CHAMP CAR MEDIA CONFERENCE

March 21, 2005

Eric Bachelart

Andrew Ranger

ERIC BACHELART: Yes, thank you very much, Eric. Hello, everybody. We're very pleased to announce the collaboration with Andrew for the 2005 season. We've been talking for quite a while together. Finally ended up doing a test in Fontana about two weeks ago. The test proved to be very successful. We've been very impressed with Andrew's approach and maturity and speed. We feel he's very talented. We feel that he's going to be a very good addition to our team. He's young. But, again, he's a very natural talent. We are really looking forward to working together for this season. So, as you said, Eric, he will join Nelson Philippe, and it's going to be a very young driver's lineup. Again, I'm very much looking forward to working with these two young drivers. They have one thing in common: they are both talented. This is quite exciting. The way we look at it, it will hopefully be the future stars of Champ Car. We're going to try everything we can to make that happen. We'll support them 110% and be very committed to achieve very good results.

ERIC BACHELART: Well, you know, I mean, when you work with young drivers, you can fight with the most established drivers, the day you can beat them, it's a very big satisfaction. Again, I mean, working with Andrew and Nelson, how do you say this, I can interact with them quite a bit. When we were at the test at Fontana the other day, I was talking with Andrew. He listens. He puts into application what we ask him to do. You know, this is quite enjoyable. I really like that part of the business. Again, that's what we've been doing so far, you know, working most of the time with young drivers, as you said. Again, I feel quite good. And also what I feel as a team, we've been working really hard over the winter and developed our structure, having more engineers on board, having Bruce Ashmore joining us as a technical director. We've also hired a new engineer that's going to work with Andrew, his name is Dave Faustino. Dave Faustino worked with Andrew last year in Formula Atlantic. It's going to help us communicate in an efficient way with Andrew right away. So, I mean, again, we're trying to do everything we can to be as efficient as possible. You know, we have a test coming up in Sebring. We're going to have two days of hard work in order to get ready for Long Beach and then we'll build the season from there. Another thing that is quite exciting, of course, is the new collaboration that we have with Procter & Gamble and Tide and Kodak. This is two great companies to be partner with. These two companies will join Mi-Jack. We've been working together for 13 years now. This is a long, good relationship.

ANDREW RANGER: Pretty good. I'm pretty excited for this year. I think it's going to be a good year. I signed with Mi-Jack Conquest Tide. I think it is going to be very fun. I worked with Dave Faustino was my engineer last year. I think it's going to be a very, very interesting season.

ANDREW RANGER: For sure, Long Beach, last year I was pretty comfortable with that track. I like that track. Last year I need to learn a little bit the track all the time because it was a new track for me. But now to start with the track I know, I think it's going to be pretty good because I like that track. It's a good ambience there. It's pretty fun to race there. I finished second there last year. I think I want to do the same thing this year.

ANDREW RANGER: Thank you.

ANDREW RANGER: Sure, I have a lot of pressure. You know, it's pretty good. I like that pressure because, you know, last year was my first season in Atlantic. Now it's going to be my first season in Champ Car. I like that pressure. I need to push a lot. I need to work hard with the team because it's going to be the new team for me. I have the same engineer. I have Bruce Ashmore, too, a very good engineer. I think for this series is going to be to learn the car, learn a little bit more like the series. I think is going to be a good year.

ANDREW RANGER: I raced in dirt modified, was pretty fun, in Syracuse. I race last year in Atlantic, this year in Champ Car. It's a good dream. It's pretty fun to sign with Mi-Jack Conquest. I think it's going to be a very good year. I know it's going to be tough. I'm young. My partner is young, too. It's going to be hard to be on the podium. But, you know, I think it's going to be a very good season because, you know, I like to work hard in the car. I have a very good engineer. I think it's going to be pretty good.

ANDREW RANGER: It's fun to race in the Canadian race. You know, Montreal is my hometown. Toronto, it's like my hometown because it's so fun to be there. My family comes see me. The fans, too, the friends. It's pretty fun to race in the Canadian race. You have there another pressure because it's your hometown. But I like to race in Montreal and Toronto.

ANDREW RANGER: No, but testing -- racing in Atlantic, the braking zone is probably the same. What's the difference in the Champ Car and Atlantic, it's very the engine. More horsepower in the Champ Car. It's pretty similar driving. It's for that that the guy jump in Champ Car more easily because it's the same driving. But, you know, I think for this year, I have a good pressure, a lot of pressure. But, you know, I want to do the Long Beach. If I do pretty good, just check for another race. But I think it's going to be a good year.

ERIC BACHELART: Well, I mean, again, I think these two guys are both talented. They know each other from the early days in go-karting. As far as I know, this is for both their third season in open-wheel racing. For Nelson, second year in Champ Cars; the first one for Andrew. We're going to work together. Two teams under the same roof. We're doing our briefing and debriefing all together. I mean, I think we work well as a team. Themselves, I expect them to work very well together, to develop the car, to try all the new development parts that we're going to do. I think as a team, we have done quite a lot of progress over the winter. When they come on the track, I mean, they're going to have to challenge each other, and not just between them, and fight with everybody else on the racetrack. I'm really looking forward to work with them. I think they are both two young men with good talents, and we all speak French, so what else can we ask for? Seriously, I think it's good. Again, I want to look at them as the future of Champ Car, and I feel very strongly they have the talent to do that. This is our third year in Champ Cars, and we definitely have more data now. All teams are starting to get pretty experienced in Champ Cars. That's going to help, as well. It's less critical to have young drivers now than it was two years ago. I feel good. The most important thing is the talent. We have that, I think.

ANDREW RANGER: I don't have a lot of testing. I test with Mi-Jack in California. My first day was pretty good. I was a little bit nervous. But, you know, I want to show to Eric what I can do. I work hard the first day. The second day, too. I do a pretty good time. I was pretty close with Cristiano da Matta, Tracy, and everybody there. But I think I do pretty good there. I think for the season, it's going to be very good with Nelson Philippe. It's a pretty fun guy. He work hard with the car, too. I think together, it's going to be a good year.

ERIC BACHELART: Yes, I think that's an excellent suggestion. The only thing I'm going to have to deal with my partner, he's not very keen on the French food. But maybe we get hamburgers on Friday. I don't know, what do you like? Give me suggestions, and we'll make it up (laughter).

ERIC BACHELART: Well, you know, obviously we feel strong as a team, we've improved our game. Today it's a bit difficult to answer that precisely because we have got a lot of announcements lately with Champ Car. I'm still not sure about all the drivers lineup with the different teams. It seems to me that the series is going to be extremely competitive. I only hear about very good drivers. Again, when I see all the entries, I can tell you more about what we're competing against. As a team, again, we've got more experience with the addition of Ashmore with us. We've been working hard all winter long. We're definitely doing more development. We have an aero program, we have a new shock program, quite a lot of things. I feel good that we will develop the cars quite a bit. Now we're going to have to take the best information out of Nelson and Andrew. I guess Nelson in the first part will help us trying the new things. And Andrew will do, as well. I mean, he's learning very quickly. Over the two days in Fontana, it was amazing all what he got. His answers were good. They were accurate. We tried a bunch of different things with him. No, I mean, I think we'll be good. As far as the goal, I want to go to Sebring, see where we stand. We're going to have quite a lot of cars on the track. Then go to Long Beach. We'll build from there. I want to work with some pressure, but positive pressure, you know, that everybody is going the right direction. If we work well, I think the results will be there. I have no doubt about it.

ANDREW RANGER: I know Nelson. I raced with him in go-kart in Europe. I know a little bit Nelson like that, but not so much. He speak French, I speak French. But, you know, with partner, you speak a little with your partner, but it's more with the engineer. Engineer speaking in English. You know, I think it's just going to be in English. I know Nelson is a good guy. He work pretty hard - and me, too. I think together it's going to be good. But for the engineer, it's going to be just in English and a little bit in French.

ANDREW RANGER: Yeah, but the first engineer is Bruce Ashmore. It's a very good guy. He work very hard with Patrick Carpentier, a couple years ago, last year with AJ Allmendinger. Now he's with Mi-Jack. I think, you know, he know the car. Dave Faustino work hard to learn more the car. You know, together I think it's going to be good.

ANDREW RANGER: For me I think it's going to be the Rookie-of-the-Year, this is sure, because I do this last year. But I don't want to put too much pressure because, you know, I want to know what's going to happen in Long Beach. I want to do the race. After I will talk what's going to happen for this year because I don't want to put too much pressure. I want to be the Rookie-of-the-Year, the same as last year. But I say, I don't want to have too much pressure.

ERIC BACHELART: Yes, he's our new technical director. This is the first time we have the position. We didn't have that last year. Again, I mean, we have quite an ambitious development program this year. So I think it's good to have Bruce on board. I know Bruce for quite many years. I'm very pleased that he's joining us. Very pleased with Dave Faustino, as well. When Andrew and Dave showed up in Fontana, I mean, it was the second day of Andrew in a Champ Car and the first day for Dave. At the end of the day, the first day, they've done quite well together. You know, keep in mind that we have -- this is two teams under one roof. Our other track engineer, Don Bricker, was there. Everybody is working in the same direction. It is really important. I put a lot of energy myself to make sure that these guys are working together and there is a very good team spirit between the two specific teams, the car 34 and the car 27. Dave Faustino is not by himself. You know, we are sharing everything. It's no problem. I think Faustino also is a very good guy. I've been very impressed with him with the first test we've done together.

ANDREW RANGER: My #27, it's pretty fun because I have the same number. My father raced in stock car, and he have the 27 car. Last year, too. But it's fun to have the 27 because Jacques Villeneuve had the 27 in Indianapolis and he won. Gil Villeneuve, too. I think I have the 27 because my father have, but it's pretty fun to see in the picture Villeneuve have the 27.

ERIC BACHELART: Yes, for sure we're trying the best we can. There's a lot of motivation on our side. We probably don't have as much resources as they do, but we have a fighting spirit, and it's very much on us. You know, again, we'll do wind tunnel development, we'll do development of these new shocks. I mean, you know, it's going to be a tough competition. But for sure we are starting the season with a big fighting spirit, and we are not thinking we're going to be weaker, okay? It's going to be very much challenging. Again, if we all in the same race, there going to be so much into the people. We have a very good team of people behind us, and I think that can make a big difference, too. The spirit and the atmosphere that is in the team right now is incredible. The guys are working so hard. I mean, it's very nice. I enjoy it a lot. And I tell you, when you go over the winter and you have all the question marks, how you're going to do it. Finally everything's coming together, you can see. I mean, this past week at the shop, everybody has such a smile on their face. They are going to the fitness three times a week. They are going on the pit stop practice twice a day. I mean, it's good. It's as good as it can be. And I'm really pumped up.

ERIC BACHELART: Well, I think we're missing still one guy for our truck driver department, that's about it. The team is completed and all together we have a bit more people on board than we did last year, you know. The main thing is on the engineering, you know, we have developed the engineering quite a bit, so I think we have two more people on the engineering side.

ERIC BACHELART: No, I think you're right. I mean, you know, every year we're trying to make it better. It takes a bit of time because we have to build it by ourselves. But, I mean, today I feel quite good about what we have. I don't want to do any auto-satisfaction or whatever, but I think the team is getting pretty mature. One of the keys is that we have been working with some people for quite a few years now, I mean, most of the team, so there's very little turnover. You know, it's still a small team, and I like it this way. I mean, I want a small team but strong. I think this is what we have. I don't care about being a big team. I like the small team spirit, I really do. So, I mean, again, Eric, it's a pretty exciting moment right now. The first race coming in a few weeks, and testing in Sebring. Again, the sharing of two young drivers, and not really no ego there, it's just simple, natural, working the same direction.

ERIC BACHELART: You know, we've been testing quite a few drivers over the winter. Some had more experience than others. But at the end of the day what we (privilege?) is what we feel the driver that's the best talent. You can have veteran drivers that aren't as talented as young drivers. Obviously, experience can compensate a little bit of that. But at the end we just decide to go this way. Again, we feel very good with Andrew. The whole team was impressed with the test. Again, after the test we had to make some quick decisions. We felt it was our best option. So that's basically what we did. I mean, I expect it's not going to be easy. I mean, no doubt about it. We have two young drivers. You know, nothing is easy. It's a tough competition. But all together I feel we'll do well, I really do.

ANDREW RANGER: I think it's going to be fun because I don't have a lot of experience in CART. But, you know, I worked hard last year with Dave Faustino. You know, I learned so much to jump to Champ Car. Because I race last year in Atlantic, and was pretty fun. And now jump in Champ Car, it's like the same driving. It's pretty fun for that because you can brake late and can you put so much speed in the corners, this is pretty fun. I don't have a lot of experience, but I think with Bruce Ashmore, it's going to be pretty fun. He know the car, he worked with Patrick Carpentier a couple years ago. He know the car. And me, I think I need to learn this year.

ANDREW RANGER: Yeah, exactly. More easy to go in Atlantic and jump in Champ Car.

ANDREW RANGER: I think it's better Andrew Ranger.

ANDREW RANGER: I think it's going to be best.

ANDREW RANGER: Because, you know, in the States, if you say Andrew, it's English, and Ranger, it's French. It's too difficult to say Andrew Ranger. I think it's easier to say Andrew Ranger.

ANDREW RANGER: Yeah, it's pretty good.

ANDREW RANGER: I think it's going to be a couple drivers. You have Tracy there, Cristiano da Matta, Junqueira. It's going to be so much competitive this year. I think for me it's going to be a lot of pressure because I want to be fast, I want to be in the top 10, this is sure. But I need to work hard, I need to work with the car, I need to work with the engineer. It's going to be a tough year, but I'm there.

ANDREW RANGER: No, I know Nelson. It's a good driver. Look, he have one year experience. And me, I don't have a year experience in Champ Car. He know a little bit the car. But for me, you know, I need to learn a little bit more hard. I learn fast. But, you know, it's tough because I know it's going to be a tough year because you have a couple good drivers there. I think it's going to be a very, very interesting season.

ANDREW RANGER: Yeah, the Tide is going to be on the car just for the Canadian race, with the side spot. It's going to be in the US just a small one, I think. For the Tide car, just for be the Canadian race.

ANDREW RANGER: Exact, Kodak. And the sponsor, two sticker like Tide, but it's going to be Mi-Jack.

ANDREW RANGER: I don't know. I don't know for this year. But it's a good guy. Probably have for this year, but I don't know.

ERIC BACHELART: Thank you.

ANDREW RANGER: Thank you, Eric.