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WEATHERTECH SPORTSCAR CHAMPIONSHIP: ROLEX 24 AT DAYTONA

January 31, 2016

Daytona Beach, Florida

THE MODERATOR: We're now joined by our second place finishers in today's Rolex 24 at Daytona, drivers of the No.10 Konica Minolta Corvette DP, Jordan Taylor, Rubens Barrichello, Ricky Taylor. We'll start with Rubens. Can you talk about the intensity of the prototype race this weekend?
RUBENS BARRICHELLO: I have to run just because my wife let me race this race, but she said we've got to go to Brazil tonight, so that's the only thing, so I've got to run back to Orlando airport.
It was an amazing week. Obviously it was a late deal when I talked to Wayne, but it was so nice to meet the boys, meet Max, and I had 20 minutes before I entered the race on the drying conditions, and I felt that my seat was okay, but of course I couldn't do things on their seat because they're already all set. They've been driving all three in a pretty good seat position, so I put things on my back, but as soon as it got hot, the foam just let it go.
So my first time that I was in the car, I was not really comfortable in the car, and I drove for an hour and a half, and it looked like I was driving a Formula1 for like 24 hours. So I was pretty tired.
We had to do something, and that something came up with the idea of running Wayne's old seat, which it was fantastic because although it wasn't perfect, it put me back to the condition that I was a little bit more competitive so I could do a stint of two hours and a bit, two hours and a half, and then I was able to set some good times.
I'm pleased that we finished up here for such a late thing, and I hope to be back.

Q. Rubens, compare this DP experience with your last DP experience, and if I remember correctly, it happened at COTA, at Circuit of the Americas.
RUBENS BARRICHELLO: No, actually I had a couple of experiences. I had an Indianapolis one, and I had‑‑ last year I was here, as well. But this one, I mean, the team is wonderful. The team is well together, the mechanics, the engineers, all the guys that put the strategy up. I really enjoy, because I was able to put some of my experience and talk to them and make some of‑‑ we went forward, and I'm sorry that I didn't get to drive much, much before, because I really wanted to help it further, but I think the team did a fantastic job. We had the fastest DP on the track, and it was nice just to be able to be with all of them, and like I said, I hope to be back. I love the series, and I did enjoy my time with the team.
THE MODERATOR: Rubens, we know you have to run. Congratulations on a good run.
We'll go ahead with Jordan. If you could talk about the pace of the prototype race today. It seemed like a great battle for much of the afternoon today.
JORDAN TAYLOR: Well, it wasn't much of a battle for the last two hours, but throughout the night and everything, I think it was a pretty good race. If we had track position, we could kind of hold off the 2 car, but with certain drivers in that car, they could kind of get around us pretty easily. So it was tough. We had a flawless race pretty much. We never went behind the wall. Actually in four years we haven't gone behind the wall. We've finished every lap.
So we were proud of what we did, so I don't think we could have done much more.
THE MODERATOR: And Ricky, for you, another great run for the team, second‑place finish. Just talk about the performance this weekend.
RICKY TAYLOR: Yeah, I think the most important thing for us is the team. I think that a winning performance, once again, we never went back to the garage. The guys had awesome pit stops, the strategy. I think we spent four minutes less in the pits than the other cars. The car was fast compared to the DPs. Like Jordan said, they could flick the switch and go by when they wanted. I mean, we weren't really racing them, but for us we're very disappointed to have another great run without a watch.

Q. Jordan, can you give us a health update on all of you, including Max?
JORDAN TAYLOR: Well, I don't feel great. Ricky had stomach issues this morning. I think Wayne came back for Max. He's at the hospital right now.

Q. Was it fumes?
JORDAN TAYLOR: No, we don't know what it is. I've been sick for two weeks, so I felt‑‑ I think I felt sick anyway in the car, and they just didn't want to take any chances with the last hour.

Q. And then you talked about maybe Ricky may have mentioned that they could go‑‑ the No.2 car could go by any time they wanted with certain people. What is it about the little Brazilian kid, the 22‑year‑old kid, that he's so good?
JORDAN TAYLOR: Well, I don't know. When I was following him, he missed quite a few apexes. I think the car is strong. The 6 car showed that all race long. They were leading when they went out, so it was a strong package this weekend.

Q. How was it especially at night, the traffic situation? We saw a lot of PC cars had troubles, crashed in the wall, spun, etcetera, so how was the traffic situation overlapping slower cars?
RICKY TAYLOR: Yeah, I feel like it was one of the more treacherous 24 hours in the night. PC cars especially were all over the place. I think you could see in the results they were very separated in laps.
So it was just about survival, but it was very intense this year, pushing the whole night to stay in touch with the leaders, and it was a really fun DP battle for about six or seven hours when the 2 car was kind of behind and the Shank car had blown up, which was quite a bit of fun.

Q. Ricky and Jordan, we know it's a family affair for you guys with the team, but talk a little bit about maybe how the team and even all the other drivers in the series become a little bit like family for you as you race.
RICKY TAYLOR: Yeah, I mean, racing is such a small world, except for when we look at someone like Rubens Barrichello, we think, man, this guy is the man. This is a dream come true just to get to drive with him and share the podium with someone like him, welcome him into our family team.
But right now, I mean, like you said, we're all family, so we're just thinking about Max and hoping for the best.

Q. Aside from that engine failure a few years ago, you guys have completed every single lap consecutively. How frustrating is it to be on the lead lap every year and not have any role exes to show for it?
JORDAN TAYLOR: Yeah, I think you can imagine how frustrating it is, but it's part of the sport. This year I think it's especially tough because we did have a flawless race, and the car that won had two penalties and went off and had all sorts of issues. We feel like we did the best we could, same as the past four years. I think three years ago when we finished second I had to avoid a car‑‑ I actually think when Ryan‑Hunter Reay was in the car with us, we had to avoid someone and we had one extra stop, so that one we had a small issue, but other than that, four years without a mechanical issue, without losing a lap, without going behind the wall is quite an accomplishment for the team.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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