MARLBORO TEAM PENSKE MEDIA CONFERENCE

February 17, 1994

Emerson Fittipaldi

EMERSON FITTIPALDI: Well, Roger, hi everybody and I'm happy to talk to you guys and I'm looking for a good interview. Unfortunately, it's raining in Miami, all wet, we're doing some photography outside. But anyway, going to the subject, I think Rogers dedication racing and the way that Roger concentrate his effort in Indianapolis shows the results. I mean, Rogers main goal in racing is to win Indianapolis and then, in my opinion, the Championship, and I think that's why the Team Penske has been so success, because the way Roger, and the way that his leadership towards Indianapolis, it's very, very strong.

EMERSON FITTIPALDI: I'm looking going back to Indianapolis. It will be more pressure on myself, but I will be trying to go for the third time. For sure I will try as much as I can to win just as the last five six years there. I think Indianapolis has the magic that no other event in the world has. I don't know any other race in the world that has that magic, and we know we all go there trying one hundred percent on ourselves, and I'm going there with a lot of enthusiasm myself.

EMERSON FITTIPALDI: We have been doing a lot of tests since December last year with the new car, and everybody, the Marlboro Team, Penske is very enthusiastic about the performance, we're very optimistic about the season as everybody knows we'll be a three-car team. Roger is very much concerned in getting the organization structured, strong enough to run three driver's on a high competitive level and I know we are going to succeed on that aspect. But one thing that's very interesting, I have been going to Phoenix many times since December and the last time is very, very close showing it's going to be one of the most competitive Indy cars season ever, the most competitive. Last Friday I was running one mile over Indy-- in Phoenix, sorry, and same thing at Scott Goodyear. And we are lapping just about the same speed. By the end of the day I was one tenth of a second quicker than Goodyear. But that's some days in Phoenix you can have a quick day and be very quick, but I know that the Lola drivers are happy the cars are there for them, looking good too, but we should be running very strong.

EMERSON FITTIPALDI: Well, I think we had a bad experience in 1990, when it was myself, Ricky Mears and Danny. The reason I say it was a bad experience, sometimes through the season we were missing coordination, a little bit of the logistic, but with that experience, the whole team, Chuck, he's the team manager, he is well prepared, Roger is confident we can do a good job and I'm confident we are going to do good with three cars. The structure is very different from what it was in 90, and then I think as the season goes by, who is going to be with shot in the championship, the team is going to put more effort, like any other team will do that. It doesn't matter if you have two cars or three cars. Who's going to be-- have a chance to win the championship. The effort will be there.

EMERSON FITTIPALDI: Well, I think first the amount of team members increase a lot this year. We have new members on the team. The logistic that Chuck has a problem in 90 to keep up with the spare parts, spare cars, enough spare cars, I think everything has been very well-planned, and you know we are looking for a much better season with three cars on the team, three driver's on the team. I don't see any problem.

EMERSON FITTIPALDI: They already decide. I stay with Rick Rinaman. And Jon Bouslog will be with Paul and Richard Buck will be with little Al. That's it.

EMERSON FITTIPALDI: I have many different situations but Jeremy let me-- one really disappointed potentially I could have wouldn't the race, the Grand Prix. I was running strong, I got the lead, myself and Paul were driving away from everybody and it was a shame what happened when they gave that surprise black flag that unfortunately never happened before, that situation. I think that's one of the situations that possibly could make the championships turn around. The Phoenix when I was leaving the race only 17, 18 laps to go and I hit the wall was another situation. You know, Long Beach I had the boost pressure going on the start. I mean, I can name three, four situations, but I always say if you don't win the race, you still have to get the points and Nigel did a beautiful job and he's a great champion and we're going to have a great season.

EMERSON FITTIPALDI: I don't imagine in his past life he was oval driver, but he shows a tremendous potential and results in oval more than anybody expect, and we had a very peculiar situation on our team. We always start strong on the short ovals, we always qualify the laps, and after ten 15 laps we really go back and losing. The inside tire is picking up rubber. We have been working in the winter to try to improve-- not to improve, but to solve that problem, and I'm very confident that by New York we will have the problem solved-- I'm sorry, by Phoenix, that we will have the problem solved, and we should be running very strong in Phoenix. We test a lot there. I'm going there again next week for another three days. We should be running strong, but I think the whole season is going to be very competitive. I mean you had guys like Raul running strong in the one mile over last year; little Al joining the team is going to be a strong contender; Paul is going to be strong in the short oval, I think it will be a great season.

EMERSON FITTIPALDI: I couldn't understand. Could you repeat.

EMERSON FITTIPALDI: Well, I never thought about that. First time I heard someone say that. You know, I really don't think about that. I think it's great that Nigel joins us in Indy car race. I went to Europe in December and I realize how much publicity this sport achieves. Now the Marlboro Penske Team joined with Mercedes Benz, it creates an international image more than ever, and I think Nigel is going to be tough this year. We all going to try to take away the championship from Nigel. But if he wins again, he wins again. That's great for Nigel and great for Indy car racing. I would say as long as Nigel win Indy car racing, I think it's great for the sport.

EMERSON FITTIPALDI: I think-- in the winter, it's cold and you can get one day that the conditions are ideal to put a quick lap time and normally when we come back in Phoenix in April it's warmer, the track gets very slippery, oil, but even so, we are going to be running under the lap record. I would say we should be running low twenties. I mean, 20 point one, 20 point two.

EMERSON FITTIPALDI: I think the new track surface helps, but for my surprise and Nigel Bennett's surprise, the new rules that we try to review the down force package, haven't slowed down the lap time. It's faster than before. I think a little bit is from the new surface, but the new rules is-- slow down the cars quicker.

EMERSON FITTIPALDI: Yes, very stable. You feel a little less down force driving the car, but even to our surprise, it went about 12 miles faster between three and four, the middle of the corner than with last year's package.

EMERSON FITTIPALDI: Well, I think that the whole-- you know, looking to myself, one of my idols in racing when I grew up is the image of Mercedes Benz winning Grand Prixs and winning the championships, and that's another challenge for me as another motivation, to race Mercedes. I mean, I'm really enthusiastic for 1995 to be driving Mercedes, because I remember as a little boy watching Grand Prix racing and Mercedes dominating the championship, and that image is on my mind, and I hope I can do that driving on Marlboro Team Penske car with Mercedes Benz power. I mean, that would be another possible achievement I can have in my racing career.

EMERSON FITTIPALDI: First of all the Ilmor has been a really nice design. The engine is lower than last year's engine, and a new configuration, it is a different angle, the V, and so far we have been running quite strong, but the first test that we have been doing with the Ilmor concerned about being reliable and we are going to get more power, but even so I've done 20.1 point in Phoenix. It's very competitive. That day I was running 45 inches of boost, I was running valve and I did 20.1. The engine must be powerful to do that.

EMERSON FITTIPALDI: I don't think about that, but it would be nice if I could do that. Even like last year, Scott-- nobody wouldn't for the ninth place and before the race some of the press came to me and said, Emerson, do you realize nobody ever won Indy for the ninth race. That's the bad news. I don't want to hear bad news. You should not be superstitious in racing. I hope I can repeat, but you know, all in all, it's difficult stuff and I'll be trying my best.

EMERSON FITTIPALDI: I think with the track layout it will be difficult to go back again to 230, but I don't say that it's impossible. If it is a cool day qualifying, no wind, a perfect situation, possible pole could be around 230 and going back to last year, remember, on qualifying morning, I ran 227, because the weather was very good in the morning, it was cool and, you know, the situation like that if it happen in the afternoon, we easily could be running 230.

EMERSON FITTIPALDI: Well, I think we have been getting so much more information now. I think that's great and there is a communication system from the driver, chief crew and the engineer for the car that goes up to Nigel Bennett in England and provides Nigel with all the data and information, you know, for the computer and the driver's comment, how the car is doing, how the car is behaving. I think that is one of the things that Roger-- most of the test we have been doing is two driver's and two cars running at the same time, and that's new for Penske. I mean, we never done that before. That's providing us with much more information than used to be and that's great.

EMERSON FITTIPALDI: Well, I think to me it would be very important every point you can make in a championship on every race. It can be-- I agree with you, it's going to be a very close championship, but I think you always-- always you have to try-- first, you have to finish a race, then you have to try to finish first. And I think going to that, that's the concern of trying to finish first the race and then finish first. But I was talking to Chuck and Roger that we will have to go for a situation like if the car by some reason have a mechanical problem and you have to come in and you lose two or three laps and you come back you're running 20, sometimes you can say-- is retired from the race and that's one thing I'm not going to do. I'm going to go to the end, I hope. By the end of the race I can recover and get 10th, 11th and still get some points. I think that's how I'm approaching the championship.

EMERSON FITTIPALDI: Well, I have a program during the season that I call the maintenance program. Off season I do something different, but I have a trainer back here in Key Biscayne that trains about every day when I'm back in Florida. When I'm traveling, I'm running, I'm jogging, you know, trying to keep fit on a very tight schedule even during the winter. I've been jogging a lot during the last three months, but back again focus on getting back my physical condition before the race starting in Australia. That's important. That's even more demanding than used to be a few years ago. I mean, Indy car racing driving in a place like Australia, Long Beach, after one hour, you really needed the body to be in shape and to be in physical condition to perform. And I'm really taking more care now more than ever. Plus the age. You have to help the age. I'm working more now than I ever worked before, trying to stay younger.

EMERSON FITTIPALDI: We do a lot of upper body, neck, and a lot of cardio vascular, that's the long distance running I do.

EMERSON FITTIPALDI: Well, I'm very optimistic. I'm enjoying the racing more than ever. Every time I've been testing since December, I've always been very quick from the beginning of the first few days on the car and I'm looking to the season with a lot of confidence with myself and more than that, a lot of motivation. And I met two weeks ago, Nigel in Phoenix and we are talking about that in Italy going through the Indy season for a driver, you go by the winter, looking for the beginning of the season, I'm looking forward go to Australia looking forward to test next Monday in Phoenix to get the best set up for the car. I mean, that's the type of enthusiasm that we have here in Indy car racing that keeps you motivated. And even my family, my kids, I'm always looking to go back to racing.

EMERSON FITTIPALDI: Well, I think so, I feel that, and even the team feels that. We feel that many-- during maybe around July when I was at one point I needed the championship, we said we could win the championship, and finished second, and now I tried to win again, and it will be a big challenge and I feel a lot of motivation yes.

EMERSON FITTIPALDI: To be modest, I'd like to win both. I think it will be tough, but I'd like to do both. I think that we are all there to try to win races. Nigel will be there, Paul will be there, but I know the competition will be tough. But it will be fantastic if I could do both like I did in 89, in the same year win the Indy 500 and win the championship. That would be incredible.

EMERSON FITTIPALDI: No, I have no plans. I'm really enjoying so much, and I'm just looking forward to the beginning of the season. I'm just looking forward to go to Australia.

EMERSON FITTIPALDI: Well, the last year I was very pleased with the results in Australia. I love that type of track. Going back to Australia again would be another new challenge for us and it is a very peculiar track, because very long straights and very hard breaking points, four hard breaking points, slowing down to a second-gear corner. It is a different circuit than the normal ones, and I like the type of character, I like the type of driving, but I'm sure we can be competitive there.

EMERSON FITTIPALDI: Well, junior I always had a lot of enumeration for him as a driver and he joined the testimony team I think like Roger says, we can run three cars and be very strong. Junior is going to bring up his experience and all his knowledge of driving and racing, and already he has given good opinions on setting up the car, and we are really working together close on the car set up, on the feeling. You know, even like in Phoenix last week, myself we discussed a little lines how to take them, one, two, three and four, and I'm sure we're going to help each other, same as Paul. Paul has more experience. He has been much better now testing than before, and even Paul has given good information for the team. You know, when the race starts, we're going to race against each other, but the more we help each other before the race, we're getting competitive in comparison to all the other teams, and we only need to race against the other two drivers. That will be the ideal situation.

EMERSON FITTIPALDI: Well, Ned, you know, talking about being competitive season. From what I can see the lap times that Michael has been running the new car. Nigel has got Goodyear, showing that is going to be very, very competitive season. We still don't know until Australia how quickly the Penske car is going to be or if anything is going to be quicker than the new Lola, but we are looking hoping to repeat or performance, I think that's where we're missing, that's-- to stay consistent during the race. Some of the one mile over is losing a lot of performance.

EMERSON FITTIPALDI: The interesting thing that happened now, just about all the countries in the world outside of America, I can feel Latin America like the same situation in Europe. I was in Switzerland, I was stopped in the street in Switzerland, you know, people asking how am I going to do this year, and Germany, that's amazing. How much-- I always say that television and sports will make the promotion, and for the first time ever we had last year Indy car race televised live to a lot of countries in different parts of the world, and I know the numbers on the TV in Brazil and Brazil is possibly number one or number two racing fans in the world-- for the population and we had incredible increase of people watching Indy car racing in Brazil. We have incredible media coverage, and that's the way for the future for Indy car race to be a very international popular sport, but remaining as the American design racing, oval type of track. I think that will stay as part of the image of the sport and what we are looking in the future, my opinion it will be one race in Europe once a year, one race in Latin America, and then the rest where it exists now. I think that will be the ideal situation, to have international impact in Indy car racing in the future-- and possibly one race in Japan.

EMERSON FITTIPALDI: I think to promote myself a race, I'll never do that, but to put the groups together in Brazil, to promote the race, that's what I'm working for and I'm looking for. But I don't want to be involved myself as a promoter, but I want to help for succeed for the race to happen in Latin America, yes.

EMERSON FITTIPALDI: My personal opinion, including to Brazil if we happen to race in Brazil, we should go oval outside of the states, including Europe and Latin America to show a different type of racing to a public that never saw oval racing. And I'm sure we will get the Europeans and the Latin American fans enthusiastic about oval racing, because when you see oval race there the track-- I mean, my experience, all my friends from Europe and Latin America they come over, they go crazy. They love it, and that's the way Indy car race should go, oval track.

EMERSON FITTIPALDI: I would say keep as much as half and half to make a fair championship, 50-50 should be.

EMERSON FITTIPALDI: Well, I would say a mile would be the ideal for the future. A mile and a half maximum. And you are talking about safety aspects about the maintenance of the track, one mile oval would be the ideal.

EMERSON FITTIPALDI: Well, today is official opening, Joe, but I'm looking down here at the window, it goes by my office. That's-- it used to be 10th Street and South Miami Avenue is the corner, and now it's called Fittipaldi Way. I mean, I'm so happy, it's incredible. That's one of the things you work so hard for so many years and it is a great honor to have a street with my name here in Miami. Today we're going to have a commemoration and I heard the police heard the Indy car is going to be in the street and the police are going to give me a ticket, but we are going to try anyway. I have my Indy car here today. See if they are going to stop me.

EMERSON FITTIPALDI: I can say that I know that I am very enthusiastic, he loved driving the car. Unfortunately, he never tried the car on the oval, but he was very quick, he was very happy, he was very enthusiastic, but I'm sure he's looking to the future. And Alain Prost, I don't know, I heard through the press he made some funny comments, I was surprised, because normally every time he saw me he always ask about Indy. He's ask about when they possibly coming here-- possibly coming one day, I don't know.

EMERSON FITTIPALDI: Well, I think, in my opinion for the future, I would now change Nigel for three drivers. How about that? For the future, I would say Indy car race is very international. It gets more international. I mean, even when it was a week ago or ten days ago I was in Brazil, I had a press conference and a lot of the young drivers from Brazil coming from go cart racing, coming from LeForge racing. They want out to come to Indy as much as they want to go to Formula 1. That wasn't the case five, ten years ago, and I can see more people from different parts of the world trying to come to Indy for the future. Thank you