IndyCar Series: Indianapolis 500

Topics:  Indianapolis 500

Helio Castroneves
May 25, 2003

INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA

MODERATOR: No driver has won two times in the first two starts. We look at the history of this place. There's drivers like Bill Holland, Rex Mays, Ted Horne even Roberto Guerrero, in their first three or four 500s posted an incredible record at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. But a first, first and second is just totally remarkable. Helio, I think one of the things I said to one of the reporters in the audience was that when I talked to you earlier in the month, you said, "What pressure? I am going to enjoy this ride as long as it takes me." Obviously, I want to know about your emotions now. You have never experienced not winning this event. Talk about your day and your feelings now.

HELIO CASTRONEVES: I never experienced I am not enjoying it at all -- no, I will take that back. This whole month of May, it has been incredible. Starting from the pole position, support from the fans, support from you guys, from the press, you know, that was just -- it's just outstanding. You can't compare those situations like that. Well, today was obviously a little bit about disappointment in my emotion, but I guess this is part of the game. The good news is my teammates, so at least it's part of the team. The team is the one that is winning and I guess everybody in the shop is going to be extremely happy, you know, so -- that's well worth it. Our relationship between myself, between Gil, and whole entire team it's extremely fantastic. The group is very unique, the group is very tight, you know, and I guess we -- those situations and circumstances, just have to be happy and accept -- I accept extremely well. It was a phenomenal race. My car was very, very good. I was just taking it easy, and unfortunately, I took too easy and one of the back markers kind of got in the way, and, hey, you can't slip at all in this place. And this place always gives you a surprise. Well, I am happy with second. Now we need to think about the Championship and keep working.

HELIO CASTRONEVES: Well, obviously, I have been watching Gil (inaudible) we all went to his home and see if he's okay because every time we keep calling saying, you are going to practice next session? He says, no. I am still feeling bad; my back hurts. He just wants to stay home. I got that. So his back is really, really good. But no, it's awesome to be -- we just play around with each other and he seems to be very healthy, and as you can see out there, no doubt about he's doing very well. The back markers, I believe, was A.J., I did same exactly move in Turn 2 and it was a very close call. So I decided to not take more chances like that because I didn't want anything bad happen. So the same way, we did looks like he was going to, and then he stops in the middle, and then you be like in those situations, so I have to push the brakes and downshift to fourth. When you do those things here, man, that's it. The whole train passing by and obviously Gil passed -- even if the gap was big, he was catching very fast and momentum was going, so that was the move of the race. But -- again, I was trying, trying, but unfortunately it very difficult to make a move.

HELIO CASTRONEVES: Not as much as here in America, especially here in Indianapolis. I mean, the support of the fans was incredible. Everyday on the track, everybody was always nice and asking autographs, want to take pictures and I enjoy those kinds of things. As you guys saw, I was trying to go the whole place the same time is to make sure that we can make it even better. This race is incredible. It's not me, but it's been the tradition and the American people basically is doing those things because you guys kept such a live tradition, since 1911, and all of a sudden this race turns out to be just incredible. You can ask every driver which race he wants to win and obviously it is this place here, this race. It is incredible. Unfortunately Brazilian people, I don't think they do know how big is this, how incredible this place is, so unless whole Brazil would come over here, but I don't think they will keep having the support of the American people.

HELIO CASTRONEVES: Well, hard enough. I was to touch the cars and make the front stay right there. Unfortunately, under those circumstances because you have dirty air in front of you, you try to avoid and try -- it's difficult. Extremely difficult. Problem was, I don't think was just that, I was able to keep really, really close, but he was just flat out. So unless some back marker or something like that happens, that was the only chance I would have. And because of the yellow flags keep coming, I remember he took the lead around 30 laps to go and the yellows just keep coming keep coming, keep coming, basically nothing that I could do. I wouldn't do a stupid move to not only myself but to him as well, which that's the first order. If there is an order in our team, it's that, not hit each other, and I didn't want to do that for sure. Again, there is nothing. I could try everything and well, today was his day.

HELIO CASTRONEVES: Roger is, as you know, he has a remarkable record here in Indianapolis, and everybody knows him as the fair game at least since I joined Team Penske, I have no trouble in terms of that. And again, yes, if your team is doing much better than you in terms of like, he's 100 points ahead of you there is no interesting, you know -- you are making one-point or two-points difference. So basically we trying to play fair and basically it has been working very good, especially last year, we were fighting for the Championship until the last races and we didn't have any trouble in terms of that. They are phenomenal people and they are very competitive out there. They are so competitive, and in terms of the way that sometimes they are asking each other what lap they are going to pit. They are like, well, tell me first. Stuff like that. But this is just the way it is. It was extremely fair way and that's why both cars always in the top.

HELIO CASTRONEVES: Yeah, I saw that. Normally it is not Gil to come out like that did, he getting sensitive. I hope he will slow down now. (LAUGHTER). But it is very good. Gil is a great person. People sometimes had not same judgment that I do have because that face or stuff like I am the professor or the way he speaks, obviously, he's not the same -- we do not have the same personality, but when you wind him up, oh, man, I am telling you he can be worse than anybody here. So and it is very nice he can show his emotions and that's the way it should be. This is the place. If you want to win a race this is the place. It is very difficult to hold your emotion when you go to the podium. I remember last year it's incredible to just keep holding, so, incredible -- it is very nice to have that and I guess now I have to win the championship first to be right there.

HELIO CASTRONEVES: Yes, for sure Turn 2 I was much better position, I was able to go flat out behind him and I do believe because Turn 1 you have to slow down because of the angle and stuff like that, and the restart it's so difficult because he does have same power as me, and pretty much obviously a different car, but I guess his gear ratios were a bit different and I under -- I choose to be a little bit different because I knew what I need for the race and the only problem I believe was the yellow not coming up in the cashes that happened at the time of those yellows because that for sure slowed down the pace and basically the wear on the tires won't be so that bad, I mean, the fuel also in the tank basically kept remaining the same way so stuff like that, but believe it or not, especially when it was like 30 laps to go, make a huge difference, I mean, 30 gallons to 10 gallons, and that's where my car was really kicking butt. So it was just -- I guess it played against me and in his favor today.

HELIO CASTRONEVES: Well, you have to understand second is not a bad place at all, but it's better than third, no doubt about matching the same experience that I had in two last year, and again I am very happy. I am much happier -- less upset that it is my teammate up there and not another person because obviously we finish one and two for sure the team is the one that got all the success.

HELIO CASTRONEVES: I will answer the first question, no doubt about having an accident like in Phoenix, broke his back or stuff like that, it is tough to coming back and especially in such a difficult track like this, no doubt about him, he deserve it. I don't know if he deserve more than me, but he deserve it (laughs). And no, I guess, it's natural, you can't just say, oh, okay, I didn't win the race, oh, my world is going to go down. No, I have to keep working hard, race is races and sometimes you win and sometimes you lose and that's the fun part of this place. So now we have a lot of race coming towards us, so we just hope we keep continuing what we just did because it was just incredible and I just hope capture what I was looking for, the Championship.

HELIO CASTRONEVES: It's the same way if the yellow didn't come out last race or last year race if I would have finished or not. It's one of those deals that you don't know. For sure, I was extremely -- my car was extremely well balanced and we were right there so any mistake that would happen, for sure I would be (inaudible) -- I spoke with Gil and he said, man, I was flat out. I wasn't lifting for anything at all. So actually I am glad that nothing more happened because we would probably be in a tough situation to go back to a place to look in Roger's face if something happened.

HELIO CASTRONEVES: Well, especially this generation, let us put Gil a little ahead because he's older than us, let us put like myself, Tony, Felipe, (inaudible) all those drivers if I am not forgetting other one, we start very early in go-karts like 11, twelve years old, 16, 17 years old we're already actually having experience with open-wheel cars so all those mistakes that you might have, crashing the cars or having hard time getting up to speed or experience like you are leading and all of a sudden you crash, we already passed those situations and I guess because of that, when you got into a series like this, such a high speed and professional, you know, we adapt in a much better situation than people that does not have much experience. So I don't know, if that answers the question or not, I am not sure, but that's what I thinking. And again it's the same way if I go to a NASCAR or like IROC racing I am having a hard time over there, still trying to find how Mark Martin is not able to find the draft and go for it. It's just incredible because my experience is not the same as open-wheel, so it's just a matter of you getting used to, and learn and then go for it.

MODERATOR: You have been a great Champion at this event just in racing in general, we appreciate you taking the time. That's the good news, the bad news is that I know Bruce Martin is going to vault this area to get the final question in. Thank you very much for coming in.