INDY CAR RACING MEDIA CONFERENCE

March 7, 1995

Robert Clarke

Steve Horne

ROBERT CLARKE: Well, I think the -- of course working with the Rahal/Hogan team last year, they're a top notch team that has a great potential and also has a great need to perform well on every event. And because of that we found ourselves in a difficult situation because the engine was not performing quite to their expectations nor our own. Of course they made the decision last year to move over to the Mercedes Ilmor engine, but we decided internally that we needed to align ourselves with a team that maybe had a similar growth goal that we had for this year. And I think we found that within the Tazman group. They have a very professional approach as we feel we do. They have their sites set for a very high goal which we do. And I think that the two of us can grow at a very quick rate and achieve each other's expectations.

ROBERT CLARKE: No, this is actually the same base engine that we used last year. We made a decision toward the end of last year that we would continue development of that engine as well as begin development on a new engine, because we knew where this engine was, baseline performance. We felt it was a good base to tryout a lot of other ideas we still had before we applied those to our new engines. And, in fact, many of those new ideas that we had resulted in very nice improvements. And the result is what Andre had on the track down in Miami. There's actually still a couple of little small tweaks that we have planned for that engine before we bring our new engine in.

ROBERT CLARKE: Sure. The biggest area is in induction. As we expected, it was the area that we were the weakest in; working with the methanol fuel which is something that we had no experience in from our Formula I and Formula II days. And the whole intake system, you know, from the turbo to the plennum (sic) to the injectors to the intake ports and the head design, all of that we found a great deal of improvement gains.

ROBERT CLARKE: Yes, it is. You know, the engine has been in development. It's -- we had our first on-track test a week before last at Firebird and then we tested at PIR the early part of last week and the engine did well. So I think we can maintain the schedule that we have targeted.

ROBERT CLARKE: I would say probably around July or August. Actually, the original engine started out in aluminum. And we had some durability concerns and considering that it was our first year in racing that we had a lot to figure out about these IndyCar engines was when we actually went back to an iron block because we had a lot of experience with that.

ROBERT CLARKE: Yes, it was. You know, based upon our testing at Firebird and at PIR over the winter season, we felt that we were getting pretty close to the competition. And when Andre went out for practice on Friday he surprised all of us by showing us that we were definitely there and even more so. So it was quite a thrill, yes.

ROBERT CLARKE: Well, I think particularly with Steve Horne you have to look at his history and the development of True Sports Program and the Judd engine (ph) and all that. He's actually maybe more in tune with our kind of program than maybe Rahal/Hogan was. I mean here's the guy that's developed the chassis from the ground up, he's gone through a development program with an engine and he knows exactly what he's up against and what pitfalls might come along. And I think -- plus his background and years of experience in professional racing, he's got a great deal that he can offer us.

ROBERT CLARKE: Yes.

ROBERT CLARKE: Yes, we are. We'd really liked to have more than one car on the track and that's something that we're working towards. We don't have any -- anything decided at this point, but it's -- obviously, you know, your odds of performing well on a race go up with the number of cars that you have on a track.

STEVE HORNE: Hello.

STEVE HORNE: Well, Jeremy, we've talked with Honda probably earlier in the year, July/August and I think we realized that the potential is there and it was a matter of getting the timing right in terms of getting on board with them. But, you know, because we weren't a franchise team we weren't able to make a deal, but then really late November, early December when really no other teams for whatever reason, and it's hard for me to understand, but nobody else really wanted to get involved with Honda and they called us. It was a very easy decision to make. Although, we committed to both Lola and Mercedes at the time, both -- particularly Ilmor and to some degree Lola was very cooperative with getting us out of our agreement so that we could switch to Honda and Reynard.

ROBERT CLARKE: I think they made the decision early on to stick with one chassis manufacturer so that they could concentrate their efforts there. To be honest, I'm really glad they did it with Reynard now because it's a dam good little car.

STEVE HORNE: Well, they've been very good. Obviously we've had a lot of experience working with Lola in the past and Lola is a great company. We've won races with them in IndyCars before, we've won lots of races in Indy Lights, but we had no previous relationship with Reynard. But they're a different company, they produce a very good product. I think they're probably slightly more custom-orientated. And so far it's been very good. I think we've proven it's a dam strong car, we've knocked it a little bit in Miami and that car's already been fixed. No, I'm very pleased with the product they've produced. But I think really in terms of chassis', you know, there's three very competitive ones out there right now.

ROBERT CLARKE: Oh, absolutely. I think when I left True Sports the first thing I said to myself and then I said it publicly that my goal was to get back into IndyCars, and with the other people that left with me from True Sports, and I think there's never any question in my mind that we'd get there. Maybe the route that we got there was slightly different than what we originally planned, but in reality it was pretty close. And I think that Indy Lights in particular was a major factor in our ability to get back into IndyCars. I don't think we could have done it without a couple of years in Indy Lights.

STEVE HORNE: I don't know, Tim, I think -- really, I've dealt with a lot of rookie drivers. You know, Bobby Rahal and myself were rookies in 1982 and we went to our first race at Phoenix and that opened their eyes collectively. So no, I don't think so. I think, you know, a racetrack is a racetrack when it comes down to it and all you're doing is stacking yourself up against the opposition. I don't think I'd like to go to Indy as the first race with a rookie driver, but in my mind it was fine, I enjoyed it.

ROBERT CLARKE: Good.

ROBERT CLARKE: Well, our main purpose in those tests was to mainly check the durability of the engine, you know. We found that from our -- from the last engine last year that we did hours and hours and hours of dyno testing, and then when we got the engine and the car in competition we found that a lot of things showed up that didn't show up on the dyno. So it was a very important part of our off-season program to get not only the new engine but the upgraded -- last year's engine and the car to see what actually materialized. But the main intent was just to get the engine and the car and put a lot of miles on it and see what we had. And of course we also confirmed what we call the driveability, which is the horsepower and the torque curves and a lot of other things; you know, temperatures and vibrations and that kind of thing. It was our very first so we would consider it more like a shakedown test.

ROBERT CLARKE: Well, on the American side at Honda Performance we have just 26 people here now. That program will grow -- nearly double in size by the end of the year as we prepare to supply a lot more engines to numerous teams in '96.

ROBERT CLARKE: We haven't really formed a position on that. Of course as Honda we would prefer that the two organizations get together and choose one set of rules. We're not particularly interested in producing engines for two different Formula. It would be to our interest to concentrate on just one particular displacement.

ROBERT CLARKE: I've talked to Andrew Craig since early this year, we're already in that window. You know, in order to go from the design stage to actual development work, we need as much time as we could get.

ROBERT CLARKE: It can be done. It's a fairly easy process. But as you said, you're not optimizing the design of the engine. But you've got things that are designed to -- that could handle considerably more horsepower, and so things are kind of overdesigned and carries a lot more weight. So we'd much prefer to take a exclusive, you know, specific design.

ROBERT CLARKE: I could tell you what we'd like and that would be five to six cars. We feel that would be a nice growth for us.

ROBERT CLARKE: Well, the Comptech group very much would like to be racing this year and they're currently meeting Buschels, you know, trying to find sponsorship money to do just that. Steve Horne is also interested in running a second car at Indy and possibly after that and maybe he could shed more light on that.

STEVE HORNE: I think at Indianapolis we will probably run another car. I think going in there with a rookie. And certainly with -- I don't want to call it the burden, but the owners of Honda in being responsible with Indy in support (unintelligible) but we have an experienced driver there as well as a car alongside of -- I think that's probably going to happen at Indy. If we can run some more races after Indianapolis, I think that's well up in the air, but I think it's unlikely we do all the races after Indy but, you know, thank God for Miami, we all realize that we have a competitive package. And there were times at the weekend that I suddenly started looking in the mirror and saying hey, with a bit more of this and a bit more of that we've got a package that could win this race. And we've got to take advantage of that sooner than later right now.

STEVE HORNE: Well, at this time of the year it's hard to get an experienced IndyCar driver but there are a couple out there right now that I think could fit the bill right now.

ROBERT CLARKE: I'm sorry, I was interrupted, could you ask the question one more time?

ROBERT CLARKE: I think, it's really easy if you look at the history of Honda and its racing program. Honda considers racing as almost a culture, and it's a very important part of Honda's overall operations. And, you know, we don't quite agree with what many things that were said last year, but we actually feel that our program was successful. We learned a great deal as you can see from our performance of our engine in Miami. And we feel that as long as we continue to learn both as an organization and as individuals within the organization, basically we're achieving a big chunk of our program.

ROBERT CLARKE: I think that not internally but externally, yes. I think that, you know, even the -- our association with the Rahal/Hogan group we had the kind of discussions where we felt we explained the kind of learning curve that we would likely be in. But I think they were somewhat influenced by Honda's history, you know. But I think if you look carefully at that history you'll see that Honda didn't excel right out of the box. You know, it took several years to develop that kind of dominance.

STEVE HORNE: Well, first of all with Firestone we've had two years of experience with them at Indy Lights. The Firestone could build a dam good car for Indy Lights and I don't see any reason why they wouldn't build a good car for IndyCar. The decision for us to go to Firestone was actually a very easy one. You know, I'm very glad I did it. In terms of fitting the car up, et cetera, I think just as it is for a driver, Indy Lights is a very good base in all aspects. And I think some of the setups we learned in Indy Lights actually directly correlate to IndyCar. And I guess the thing that we're telling ourselves really on a daily basis is really what we've got here is a big Indy Lights car. So we keep our head on our shoulders and not get overwrought with situations. Obviously some of us have had some IndyCar experience, but we've got a lot of young people on our team and, you know, as we explained to them that it's just an Indy Lights car with a few more bits on it, it makes it a lot easier for them to understand and work on.

STEVE HORNE: I can't remember back to '82, but to be honest, yes, I do. I think in '82 with a group True Sports -- with a group of good racers -- you know, Bobby had a lot of road racing experience, you know, I had a reasonable amount of CAN-AM, some of the mechanics, but we were real rookies at IndyCar. But once we realized that it was just a race car in a different -- in a different arena I think we came together pretty well. And I would cautiously say I have a sense for that same feeling right now.

STEVE HORNE: No, I don't think so because when you look at the big package you say okay, everything is new, but when we went through it in a logical fashion, what engine we're going to use, when the opportunity came with Honda, you had to sit back and say for us, boy, that was a real logical decision to do; same with the tires. The chassis, okay, because Honda had basically commissioned Reynard to build a car, there was a little bit of a question mark there. But when you looked at last season's performance obviously Reynard was going to get better. So when I broke it down into all those components and made each decision, they're all logical and that made the big picture logical. And maybe I think different from other people, but I don't see a great degree of risk in it.

STEVE HORNE: No, I agree, David. It's not pressure, it's expectations and I think, you know, Honda and I are going to have certain expectations of Andre and the team and vice versa. But I think that it's just another race. What happened in Miami wasn't a flash in the pan. There was no way we were consistent enough to be competitive all weekend, but our goal now is to get consistency and then improve the performance. If we can consistently do what we did in Miami, then we ought to get better results and then we need to work on improving our performance. And, you know, it's great being quick on one lap, but that doesn't really do anything at the end of the day.

STEVE HORNE: I think it is, Tim. I think the competition is greater. There's more teams that have a competitive situation. And I think you maybe should ask Penske that because I think he had a bit of a shock over the weekend (LAUGHTER.)

STEVE HORNE: That's a good question, Joe. I learned, you know, fast on our learning curve, but they've done a year's very solid testing, and I've got to thank Pat Patrick and Scott Pruitt, they've done a hell of a job for them. Yeah, the engine's on a learning curve, but I think we internally feel the engine is the least of the things that we have to concern ourselves with right now. It's a very turn-key program. They service us very well. Nothing is ever a problem. They're very reliable, and they make very good horsepower. So the engine is almost something we put to one side. We don't have to worry about that. So really the things we ought to concentrate on is getting the most out of the chassis and coaching Andre. And he's very coachable. He responds very well. I think you heard earlier on that he watched the race on TV and had two pages of notes. Now I don't think many drivers would sit down and do that. So I think the number one thing for us is to really work with Andre and his driving.

STEVE HORNE: Well, there is a piercing restriction in place, and I guess there's pros and cons to that. I don't particularly like it. I don't see a lot of value to it to be honest. The next testing we're going to do is we've got the rookie program coming up at Indy and then we've got one day at Firebird ways before Long Beach, but really the schedule is so tough now that unless you have a separate test team, it's very hard to get some testing in. But we'll do probably, I think, six or seven days after Indy at some of the tracks. But really a lot of our experience is going to come race weekend.

STEVE HORNE: I joined CART in 1982. That was a great step forward for me. I very much enjoyed being part of CART and IndyCar. They've had their problems but I think they're democratically drawing this series into probably the greatest international motorsports series in the world. I have absolutely no interest in IRL. I have a deep interest in the Indianapolis 500 and I wish they'd just go away.

STEVE HORNE: I think as a team we've set some goals that I'd like to win Rookie of the Year. And that sounds a pretty low standard, but when then when you look at the weekend that the rookies you're racing with, it's actually racing for the lead of the race. So maybe to win Rookie of the Year you've got to win some races right now. We'd like to win Rookie of the Year at Indy and consistently qualify and finish in the top 10. And those are the goals we've set ourselves and hopefully grow to a two-car team in 1996. And if we can achieve all those things I'll be happy.

STEVE HORNE: No, I think maybe I've mellowed a little bit I think maybe to concentrate on the things that I'm good at and leave the things that maybe I'm not that good at to other people. And I think this time around I've surrounded myself with some very good partners and some very good people on the team. And, you know, my goal is to get the best out of them. And I think rather than being a one-man band that I was perhaps in the past I'm less exposed, I think, to some of the things that maybe I wasn't that good at making decisions at.

STEVE HORNE: Certainly. I think, you know, a lot of the credit to the performance of the team on a day-to-day basis has got to go to Jeff Ocean (ph). Jeff has done a tremendous job as team manager, and he's more than a team manager, he's a qualified engineer and he's done a great job in, you know, getting a young group of people together and refining and focusing. And we've got Don Haladay (ph) as our engineer working on the car. And Don and I have worked together really from a piece of carbon fiber up to a race car, and I think Don worked with us in Indy Lights last year with Andre. I think, he's enjoying himself a lot in race engineering. And we're just some older guys having a bit of fun now, and that's the bit I like. And I enjoy -- I really enjoy working with rookie drivers because I think that's something that maybe we are good at because they respond well, there's not a lot of egos involved and it's fun watching their talent grow.

STEVE HORNE: Absolutely. I think Steve Robertson did a tremendous job for us last year at Indy Lights, and I think he's a great young driver as well. And I certainly hope to see him in the future. Those who say there's not enough American drivers in IndyCars, I think that's rubbish. There's some dam good young ones right now, and I think the fact that they get to race against some of the best up-and-coming young drivers in the world makes IndyCars an even better series.

STEVE HORNE: It certainly does, yeah. I enjoying going to Australia. I'm going to stop off in New Zealand on the way down there and visit some relatives. And there's always a lot of people in Australia that I've known in the past, you know, having raced down there and no question the people are very friendly, that they're really big motorsports fans. I like the track. It's a good racetrack. There's some good passing area there. I like the people and I like the people on the beach (LAUGHTER.) And you know the other thing is they have real beer down there (LAUGHTER.)

CHRIS NIXON: The equipment will be leaving Indianapolis on Friday/Saturday, and we'll be bringing down two 747 freighters of cars and freight and some personnel landing in Australia I guess around 4 or 5 a.m. Sunday our time. And they will be followed by the major group of personnel on a specially configured 747 arriving into Australia on Monday morning at the same time with the main --

CHRIS NIXON: Okay. I'll run through that answer again. The IndyCar freight for Australia will leave from Indianapolis on Saturday I understand. It would be picked out on the next couple of days. We will be bringing down two 747 freighters also carrying some personnel at approximately 50 cars, perhaps a few more. At this stage we understand we've got about 26 starters for the IndyCar Australia race. Those freighters will be arriving into Brisbane on Sunday morning around 5 a.m. our time to be followed the same time the next day by the major part of the team personnel on another specially configured 747. So the main personnel will be coming on a quarter flight LAX departing Sunday arriving here Monday. And beyond that I think we will have some drivers coming in on personal flights.

CHRIS NIXON: The equipment will be returning overnight Sunday. I think that the gear will be picked up almost before the race finishes and there won't be much to do once the race has ended except to pallet the cars. They will go up to Brisbane that night and they will be gone early Monday morning. We have a pretty slick operation for that and you might be interested to know that the freight consultants we are using this year, the vehicles are being carried in the deal with Fed Ex (ph), but the freight consultants we are using are a Sidney based company called Gibson, G-I-B-S-O-N, Freight International who also are the freight contractors for the Australian Formula I Grand Prix in Adelaide and also the worldwide contractors for the world 500cc, 250cc and 125cc motorcycle championships. This is an Australian that's developed a special expertise in moving racing equipment around the world by air. So the IndyCar Company believes that we're going to make substantial gains, substantial financial gains this year through improved efficiency in the way we carry the gear.

CHRIS NIXON: Yeah. We are looking for the freighters - I can't give you a cost -- an estimated cost on the personnel, but the freighters I believe we are looking at around about 1.2 million US.