CART FedEx Championship Series: Grand Prix at Road America

Topics:  Grand Prix at Road America

Cristiano da Matta
Bruno Junqueira
Dario Franchitti
August 16, 2002

ELKHART LAKE, WISCONSIN

MERRILL CAIN: We will get started with our top three press conference following provisional qualifying for Sunday's race here at Road America. We'll start out first with Dario Franchitti, driver of the #27 KOOL/Honda/Lola/Bridgestone. He takes third in provisional qualifying this afternoon. He posted a top lap of 1:42.990 seconds, that's a speed of 141.497 miles per hour. Dario started third or better in three of the last five events coming into this weekend. It's also the track we he earned his first Champ car win in 1998. Dario, if you would, talk a little about your qualifying effort today. You really turned it up toward the end of qualifying and put up a good lap.

DARIO FRANCHITTI: We felt we had a good car this morning. Then when we made a setdown, we discovered some discrepancy, shall we say, that shouldn't have been there. We put the car a bit more back to where we thought it should have been. The first run we were just adjusting the car for the changes we made. The second run, obviously the track was in better condition. I planned to do a longer run because the tires seemed to be good for a very long period. We went out. I caught Fernandez on I think my second time lap. He was coming out of the pits. But he obviously felt he could do his quick lap out of the pits because he turned into me in turn one, which I felt was kind of an interesting tactic. But, you know, from that point, I mean, the next two laps I made small mistakes. Luckily, the tires were good enough for a longer run. Then the next lap we looked better. And the final lap, I just got it together. Everything was looking good up until the Canada corner. A lot of people have been going off there, dropping dirt on the tracks through Canada, not the next one, the bridge. The track was really like an ice rink. I could see why Jimmy went off there. I was lucky actually to keep the thing on the road going under the bridge. You know, that was it. That was as good a lap as we could get. So we're reasonably happy with the car. We've got a bit of work to do tomorrow to catch the two guys in front. We'll give it a go.

BRUNO JUNQUEIRA: I think was a little bit first race because Team Target give me a really good car today. I have a car I could go faster. Unfortunately, for the last outing, I put a little less (inaudible) and get some traffic. On my last clear lap, I improved a little bit. But I thought I had fuel to do another lap, and I have time, when I stop, was on the pole, was three minutes to go, I felt that I had chance to do another lap, improve a little bit, because the difference between me and Cristiano is very small. I could go a little bit faster. But it's a shame. But on the other hand I'm really happy to come back to Road America where I won my first race. I just love this racetrack - not just because I won, but it's really fast corners, everything here, just like to drive here.

CRISTIANO DA MATTA: Of course, my two runs were actually pretty smooth. I didn't have traffic. Didn't have any sort of problem. Actually on the first one I had a little bit, but was all my mistake. It was my best lap. But I was pretty impressed at Bruno's time on the first outing. So we made a couple changes for the second outing. The car was quite a bit better. A lot less adrenaline to drive the car on the second outing than the first one. The first one I had to push a lot harder to go slower. The second outing, the car was a little easier to drive. I had a couple very good laps. But everything went well. Like this track is so much fun to qualify, I didn't know Bruno's time, but last time I went by, I saw on my board that the best time was still 42.8. I had just done a 42.6. But I knew I had one more lap. But then I made myself a favor to screw up in turn two, and I didn't know it was going to stay ahead all the way to the start/finish line (laughter). Team called me on the radio. It was pretty good. Good to score a point again. Hopefully I can score some more this weekend.

DARIO FRANCHITTI: Four miles, whatever, long. Yeah, it's definitely less of a problem than at Mid-Ohio, for instance. But there's still a lot of guys out there that had some problems. Biggest problem here when you go by the pits, somebody comes out of the pits and turns in turn one in front of you. That happened a lot. In fairness to the guys, it's difficult to look in the mirror up the straight and see what's happening. As the guys said earlier, this is the coolest place we race at, for sure. What can you say about it? You got a smile on your face. This is what it's all about. You know, I think for the drivers, this is what we enjoy.

CRISTIANO DA MATTA: A lot of people are dropping a wheel on the grass. It's a difficult thing for this track. The curves, usually on the corner exit, they finish very quick instead of continue a little bit more. There's a lot of people running out of curve, very end of curve. There's dust on the corner exit, and people put wheels on the dust in very strange places that I don't understand why. Sometime I'm pretty sure Dario and Bruno saw that, too. Like after the kink on the straight, you know, like just people threw a lot of dust in one of those little kinks going through Canada corner. I think somebody maybe cut it through the grass. Like on the last two or three laps, the track was all dust over there. So I don't know if it saved him some time or not. Should have been pretty exciting, yeah (laughter).

BRUNO JUNQUEIRA: I think the track is good. I think we can race here three times a year (laughter).

BRUNO JUNQUEIRA: I think this track has everything: has high-speed corners, mid corners, low corners, long, short, every kind of corners, and long straights. The track is really nice to qualify. But then when you go race, it's nice as well because you can pass. Like Mid-Ohio and some other racetracks, they are good to qualify, run by yourself. When you go race, it's not fun because it's difficult to pass. But here it is good in every single aspect.

DARIO FRANCHITTI: The one thing it doesn't have is chicanes, which Bruno and I were commenting on.

BRUNO JUNQUEIRA: The worst thing can happen is chicane because you try to jab the chicane. Cristiano likes it, (laughter).

DARIO FRANCHITTI: He's just better at it than you are.

BRUNO JUNQUEIRA: He likes like Australia, these kinds.

DARIO FRANCHITTI: This is the way a racetrack should be. This is the same as a lot of the tracks 20 years ago, except they upgraded the safety at this place. As far as the guys in F-1, I think they're missing something by not racing here. We're lucky we get to come here and race.

CRISTIANO DA MATTA: I think every time was just something that can happen in racing. It was never a situation like that we were really slow and that's why we got involved in something. Starting further back on the grid, for example, it was just a situation. You know, it's a 20-race championship. You're going to have engine problem or a mechanical problem sometime during the championship. Drivers are going to make a mistake sometime. Hope he doesn't make it again. But I think it's just all pretty normal. If you look at the numbers, I think our average is still not bad for everything, for mechanical troubles and for everything team related. I think it just hurt us maybe a little bit more because it happened three times in a row. I think we just have to go back, do everything normal. But it's not like a big trouble like we couldn't find speed and we were struggling to find speed. It's not that case. The speed and performance has been there all the time. It's just a matter of getting everything together, which is sometimes a little bit out of our control. Sometimes it's out of the team's control. When I make a mistake, it has nothing to do with the team or with the engine manufacturer, too. It's out of their control. I think we just have to not get too worried about those things that have been happening to us, just play it normal.

BRUNO JUNQUEIRA: I think this is a road course. I learn how to race, race all of my life on tracks like this. These look like European tracks. I like it here a lot. I've been lucky, as well. Team Target gave me a good car. Toyota has been good. You need a lot of power here, as well, to go fast. Then everything is falling on the right directions. I think other racetracks like Mid-Ohio could maybe go better last weekend. I did okay in Portland. I finished second. When I go to road courses, I always can go a little bit better.

DARIO FRANCHITTI: That's a complicated question. We just tried to do our best today. Can't do any more than that. If it rains, it rains. If not, we'll try to go out and get the pole off these guys tomorrow.

CRISTIANO DA MATTA: Well, of course Friday there's also the extra championship point, guaranteed place on the front row. That's all pretty important. I think this is even maybe more important than if it rains tomorrow or not. Everybody is trying to get the pole today because of that. So now if it rains, I don't mind.

BRUNO JUNQUEIRA: I know he's going to be on the pole, (inaudible) if it rains tomorrow.

CRISTIANO DA MATTA: I support it a hundred percent. I think it would be a lot better for the series, for the general public. I think everybody would love it. I think our starts are most of the times good but sometimes they cause a lot of controversy, too. I think standing starts would just be the same all the time, never there would be any controversy.

DARIO FRANCHITTI: I enjoy the rolling starts, but for sure Cristiano is right. A standing start is much easier to place. If somebody moves, you know they've moved. You know what I mean? Whereas rolling starts, you get all sorts of problems. One guy is one car length behind, the next guy is on the gearbox, so one guy can jump the start much easier. I do enjoy the rolling start, like I said. For the officials, it would be much simpler to have a standing grid.

BRUNO JUNQUEIRA: I think I would do standing starts on road and street tracks, and rolling starts on the ovals. There is no way to do standing starts on the ovals. Everybody going to do doughnuts on the start of the race (laughter).

MERRILL CAIN: Gentlemen, thank you very much. Congratulations on a good run today. Good luck in the final round of qualifying tomorrow.