CART MEDIA CONFERENCE

June 23, 1998

Max Papis

MAX PAPIS: Thank you, and welcome to everybody.

MAX PAPIS: Of course, that's what I want to do (laughter). This is my goal.

MAX PAPIS: You know, the MCI Toyota team actually -- inside the team didn't change very much. We just got stronger and stronger as all the teams do every year. We changed. We got, you know, some person in Toyota that helped us, you know, what happen with the engine, and all the real abilities there, we finished the races. Now they can only concentrate and find the horsepower that we're missing. Where last year we were chasing all the time small problems here and there that didn't allow the people in Toyota to concentrate in finding the horsepower.

MAX PAPIS: I tell you, we are making a lot of progress, and we're poking our nose there all the time. Because on Saturday morning, in Portland, we were 13 or 14 in practice. The day when we will make that Friday morning of Detroit, and that Saturday morning of Portland happening, or Saturday afternoon, you know, I tell you, we will be there. It's just a question -- last year we never had this opportunity. We always fought. We were always, you know, between 19 and 20 and 24th. So, you know, this year, you know, we show progress. And the results we're getting means that one day or another we will be there.

MAX PAPIS: Of course. First of all, you know, what was happening there on Friday was an event that MCI is doing, you know, basically inviting -- I don't know how to say it in English -- but it's like a charity, inviting kids that they haven't been as lucky as me when I was younger, to make them feel a little bit more part of the society and give them a day of enjoyment. To me, you know, I am 28 years old, but inside in my heart I'm still a kid. I love, you know, to spend time with young people, try to show the commitment. The will to succeed has always been with myself all my life, and maybe give them a little bit of extra strength, of a will to fight, to succeed, you know, just spending some time with them. I remember when I was a kid, you know, many times my dad, or myself with my motorbike, I was going there and looking at racing. For me, drivers were always -- I don't know, the athlete was always something that was really mysterious, difficult to talk to. Spending time with kids, you know, just I want to show them that fighting hard, you can achieve your goals. And MCI is doing something very special for them. I'm really proud, you know, for what MCI's doing. That shows that we all have a heart. Sometimes when you go to a motor racing event, it's pretty difficult to see people's personality, to see the heart that is in the people. All this technology, all this engines, fuel, things, sometimes prevail. You really need to see the heart of the people. Sometimes, you know, one hour, two hours a day, those moments really remind you -- reminds me, actually, you know, how lucky I was and how much I have to thank my dad when I was younger to help me out, put me in the position where I am at the moment.

MAX PAPIS: I tell you, you know, I'm knowing Robby a little bit more. For sure, you know, there is still not enough time to really say, you know, exactly. I don't know exactly his personality. But what I can tell you, he contributed a lot to the team. He added another strong personality, not that the team was missing one. But, you know, he helped a little bit. You know, he is another -- he's another contender in the field. And as I want to beat everybody else, I want to beat him as well. I tell you, you know, I am pleased to work with him. And the things that I'm pleased the most, you know, he's a previous CART winner, you know, he won races before. In previous years' circumstances in CART, you couldn't really see my value, except when I drove for Ferrari, we basically been in the mid field all the time. Now with someone of his caliber on board, you can see that both the team and myself, we are ready to be winners one day. I tell you, I think we're going to be -- it will not be a very long time before we're going to go on the podium.

MAX PAPIS: No, there is no. I mean, my friends are in Italy, that's what I say. My friends are in Italy. Everybody who is in motor racing, you can't -- everyone who say "Another driver is my friend," I do not believe that he tell the truth. You can have respect. That's what I have for Robby, respect. But you can't have friends when you want the same things. The rivalry is there because this is the sport. Everybody want to have the same things. You know, want to win. So, you know, there is rivalry. What I have, I have a lot of respect. I'm learning a lot of things out of Robby because he has been in the oval for many, many years, he has been in this business, you know, in CART racing, and he's American. Me, I come from completely different background. So I am trying to get maximum knowledge out of his experience. You know, things seems to work out quite right. We joke, we have some fun times.

MAX PAPIS: Yeah. You know, me and you, we talk a lot about these things in the past. You know to me my family and my dad is something that is most important than anything else. Of course, you know, what I do with the kids, I just try to remember when I was a kid myself, just try to remember what I was thinking when I was meeting drivers, when I was coming into this strange world, because it looked very cynic -- cynical. But it's a lot of athletes, a lot of people with a lot of commitment and heart, and will to succeed. Of course, you know, what I do, you know, all the time, every time I see kids that have been a little bit less lucky than me, you know, always make me come back to my mind. Thanks to my dad. Sometimes, you know, God is over you and protects you, to a direction. That was my direction, you know, the direction to become a race car driver. Definitely, you know, my family contributed supporting me, being with me, being my friends, number one, and you know, kicking me in my ass when I was not doing good, both in racing and in school. I'm a super lucky person.

MAX PAPIS: I thought we would have been a little bit better than what we are at the moment. But, you know, you always hope that you can win 19 events or 19 races. But, you know, we were a little bit late to start. But we made in this first six months more progress than what we have done in the last couple of years. So I can't be unhappy. Of course, you know, I would like to get in the car and be in the Top 10 all the time. But we're working on that. I tell you, we are closer than ever because sometimes, you know, like I told you Saturday morning, eight-tenths from the leader. It shows the progress, so I am confident.

MAX PAPIS: There is not a long, long way. We're there. We are seeing what we want. We can't actually get it. I believe the people in Toyota now knows exactly what is the goal and they're working on it.

MAX PAPIS: I woke up at 6:45 this morning. Me, I wear my Italian polo shirt, like the Italian player. I have Italian flags in the house, cheering up like crazy.

MAX PAPIS: I still have a lot of friend there. You know, with European background, that's what I knew since I was, you know, six years old. What I knew about US racing were names like Al Unser, Jr., Mario Andretti, these names. What I can tell you, when I see F-1 at the moment, I see people are a little bit losing focus of what the sport of motor racing, you know. In the States, motor racing is still a true sport, athlete, competition, like relation with the people. Formula 1, it looks to me like people lost a little bit that. They believe that motor racing is like going to the church. You can't talk, you just need to be silent. Motor racing is, you know, enjoyment. It's a show for the spectator that come over and see us. I think that's what they've lost a little bit there in F-1. But they have a great leader in Bernie Ecclestone. I believe he knows that. He's trying to take it back. But, you know, it's difficult when CART is so high and so high level and so spectacular. I tell you, all my friends in Italy, since I join CART racing, they tell me, "Oh, Max, when we follow you, when we were going to see you in F-1, we didn't have even half of the fun that we have when we come over and watch you in CART racing."

MAX PAPIS: My home country?

MAX PAPIS: I don't know. What I tell you, me, I'm a racer. Only what I want to do is win. I'm trying to make MCI and Toyota successful and win here in the States. That's my goal at the moment. But if it will be a good opportunity, me, I'm open-minded. The things I want to do is winning. If I can win here, okay. If it will be an opportunity there, it will be okay as well. I obviously do enjoy and do love a lot the racing here in the States because there is still this passion that is like the passion I have inside of me, passion for small things. In F-1, you can't have cooked dinner for Greg Moore, like do here in the States. Greg can do the same thing for me. That's what I would miss a lot.

MAX PAPIS: I would be a liar if I told you that was not important. That was number one. When I drove in Formula 1, when I drove for Ferrari, I always had teammates, really strong. Here, unfortunately, I didn't have the same opportunity. When Robby came on board, my goal was just do the same job I've done all the time, but show that we're there, show that. As you say, the package is getting stronger, the package is getting better, but it's still not up there where went it. That proved, with Robby coming on board, as well, that things have not changing. The only things is changing is that there are two people pushing for the same goal. That's the only things.

MAX PAPIS: You know, I'm not very much interested in when I'm qualifying, Where is my teammate? My main interest is beating everybody else. I'm not focused on one person, you know. Because, you know, my goal is competing with my friend Alex Zanardi. That's my goal. That's what I want. If Robby is there, of course, he's another antagonist. But, you know, no more than another antagonist. That's it.

MAX PAPIS: Thanks everybody there and I hope you enjoy my racing very shortly. Maybe we make another teleconference when we go on the podium, maybe before the end of the season.