CART MEDIA CONFERENCE

August 12, 2002

A.J. Allmendinger

Patrick Carpentier

PATRICK CARPENTIER: Thanks for having me.

PATRICK CARPENTIER: I'm not sure I want to tell that story. But it was fun. I waited until everybody left the track and then that thing went around North America or everywhere actually pretty fast. So everybody was kind of waiting for that. All the interviews I did after the race asked if they were going to see me naked or something. And every time I said, hey, let's go, let's do something. And we did it. And we laughed. We had a good laugh doing it. I'm not sure the picture looks that good, but hey, we had good fun. And I said I would do it. But next time I'm going to think twice before I say something like that.

PATRICK CARPENTIER: Yeah, I think the car and the chassis are going to be good at Elkhart. We thought it would be good at Mid-Ohio and it was very good. So we're really happy about that. And Ford-Cosworth has been doing a fantastic job lately. So I'm really proud of how they have been coming up and supporting us. So I think it's looking very good, although it's very hard to say because it's so competitive. In Vancouver I was 16th. We won the race before and this race we won again. So hopefully we can keep going on that fast streak. But the CART series is so competitive that it's hard to tell beforehand. I think the chassis is going to be a strong chassis there and we should be up at the front.

PATRICK CARPENTIER: I think they're the most important guys. I think they're some of the best doctors in North America. And the CART series is actually extremely lucky to have people like that around. Actually the reason why I know of Terry's house is because I've broken so many bones that I spent quite a few weeks there having him fixing me up. These are two great guys and two doctors that have so much knowledge and have been around racing for so many years. They understand racing injuries, which sometimes can be fairly different than any other injuries. Sometimes you can hit the wall at 200 miles an hour and nothing seems to be apparent from the outside. And you can feel pretty well. But your lungs can collapse or something. And they know everything about that and anything that can happen. So they make sure that you get the right tests and they make sure that everything's okay. I think if Alex Zanardi is still alive today, it's almost a hundred percent because of what these guys did on the track before they brought him to the hospital. They had to do a surgery right there on the track and perform a lot of stuff that I don't think too many doctors can do on the spot. So I really hang my hat to these guys and they have helped me many, many times and they're great characters and very nice people.

PATRICK CARPENTIER: I would be afraid to think about that. That is something I would have in my mind. And it's something that I'm not sure I would like to do. Because with these guys, if something happens, you know you're going to have the best treatment possible. And if that fails or something, I think nobody else could have almost done better than that. So they're really important to the CART series and CART has one of the best medical packages in place in any sport right now.

PATRICK CARPENTIER: Yeah. Thank you very much.

PATRICK CARPENTIER: Actually, we're getting closer. But nothing really specific at the moment. We're talking with many teams. And as you know we're looking at everything right now and I'm having a blast where I'm at right now in CART. And I'm really enjoying it. But we will see what's going to happen in the future. I think for anybody anywhere at the moment with the economy being what it is, sponsorship dollars don't really come that easy. So that makes it difficult for any kind of series that you, or anybody wants to enter. So we will see what's going to happen. But at the moment my agent was there this weekend and a lot of stuff actually opened up that did not before the weekend. So it's really looking good. A lot better than what it's been in the past few months and I know I'm going to race next year but I'm just not sure where I'm going to be. I'm going to be on a competitive team and also one that can make we win races.

PATRICK CARPENTIER: Oh, yeah, for sure. But I don't know right now. I tasted the victory and I just loved it. I just love the way things are going with this team at the moment. The engineers and the mechanics and the guy, I think for the first time since we have been together, have never been so close and it's a big challenge and everybody is behind me as far as the mechanics and engineers are concerned. They're all behind me and they're pushing so hard for me to succeed. I'm in a tough situation but right now I think I'm having the best time of my life. I really am enjoying what I'm doing.

PATRICK CARPENTIER: It is a strange feeling, because with my guys, the mechanics and I have a really strong bond. If it's the last year then let's give it our best shot and let's see what comes out of it. But let's have fun and let's enjoy it. But it's fantastic to live through that. It's like a little bit of a story that is being written and it's fun to be part of it. But as far as next year, I don't know. I don't know exactly where I'm going to be or if it's somewhere else at the moment. But right now everything is up in the air. And I want to talk to a lot of people and actually my agent was there this weekend and he talked to a lot of people. And it's looking really good.

PATRICK CARPENTIER: We don't know yet. That's one of the questions we have. We don't really know how the car is going to be. But I think the team is coming up with some new stuff as far as suspension goes and coming up with some new stuff with the engine or something like that. But you know they're going to come up with a couple of things that we think can make the car a little bit faster. Hopefully they can come up with that for Montreal. They're not sure where they're going to come up with that, but it's going to be before the end of the season. Hopefully we can get it soon. But right now the car is really strong. It was strong at Mid-Ohio. We think it's going to be strong at Elkhart Lake and we're hoping it's going to be strong in Montreal. But Montreal is kind of a street circuit because the track is extremely slippery. The corners are fairly sloped and you have hard braking and hard acceleration. So we will see how it goes. And maybe the Reynard will be a very strong there.

PATRICK CARPENTIER: No, it's very good. It's very good for confidence. But even if I'm extremely confident I think if the car is not up to the challenge with [Cristiano] da Matta and these guys, it's going to be tough to compete with them. What's been raised more than just my confidence is, is because I've always pushed the car pretty hard. I think it's just a team confidence. Everybody knows what they need to do and [Player's/Forsythe Racing Technical Director] Bruce [Ashmore] is really guiding the team perfectly and [Chief Engineer] Michael [Cannon], the engineers and all these guys. And everybody does a hundred percent of what they should be doing in every department. And that's why we're that fast. My engineer also seems to be getting extremely confident and I think that that's helping a lot.

PATRICK CARPENTIER: Thanks, Rick.

PATRICK CARPENTIER: I'll talk about Paul [Tracy] first. I think I know Paul Tracy so, he is a well liked driver. Pretty much an all-around kind of guy. Whether it's Montreal or Quebec or Vancouver. He's a fast driver and he's been pretty spectacular at times. And I think that the question that a lot of people ask is not why did they hire Paul Tracy, because everybody knows why they hired Paul Tracy. And a lot of teams wanted him and they wanted him to be a part of the Player's team for the coming season. But it's just that at a point that for me when the team's coming together, and I've had the strongest year with the team at this point in the season in a long time. And we seem to be looking like we may have a shot at the championship. And it is my best year ever. I feel I'm ready to win races and win championships. I'm ready to battle at this level and with my experience and everything, what I've learned I think is starting to pay off. So I think the timing is not very good. But sometimes that's life. Sometimes I've been with them for five years, which have been really wonderful. We had a great time and I can remember some stories and I still laugh about it and how it was fun. I would say that without them I don't think I would be where I'm at today. And they brought me up in racing actually like nobody else did. Sometimes they were hard and sometimes they were really encouraging and sometimes just different. But with all that put together, it's really, it really made me more mature. It's made me grow and made me extremely strong mentally. And I'm always the same, it doesn't matter where I'm at on the grid. I always keep working the same. So no, it's good for that. But as far as what's going to happen or if I'm going to stay there, I think it's a thin choice. A lot of drivers don't stay five years with the same team and I've been fortunate to do that and now I think maybe it's time to move on for both of us. Or maybe it's not. We will see in the next few weeks. I don't know more than you.

PATRICK CARPENTIER: It's certainly looking that way. I think that that's the way it's heading. And that's the way it's going to be. That's actually everything we're doing and everything we're working on- to move on.

PATRICK CARPENTIER: Yeah, I've talked to [Team owner] Carl [Haas] this weekend. And I had a good discussion. We talked about a few other things. But it's just funny because it just started as a joke. One of the one of the guys that works on the team there, Kenny, he came into the trailer and brought a sheet of paper. It was in my locker and it said here's a peak at your future. And I looked at the paper and it said Newman's Own, it was a salad dressing. I thought it was pretty funny. [Team owner] Paul Newman came just before the race and said we will give you a case of the salad dressing next year. And then he went to his car. So, but we will see what's going to happen. I don't know. It's a pretty good area of discussion right now with all the teams. We're talking in couple different series and looking to see what's going to happen. What's been happening lately should help me, I think.

PATRICK CARPENTIER: Yes. It's not done. Nothing is done in the IRL at the moment. I'll just say, I'll answer it this way. I'm really enjoying what I'm doing now. I really enjoy these tracks. There were a lot of people yesterday that came to see us and it was a fun race. And I think this series that has 18 drivers which are some of the best drivers in the world. I think both series have good and bad sides. But right now the only thing I can tell is at the moment I have nothing firmed up. I like ovals and I like road courses. And for me I win my paycheck in life trying to win races and being a race car driver. And that's what I intend to do for the next six, eight years. And if there is no opening for me in CART, and I cannot do it there, and I would being assured that I would be with a top team that would support me and give me the equipment to win races, then I would go somewhere where I believe I can win races.

PATRICK CARPENTIER: Yes, I would agree with that a little bit because there was so much stress in Toronto and so much pressure. We had so many problems working up there. It was one of the toughest weekends that the team has ever had. And it was just very difficult. I think it made us grow up and then knowing that I most likely will be gone next year, and not knowing what's going to happen, the only thing I can control is how I drive the car and how I can get involved with the engineering department. And we just want to give the best shot we can. If I can win it for Player's, whether I'm there or not, next season, it would be fantastic. It would be a way to say thank you for the five years that we have had together. But it was a bit of a relief. Because right now I seem to be in the mood where I don't really care what happens. The only thing I can say is that I care about how much effort I put in and how hard I drive and the rest of it, like my friends say, just put it in someone else's hands and let's see what's going to come out of it.

PATRICK CARPENTIER: I agree with you and that's one of the things I forgot to mention. Since the beginning of the season we have ran at the front a few times, we were second in Milwaukee, we were running second or third in Japan and got disqualified. We could have almost won the race. We could have finished, not win the race, but finished in the top three. And in Mexico at the first one there. I didn't pay attention. We didn't communicate and I didn't look at the board and it was half and half of a mistake on myself and the team. We missed that and then in Chicago we had another problem. We had so many mechanical and different kinds of problems and bad luck, so it seemed like we're doing really bad. But most of the race we seemed to be right up there at the front. Lately we seem to be able to eliminate all the small problems and the small details that kept us from being in the front. And that's the reason why we're at the front now. I didn't even think of problems at Mid-Ohio. And we didn't have problems. So when you have that, you have a perfect weekend. I wouldn't say we're not going to have problems for the rest of the year. It happens to everybody. But when you have a really good weekend like that, it certainly helps. And it was the same thing at Cleveland. And just look at Vancouver. We were running in the top-seven most of the time, and in the morning practice I crashed the car in the wall, we had to go to the backup and we had a problem with the backup until the race came and we figured out what it was more for the race. But it was another thing that kept us from qualifying at the front. And the CART series, if you want to run at the front these days, during the race, you have to qualify at the front. Because every lap, even if there is a hundred laps it's all qualifying laps and it's all high speed and it's who is going to be the fittest and who is going to be the toughest that is going to be there at the end.

PATRICK CARPENTIER: It's good. It takes pressure away for sure. It's good for me. It's good for Player's and it's good for the fans. I think it's fantastic. With the team we have so much pressure and I can understand it. When you have a sponsor that puts so much effort into it, too, because the guys, I think they just wanted to win races. They wanted to win, they wanted to taste victory and it was not happening and it was tough. It was always something. And then to see that happening, I think there's a lot of stress relief coming into Montreal and it's certainly looking good and it's a lot of fun. If we can have a good weekend at Elkhart, oh, man, it's going to be crazy. But it's going to be good.

PATRICK CARPENTIER: I was just really felt a deep satisfaction inside myself. I was very happy. We kept the race under control. The guys had fast pit stops and we ran a good race. My engineer talks to me and just says the right things these days and motivates me. And we had- we have a good relationship. But I was just really feeling deep personal satisfaction inside. But for some reason the biggest satisfaction I had was the first day on Friday. To me it's like relief. A lot of stress and sometimes frustration comes out and then it just got better and better over the weekend. And it was perfect.

PATRICK CARPENTIER: Yeah. But I cannot want to say that. Because I remember in Atlantic we started running well and then I started telling people, oh, I do this and it's because we do that that we're so fast. And then from then on to the rest of the season it was one of the worst seasons I've ever had. But I don't want to say anything, I just want to stay in that mood. But I really think that really with the way this team operates and the people we have around us, with [Technical Advisor] Tony [Cicale] and Bruce, and Michael and Terry, I think these guys are all extremely brilliant engineers and really good people. And I think that Michael has also done a pretty good job lately with the team and it's where this team should be. And that's how I used to race in Atlantic and that's how I used to run my races and that's how I enjoy myself. Right now I seem to really enjoy myself. Maybe because I just am at a point where it doesn't matter to me, I'm just happy to drive the car and I love driving the car and I'm happy when I go back home. I'm happy to go to the next one. But for some reason I don't seem to have the pressure like I used to put on myself before.

PATRICK CARPENTIER: Yeah, I'll just remain quiet with this one because I don't want to say what I had underneath that flag. I had what every guy has.

PATRICK CARPENTIER: Yeah. I like tracks that are extremely demanding physically. I really do. I like Mid- Ohio, I like Cleveland because I trained very hard this winter. I'm really in good shape physically. If I have the car that can do it, I think I can maintain the qualifying rhythm throughout pretty much the whole race. And Elkhart Lake is a little bit less physical because you have such long straightaways, so you have time to relax for sure. For me I think it's better if it's more physical. But I like that track. I think it's a fun track. I've always really, really enjoyed myself in high speed corners. And that's what Elkhart Lakes is made of. So hopefully we get a good weekend there. It's looking good because the Reynard is a good chassis and we're going there to fight. So we will see what happens.

PATRICK CARPENTIER: Yes, I think my engineers calculate that the top speed will be very similar, within a few miles an hour. We think the CART car is going to be pretty much as fast as the F 1. But as for the lap, we think that F 1 car is going to be faster by about five seconds. So we will see what it does. But it's not the same thing, it costs a few million dollars to have a car in the CART series and it costs a hundred million dollars to have a winning car in Formula 1. So it's not the same category. It's not the same technology that we use. The races are really good in the CART series. And Formula 1 is more of focused on technology. I think with an unlimited budget and the use of carbon fiber brakes, they can use a lot of stuff which make the cars about three or four hundred pounds lighter than the Champ Cars. So they can go around corners and under braking, which is where you make the most time, you have low speed corners. So they can brake a lot later than the Champ Cars. And that's where they make their time.

PATRICK CARPENTIER: Yeah, I like that track. I think you have to be fast there and you have to go into the corners fairly deeply. And that's where I seemed to be successful and I made better time in the Reynard. But sometimes when you try to go hard into the corner and you don't have the car to support it. The speed at which you come out is slower. And then you lose time on the straightaway. But no, it was good. My car brakes really well. And da Matta, I knew was going to try me, because I saw him coming in the mirrors. And I just broke really, really, really late. Actually where I broke at I was not even sure if I was going to be able to make the corner. And I tried deeper and he didn't make it. But I was pretty lucky that he didn't hit me when he spun. And I didn't know quite exactly what happened. Because where I broke I kind of needed to be looking forward more than backwards because it was going to be tough to make the corner. Then once I made the corner I looked in the mirrors and I saw his car backwards in the sand. And it was a big relief because he was starting to put a lot of pressure on me.

PATRICK CARPENTIER: Thank you.

PATRICK CARPENTIER: Thanks, guys. Okay.

AJ ALLMENDINGER: Thank you. I'm actually in a pay phone in a hotel in Chicago, so sorry if it gets a little noisy.

AJ ALLMENDINGER: The year's been great. It really actually hasn't sunk in yet. I can't believe that this early in the season I was able to get it done. And last night I just went out with couple of friends that I'm traveling with and we had some fun and just relaxed. I kind of basically thought about the whole year. But I know now it's going to make the last races fun because I can relax and just solely go on for victories.

AJ ALLMENDINGER: I'm actually working hard on the Atlantic stuff. I feel that especially with the way the year's gone with the five victories that if I come back, it can almost only go down from there after the year I had already this year. But I'm concentrating on trying to get a deal done. I've talked to a lot of teams and sponsors about possibilities. So it's really looking good for a chance to run it. It's just a matter of finding the right sponsor and finding the right team that I'm going to jell with for next season.

AJ ALLMENDINGER: Yeah, I had a great time last year there. It's an exciting track - long and fast. There are a couple of great corners that are made for passing. But yeah, I like the track. Last year I kind of struggled with some of the practice. We had some problems. So I'm really looking forward to getting back there and practicing on Thursday and then going from there and trying to do what I've done all year.

AJ ALLMENDINGER: I would actually have to say the corner at Turn 1 and then I guess it would be Turn 4 after the back straightaway. You go through Turns 1, 2 and 3 and the hard braking and that's a first gear corner for us which makes for great passing. And then the kink is just amazing trying to go through there flat.

AJ ALLMENDINGER: Definitely. I think it's great that the series gets to run at most of the Champ Car races and because of that we got a lot of press. I know we get a lot of the Atlantic people look at the drivers in the Barber Dodge Pro Series now. A lot of the Champ Car teams are looking. And because of that the fans get exposed to it. The series this year I think, just from the couple of races I saw last year, has drawn so much of a fan base. It's amazing. People are keeping up on their favorite drivers and looking toward them to the future of CART. And because of that it makes it exciting to race in front of the huge crowds that we have had. It makes it fun to go out there and win races and have the fans look at you. And especially it makes it a lot easier to talk to an Atlantic team because they already know how you are because they have been watching the series.

AJ ALLMENDINGER: Well I met him midway through the 2000 season. And since then our relationship's just been growing. I'm now getting to basically be at every race that he's at that we're running and he's watching me during the weekend. I can go to him for advice and then just career advice too. In talking to the right teams, talking to sponsors, he plays a big part in that as well. And I definitely can say without him I don't think I would be where I'm at right now. He's been a big influence in my racing career. I thank him so much for it. I just look forward to continuing that through the Atlantics and having him watch me and then hopefully it would be awesome to have a chance to race against him hopefully in 2004.

AJ ALLMENDINGER: Actually I still run with him. I ran a few races this year and will go to the Super Nationals. And I still race on his karting team. I love doing it because karting is so much fun and it keeps you in such great shape. So I think that's a big part of the relationship that's growing. I am still doing it and I know he's very pleased with how that's going and it's fun.

AJ ALLMENDINGER: I mean it's just not one thing, it's a bunch of things. It's started off with on the technical aspect of being able to work. I said it before and I'll say again, I thank [Barber Dodge Pro Series Lead Driver Coach] Barry [Waddell], and I give him so much credit for being able to work with him this year in the series, just learning what the car technically had and learning the difference between when the car's good and when the car can be perfect. I struggled with that coming into the season. I could drive the wheels off a car no matter if it was good or bad. But I never knew when it was perfect. So I learned this year when it's not perfect I can come in and make a change in order to make it to where I want it to be. So that's been probably the biggest learning curve that I had this year. And basically just the way I carried myself, the media exposure that I get and then how to take that and use it to my advantage. I feel every race I grow a little bit in my driving, just learning more and more. I feel since I got back from New Zealand I'm almost about 10 times further ahead on the learning curve because of all the stuff that goes into the Barber Dodge Pro Series. And I look forward to trying to take that to the Atlantics next season.

AJ ALLMENDINGER: Exactly. My biggest problem was I got to the point where my times were quick and I thought, okay, right there. The car's good. Let's not touch it. But now I know by some of the set up stuff that we have done when the car is perfect, so that if it's not and I'm still playing, but if it's not I can make the car just a little bit better and take me to the top of the time sheets. And at the same time, like you said, when knowing it's perfect not to touch it and just leave it for the rest of the weekend. And I have been able to do that a couple times this year. Where early I had the set up and Friday morning I really don't touch the car for the rest of the weekend on and it's worked.

AJ ALLMENDINGER: First the CART Mentor Program is great because I got a chance to be with a great team right there and learn the aspects of what they go through on a daily routine and during the race weekend and what the drivers have to go through. And the learning curve that I got there, it helped a lot because now I have an opportunity, when I get to run the series next year, I'm that little bit ahead knowing what the driver goes through and what the crew goes through and just everything that they do. And at the same time I've always liked taking drivers from karting where I feel that I can help them and I see talent. So, I've been doing a little bit of coaching for [Formula Dodge National Championship driver] Bert [Frisselle] and actually Brian, his brother in the regional series. I go to their races and I just got done with their last national race. And Bert actually ran the race in Mid-Ohio in the Barber Dodge Pro Series. So I've been trying to help them out as much as possible too. And it's fun for me and it really actually gives me pleasure when I see that I can help improve them just a little bit more.

AJ ALLMENDINGER: Exactly.

AJ ALLMENDINGER: Well thank you for having me. Anytime.