CART MEDIA CONFERENCE

March 16, 2000

Juan Pablo Montoya

JUAN MONTOYA: Hi, how are you doing?

JUAN MONTOYA: Patience. You need a lot more patience than you ever had before. Longer races, you know, sometimes you rush to pass someone and you got use a lot more of the head. It is a lot more strategy racing. Fuel consumption and stuff like that is very important. You can get (inaudible) than anybody else, you are going to pass them like what happened at Mid-Ohio. The key was just patience.

JUAN MONTOYA: Oh, been really good. I think we have been really quick everywhere we are going. I think the worst part so far is Homestead, but I am looking forward to going to the Championship. I think Toyota has done a great job and working (inaudible) is great.

JUAN MONTOYA: I would lean at this point, you know, (inaudible) Lola so far has been a great choice. The car has been good everywhere. There is a lot of work to be done before being 100% where we want to be-- (inaudible) --

JUAN MONTOYA: I would think Lola is better and it has been really good for us. It is going to be very competitive. It is not much to -- from one car to another. You can't go and say this car is better; the other one is better, but it is really close, put it to you this time.

JUAN MONTOYA: No, prepare-wise, we are exactly the same as last year, we are in good shape. The only thing that helps is I got a lot more experience in how to set up the car. I think especially in the ovals, could make (inaudible) the only thing you need to do is (inaudible) the car and go for it. I think race-wise my mind is a lot more open. I think working with Bill has been really good. Bill has done a great job so far. So I am looking forward to it. It is going to be a very interesting year and I think we are going to be really competitive.

JUAN MONTOYA: Not really. I think next year is going to be next year, but this year, so far, it has been great. I think working with Lola has been really good. It has been really competitive everywhere we have been. Always been in the pace and I think, you know, when it comes to next year's choice it will be different history. The story right now is 2000 season, Lola, Toyota, and I think the team did a great decision going there. If we can win with Toyota it would be great, the car has been fantastic in testing.

JUAN MONTOYA: Nothing. It is completely different engine. It's the way it works, completely different. I think it is competitive. It has great speeds and, you know, it has shown great reliability. That was the biggest concern for us. The engine has been working; the miles we have been expecting to work and everything, so we are looking very reliable for the first season working with them.

JUAN MONTOYA: No, I like the chassis. I like the chassis. I like the engine and it is good because everyone is working around us, so we put in chassis way we want it and, you know, we did it ourselves - with Lola, the chassis and with Toyota, the engine. We asked for something, they do it.

JUAN MONTOYA: Well, it has been really good so far, generally, the car has been working well. So completely comparing it with the Lola, I am sorry, with the Honda, but we are working on it and I think we will be up to speed when it comes to the first race. I think all the stories have been from Toyota (inaudible).

JUAN MONTOYA: No. I don't know. The engine we have been running is the engine we are going to run in the race as far as I know. Basically Toyota, they do the work. They put the engine on and we try it and we do the comments on the engine and they come with new things. While we got it, we are going to run.

JUAN MONTOYA: Not really. They said last year that I was on loan from Chip -- for Chip from Frank so why didn't Frank pick me up for this year if I was on loan. There is nothing there. It was funny because it seems like we kind of swap places with Alex, but that was it. Chip went to see Alex test and I was there. He liked the way I drove and everything and with Morris, they picked me up. Only contract I got at the moment is with Chip at the moment.

JUAN MONTOYA: Yeah, I went in the afternoon I thought we run really quick. I think we (inaudible) we are right on the pace.

JUAN MONTOYA: Of course you miss him because Morris was a character of himself. Things he did, he only did, are him. But actually I think the team wasn't only Morris. The team is everyone around; not only Morris or myself. I am not only the team when I win we are family and everyone that is involved has something to do with that win. I think they have done a great job, Bill Papis working with (inaudible) they work together really well.

JUAN MONTOYA: I wouldn't say we got the best or the worst engine. We could say that we are really competitive basically.

JUAN MONTOYA: Everyone is going to have more power in the future; not only ourselves.

JUAN MONTOYA: Circuit is fun to drive, but the car wasn't right. When the car is right, you don't enjoy racing there. But I thought the city was great. I had a lot of fun there. I went there around the city. I think it was to quite a few cities I went around and I had a lot of fun there. But racing-wise I didn't think it was a great weekend for me.

JUAN MONTOYA: Well, it was one of those, you know, you can't expect to be competitive every weekend. You are going to have some weekends that you are not going to be very competitive and that was one of those.

JUAN MONTOYA: Not really. Even sometimes forget about it. Only thing reminds me of the Championship is the number on the car. That is the only thing that changed. I think in my mind, I am exactly the same as last year just with more experience. I am a bit more wiser than last year and more prepared than last year to get to the Championship and I think it is going to be really good. Only thing I am really pleased is that Dario is back for the first race. He is going to be a good fight with him, a good fight with Tracy.

JUAN MONTOYA: It is going to be, I think, one of the biggest things we have seen in testing (inaudible) seems like Ford engine is really strong, is going to be quite fun - I think, for example, the Rahal Team, they are getting a lot more stronger, you know, race by race. And it is -- there is going to be new people around the top and it is going to be very interesting.

JUAN MONTOYA: Well, I think he has always been quick. Since I remember Dario he always been quick. I think the best thing that Dario has he is a great person and he is a great driver. He is very clean competitive and he never gives up. I think that is the key of Dario's success, he never gives up, even in a bad weekend, good weekend, wherever he is, he is always giving 100%. I think last year he gave me really hard time because of that.

JUAN MONTOYA: I think William did much better work than everyone expected, I think BMW has done a great job as well. I think everyone -- Button did a great job and he led -- a lot of people were expecting bad things about him and I think he did a very good job. I am pleased for him and I am pleased for Williams, but that is a different story. That is Ralph and Jensen and that is it. I don't have anything to do there.

JUAN MONTOYA: Well, I am looking forward to the race. I don't think about the series getting together or not. But I think the race itself is going to be a lot of fun. It is going to be interesting. It is going to be race (inaudible) that is a lot of fun, people you don't know. It is going to be interesting and it is going to be, I think, very competitive.

JUAN MONTOYA: That is a difficult question. I don't even know that. When I know that I can answer that.

JUAN MONTOYA: Michael is going to be competitive, but Michael, you know, what I saw from Michael last year everything has to go right so he goes right. It is going to be interesting. They are doing their own stuff with the Lola. They are not doing the normal Lola (inaudible) --

JUAN MONTOYA: I think that is what they are going to do. And maybe they come up with something really good and they beat everyone. But we are not going to leave our hands crossed waiting to see what happens -- (inaudible).