feel like it's certainly a possibility.

Q. Do you feel mostly you have to learn it on your own or does some of that help really give you a kick?  You really can't get it from anybody else?

JACK HARVEY: Well, the thing is that the drivers are quite open a little bit, and they're happy to help you, but not enough where they're giving away all their secrets. Ultimately they don't want you to beat them.

The thing about racing, it's a really unique sport where, yes, it's a team sport, you have the team, but it's also an individual sport in many ways where the driver is the guy who sometimes is accountable.

I think it strikes that balance between having to learn on your own but also having the ability to pool experience and resource from other people.

For sure, some of it is self learning, just experiencing something, if it's good, doing it again, if it's not good, trying something different. Then actually being able to speak to people that have done it before so you don't make the same mistake. I think there's probably a healthy balance there.

SPENCER PIGOT: I think there's people out there that you form relationships with. For me it's Josef Newgarden has been kind of a role model for me, being part of the Rising Star Racing program has been good. I can always bounce ideas off him getting advice on different tracks, different corners.

You're always going to get a little bit of help, like Jack said, from those guys. At the end of the day they all know we're all gunning for IndyCar seats and we're going to be hopefully competing against them one day so they can't let all their tricks out.

Q. Jack and Spencer, you have been in championship battles going into the last race of the season before. What can you take from being in those that you can transfer going into Mazda Raceway in a few weeks?

SPENCER PIGOT: You're leading the championship, so why don't you go first (laughter).

JACK HARVEY: I've been lucky up to this point, whether it's been in go-kart, single-seater cars, I've been fighting for championships basically since I started racing.

This year in many ways there's nothing particularly new. I think what you take from the experience is the highs and the lows and just keep continuing to work on them. We obviously saw Mid-Ohio was a tough weekend, but we still came out leading. Those are the main points.

Looking in that regard, the team has won multiple championships, they've been battling to win the championship since Indy Lights started. I feel like there's a lot of knowledge and experience for me to bring to the table, but also they're bringing to the table themselves. I think not panicking, staying focused and relaxed.

What was good enough last week isn't going to be good enough next week. Continuing to raise the bar all the way to the end of the year is going to be key and essential. So I think a lot of my experience before, knowing what to do, knowing what not to do, is going to come in handy because I've had a lot of experience in this situation.

SPENCER PIGOT: Yeah, I think when you get to this level, you're racing Indy Lights, there's guys from all over the world racing against you. A lot of them have won championships in many different categories. Like Jack said, I've been in the position to fight for championships for quite a few years now in karting and up through the ranks, through the Mazda Road to Indy. Sometimes it works out for you, sometimes it doesn't.

Every season's different. You're racing against different guys. The tracks are different, the cars are different. It's hard to really compare two seasons to each other.

In this situation I know to just stay calm and focus on the job at hand, not really worry about anyone else, but the team and I are going to go into the weekend focusing on us and how we can get the most out of the car and the most out of my driving. We'll just let the results kind of go from there.

I think if we're very quick in practice, we unload well, we'll have a real shot at winning it. That was always the goal coming into this year, to have a good shot at winning the championship at Mazda Raceway. We achieved that first goal, so now we're going to go out and do our best when we get to the track. Whatever happens happens. Nonetheless, it's been a great season. I've learnt a lot. Looking forward to one last challenge.


Part-time IndyLights campaign driver Sean Rayhall has a good outing at Mid-Ohio with Race 1 starting at P12 and ending at P5 & Race 2 starting at P4 and ending at P1. He earned a test with Target Chip Ganassi's Scott Dixon who sits at P3 in the IndyCar season points chase with only 2 races left. Image Credit: Chris Jones via VICS

Media Teleconference with Dan Andersen, Jack Harvey and Spencer Pigot - PART #2 >>>

Questions from Edmund Jenks - Motorsports Journal:

BEGIN
Q. Dan, I understand that seven Indy Lights drivers will be testing. Will they also be driving at Sonoma in the race?

DAN ANDERSEN: They'll be driving in the Indy Lights race, most of them. Matthew Brabham is testing with Andretti, and he at this point does not have an entry at Mazda Raceway. I think Ryan Phinny and Nelson Piquet, Jr., are also drivers that have driven at Indy Lights but do not have current entries into the race. I believe the other four are all entered into the race.

Q. Maybe I'm getting confused. Are any of them going to be driving in the season finale in Sonoma for IndyCar?

DAN ANDERSEN: Not as far as I know, no. Maybe Spencer and Jack can comment on that. I'm not aware of those arrangements, no.

Q. Your name has come up as a potential replacement for Derrick Walker, given his resignation. Have you given any thought to a direction like that?  I know your plate is rather full running three series. Is this something that has been kicked around in discussions with you?

DAN ANDERSEN: I'm flattered that my name would even come up. No, my plate is full. I actually admire the job Derrick Walker has done. He's worked very well for us.

As for Dan Andersen, no, I think I've got quite a bit going on. I'm not sure I would be the right guy for the job anyway. I'm flattered my name has come up. Thank you.

Q. Jack, have you ever gotten into a seat of a Dallara IndyCar?

JACK HARVEY: No. This test at Sonoma will be my first time.

Q. And Spencer?

SPENCER PIGOT: No. This will be the first time for me, as well.

Q. Jack, what will your impressions be of stepping up to more horsepower, greater downforce and so on?  What do you anticipate?

JACK HARVEY: I mean, that's a good question because anticipation is a funny thing. I've spoken to the team quite a lot. The horsepower is going to be something to anticipate. The first three or four laps will feel quite fast. It's quite a significant increase in performance from the engine, stepping up from Indy Lights into IndyCar.

I think that's going to be one thing especially at Sonoma. Turn seven is pretty slow. You're going to be stepping on the pedal quite hard on the exit. That's going to probably take one or two laps to get used to.

Honestly, it's just a natural steppingstone. If you went from USF2000 and jumped into an IndyCar, it would be quite a performance gain. Because I've done these steps before, I think I know what to expect after looking at some data, working with the team this week. Then there's going to be a ton of surprises, I'm sure. Plenty of things I didn't anticipate that will come up, you know, across the morning when I'm testing.

I've done some good prep with the team on some things to anticipate quickly, then the other things I just have to learn as I go. That's almost the enjoyment of getting into a new car, such a performance car as the IndyCar.

Q. Spencer, what have you heard and what is your level of anticipation?  What are your biggest concerns?

SPENCER PIGOT: Yeah, like Jack said, there's only so much preparation and things that people can tell you to expect before you just have to go out there and feel it for yourself.

I mean, I've been talking to a lot with the guys at Team Penske, looking at video. The biggest thing they say is the horsepower is going to be a big difference. Also these new aero kits are creating a significant amount of downforce. The steering is very heavy. I think physically it's going to be a tougher car to drive.

I've been training a lot recently to help get ready for it. Just really excited to get in an IndyCar for the first time. I've climbed up the Mazda Road to Indy, and each year the cars get bigger and faster. I think it's going to be that logical progression that we've been talking about. It's going to seem really, really quick I think for the first few laps, then similar to the first time I drove the IL-15, it seemed really fast the first five or ten laps, then you get used to it and it becomes almost the normal speed after a while.

You know, just doing as much preparation as I can, but still there's going to be a lot of unknowns that I'll have to figure out the way to approach them when I get there.

Q. Being with Penske, there are four very high-level drivers driving for the team. Have you had a chance to talk with any of the drivers?

SPENCER PIGOT: Yeah, I mean, Team Penske is an incredible team. They have some of the best people, some of the best drivers out there as well. Very fortunate to be able to learn from them in Sonoma and try and take full advantage of that opportunity.

I've been able to talk to Will Power a little bit. He was at the shop when I was down there a couple weeks ago in Charlotte. He's the driver I'll be sharing the car with, as well. Yeah, I've been able to talk to him a bit. Just trying to ask lots of questions and get as much from them as I can.

Q. Mid-Ohio was kind of different because there was a driver there not throughout the whole year, Sean Rayhall. How was it driving with a bit of an unknown entity?  He drove a couple races before. But one who is not there for the whole season, how is that?

SPENCER PIGOT: I think you have guys that you respect and you know they're going to do a very good job and be fast. I think that's the case with Sean. I've known him for a long time. We raced go-karts together when I was 11, 12 years old. I've known him for a long time. He's been doing really well in sports cars and prototypes. He's done a few races with us this year, so he wasn't really an unknown.

It's good to have that competition coming in kind of unexpectedly, having him pop up a few weekends, having guys like Nelson Piquet come in, just forces you to push harder, raise the bar. There's no issues having Sean or Nelson in the championship because they haven't been there for a while. They're obviously very experienced and smart drivers. It's great when they come onboard.

Q. Jack, your impression?

JACK HARVEY: I think Sean has shown how good he is as a driver in multiple series and categories. I think Spencer summed it up pretty well.

For as much as he's an unknown, he's got a little bit of experience. This year he won at Indy road course, he's been fast every time he's been in the car. Without repeating what Spencer said, it's nice to get these other people coming in every now and again because you don't know what to expect. It leaves everybody up to their own game and work a little bit harder.

He's a driver who deserves a test next week as much as any of us do, and also to be on the grid again next year in some capacity. Think he's a really nice guy. Got a lot of time for him. Respect him a lot as a driver. Just hoping me and him will be racing in the future together again soon.
ENDS


American driver Spencer  Pigot (foreground) and Kyle  Kaiser of IndyLights team Juncos Racing as they prepare to take to the track at Mid-Ohio. Image Credit: John D Cote via roadtoindy.net


Media Teleconference with Dan Andersen, Jack Harvey and Spencer PigotPART #3 >>>

Q. Dan, right now currently we have some successful drivers from Europe in Indy Lights. What do you think in the near future?  More Europeans are coming over. What is your feeling about that?

DAN ANDERSEN: Well, I think we've got a pretty good program for drivers from all over the world to look at and see if it fits what their goals are.

The Mazda Road to Indy is unique in the world. We've said this before, but it bears saying again. There's nothing like this clearly defined ladder with scholarships at every level, prize money on the weekends. We are in great venues. In my opinion, it's a great training ground for a Verizon IndyCar Series ride.

So the drivers in Europe are taking a harder look at us because of the situation over there, the undefined ladder, what series to go to to advance your career. When you win it, there's really no prize. Some people have won major championships and not had any opportunity at the highest level. I think we're seeing a bit more interest from Europe and Asia and South America to our series.

If you want to have a career in racing, this is a place where you have a very good shot at making it work.

Q. Dan, obviously it's been a while since there's been any kind of testing program in place between IndyCar and Indy Lights. Walk through what it took to get this done and whether it was your idea or IndyCar's idea.

DAN ANDERSEN: As a former Indy Lights team owner back I guess in 2006 through maybe 2008 or 2009, Andersen Racing had a team. We ran JR Hildebrand and Mario Romancini and several other drivers. There I was partners with Bobby Rahal in my Indy Lights team. I think Bobby tested JR Hildebrand and Andrew Prendeville. We benefited from that as a team. We used that to attract drivers that we had this testing program. Then for whatever reason it went away.

When IndyCar approached me to get involved in Indy Lights on a promoter side, I brought it up and said that this is something that would be very beneficial for Indy Lights teams to have this.

What we have right now and what's happening next week I think is the first step. We'd like to expand it. We'd actually like to enhance it for teams that participate in IndyCar and Indy Lights. That's my goal, to get more IndyCar teams to join the Indy Lights series and train their mechanics, train their engineers, train their drivers.

We're hoping that IndyCar can take this test program that's in place now for the benefit of Indy Lights drivers and enhance it a bit for a greater benefit for Indy Lights teams.

I guess that's a long answer to your question. But, yes, it was an idea that was originally IndyCar's back in the mid 2000s and we resurrected it when we took over Indy Lights.

Q. What are you planning to get out of this test next week?  How long before we see you in an IndyCar?

SPENCER PIGOT: I think for me, the experience of driving an IndyCar is going to be something I've always looked forward to. It's going to be an amazing experience to just feel what an IndyCar has. It's something that I'm really looking forward to. But also take advantage of learning as much as I can from the team and the drivers I'll be with there. Team Penske is obviously one of the best teams in IndyCar. Will Power and Montoya are two of the best drivers.

They've got great engineers and mechanics. Just looking for what they have to say about different topics, how I can improve my driving there at the test, and things that might help me at Mazda Raceway or any time in the future. Looking forward to that.

As far as when you'll see me in an IndyCar again, I'm not really sure. A lot depends on how this Indy Lights championship goes. It's going to be an interesting off-season I think. Obviously the goal would be to move up to IndyCar, but lots of things have to fall into place for that to happen. We'll see. I can't really give you a fair answer for that one.

Q. Because there are still some limitations as Dan said in how much testing IndyCar teams can do, how important is it for you to have a good showing in this test to impress some of the IndyCar teams and how do you avoid putting that extra pressure on yourself that day?

JACK HARVEY: I think for different reasons, testing is limited in IndyCar. I think for all of us to get an opportunity to drive one in the first place should help us along the way in trying to get another test sorted.

I mean, teams, when they do get an opportunity to test, are probably not going to want to put a stone-cold rookie in the car. Hopefully this is a good opportunity for us all just to go out there, get some good testing under you're belt, do some good laps, give good feedback, try to help the team out. If you do a good job, I'm sure there will be more tests to come.

Spencer said it really well in his earlier answer. Ultimately what we're all trying to achieve next week is the start of a new path for us trying to promote ourselves into IndyCar. Doing a morning at Sonoma is probably the best opportunity I've ever had to work towards being a professional driver.

Without trying to put any pressure on ourselves, it's a pressure-filled sport. There's always pressure whether you're just going out there to test or going to race. You always have an objective which we're trying to achieve every time.

What it could mean for the future?  It could mean a lot of things for the future. It could promote you into a testing role with the team. It could help get you a race seat for teams. For all of us to go out, give a good account of ourselves, work with the team well, make it visible we are doing that, might inspire the team to come onboard and give you a test and an opportunity, too.

Testing next week is going to be important. There's no two ways about that. At the end of the day there's not many people in the world that get to say they've driven an IndyCar. I think all seven guys can consider ourselves very, very lucky that however the season ends for everybody, we'll still have driven an IndyCar, which is one of the things I wanted to achieve when I set out in go-karts. It could just lead to greater things in the future.

Q. Spencer, anything to add to that?

SPENCER PIGOT: No. I mean, I think Jack was pretty accurate for me as well. Obviously you always want to do well and drive the car quickly. At the end of the day there's a specific role for us here at this test, and that's to help the teams out. The main goal for the teams is to test and get ready for their season finale.

There's no real pressure on me to go out and try to perform and try and be the quickest all the time, do this or that. It's just simply helping them get more track time for their full-time drivers and getting an experience of driving an IndyCar for the first time, which is a dream come true.

Hopefully it will lead to more opportunities in IndyCar, whichever team it may be. But there's no pressure to perform and be the quickest. Just want to go in and learn and help them out as much as I can.

Q. Dan, looking ahead to the finale weekend at Mazda Raceway, how excited are you to have that standalone showcase event and how important is it for the Mazda Road to Indy for you to have that event?

DAN ANDERSEN: I think it's pretty exciting. Mazda Raceway is a fantastic venue, iconic venue. The drivers are looking forward to it, the teams are looking forward to it. It's a beautiful area to host our finale. With Mazda as one of the key partners as what we're doing here, it's certainly appropriate.

It's challenging on the promoter's side. In IndyCar things that come easy and naturally are a bit more challenging. We're bringing a lot more IndyCar staff to Mazda Raceway than we intended to. We want to make sure this is a championship finale and the competition is fierce and make sure we have all our I's dotted and our T's crossed. Logistically challenging for my staff but we love it. We'd like to see some IndyCar drivers do some cameos. They're have been some drivers that have expressed interest in that. There's still some car. We'd like to see some IndyCar drivers jump in an Indy Lights car and have some fun. We hope that happens. We're not saying that's going to happen, but it will be fun.

Last year's finale, all three series came down to the last race. Very exciting. I expect the same thing this year. Real good contests going on at all three levels.

THE MODERATOR: As we have no further questions, we'll thank everybody for their time and wish the drivers best of luck next week when they test at Sonoma Raceway.
(ht: FastScripts by ASAP Sports)

British race team Carlin's United Arab Emirates driver Ed Jones negotiates Turn 4 at the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach. Jones currently sits at P3 in the IndyLights season points championship. Image Credit: Edmund Jenks (2015)

The list of Verizon IndyCar Series drivers testing at the venue that will host the championship-deciding race includes six of the 10 drivers mathematically eligible for the title. The 85-lap, high-stakes race carries double points, with 100 awarded to the winner, 80 for second, 70 for third, etc., along with the regular four bonus points over three categories (Verizon P1 Award winner, leading a lap, leading the most laps).

Montoya holds a nine-point advantage over Rahal entering the penultimate race of the season Aug. 23 at Pocono Raceway. Dixon, who won last August at Sonoma Raceway, is 34 points out of first place.

"INDYCAR is doing a good job to promote the ladder series, and the rules that allow IndyCar drivers a test day with an IndyLights driver is an example," Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing team manager Ricardo Nault said. "We'll be splitting the day with Ed Jones, not only per the rules, but to give him the opportunity to help us develop the car and give him some time driving.

"Being second in the championship, we want to put our best foot forward and give it our best chance. We'd be behind if we didn't go there. We have to maximize every opportunity."

An additional car at the test will be driven by Mikhail Aleshin, who will use the day as a refresher in the No. 77 Schmidt Peterson Motorsports Honda. It will be Aleshin's first time behind the wheel of an Indy car since he sustained a concussion, chest injuries, fractured ribs and a broken shoulder in an August 2014 practice crash at Auto Club Speedway. SPM has named Aleshin as a third team entry for Sonoma along with Briscoe and James Jakes.

(ht: Verizon IndyCar Series)

... notes from The EDJE





TAGS: Mazda Road To INDY, Matthew Brabham, Sean Rayhall, Ryan Phinny, Ed Jones, Jack Harvey, Spencer Pigot, Nelson Piquet Jr., @RaceSonoma, IndyLights, The EDJE, Andretti Autosport, Marco Andretti, Chip Ganassi Racing Teams, Scott Dixon, KVSH Racing, Sebastien Bourdais, Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing, Graham Rahal, Schmidt Peterson Motorsports, Ryan Briscoe, Team Penske, Juan Pablo Montoya, Will Power,