Johnny and the Indy 500

On 8th April 2002, it was announced that Johnny will fulfil a long held ambition to race in the Indy 500 in 2002. Mike Cunliffe ("MC"), Motorsports Editor on TEAMtalk 252 Radio, caught up with Johnny the day the news broke and obtained the following interview. It was originally broadcast on the Full Throttle show on 8th April.

MC: Good evening Johnny and how are you?

JH: Very good, thanks. We've been working hard on getting the Indy drive for the last year or so and I'm just glad it's all come together.

MC: It must have been frustrating for you last year having an Indy test but then not getting a drive. It must feel good to have a drive confirmed for this year?

JH: Yep! Well the main thing, with not getting a drive last year, was to do something to give me oval experience. Initially, I did the Rockingham test and then I went to the States and did Kentucky and Dallas - I was supposed be doing the Dallas IRL race but then it got cancelled because of September 11 - but then I was able to do a test on the speedway at Indianapolis, which gave me a very good understanding of what it's all about. This [the Indy 500 drive] coming about now is pretty good because I have a little bit of experience - not a vast amount of experience, but enough to make it a good race for me.

MC: It's a bit of a mouthful the team you're racing for - the Western Union Duesenberg Brothers Racing Team, that's the official title, as I understand it. The Duesenberg Brothers have an illustrious name in the Indy 500 though…

JH: Yeah - they were racing in the 500 back in the 1920s, so the history of the Duesenberg Brothers and Indianapolis goes back a long way. It's Keith Duesenberg who I've been talking to and it was great that this came up, with the Western Union Bank getting involved as well. It's all come together very well and it's great for me to be able to go to an historic race like the Indy 500. It's one of the things I've always wanted to do since I was 9 or 10 years old. It would be wonderful this year to try and win it as a true rookie, in the same year as doing Le Mans as well. It's something I can work hard at…

MC: Despite the team not being a famous name in terms of modern day Indy Racing League, you are, of course backed by a pretty experienced crew and it's a strong package in terms of the car…

JH: The combination is very good. We were looking at what engine to go for - it looked as if the Chevrolet was very reliable and it's done very well results-wise, so we're going for that. The Dallara chassis was again something that was looked at and we though that was the way to go. So I think that the package is very good. Also, the way the team is, even though they're not too well known, but they've been very reliable and very consistent. Most importantly, the engineer that they have has got very good experience at Indianapolis itself which is very important for me so that I can set the car up in the way I like it. It was really important to get somebody who actually knows exactly what happens, what goes on at Indy.

MC: When are you going to have a chance to get behind the wheel of the car?

JH: The 23rd of this month [April], I'll get my first chance to drive a Dallara - it was a G-Force I drove last time - and with a Chevrolet - it was an Infinti last year - so it will be the first time with this combination. It's great being able to drive it before the month of May when everything starts, with qualifying and practicing, so it will be good just to get back into the swing of it.

MC: Of course you've won in F1 - 3 wins to your name there - you've won the Le Mans 24 Hours, naturally it would be a dream come true to add the Indy 500 to that list…

JH: Definitely, yes - as I said before, it's something I've always wanted to do and now I've got a very good opportunity of trying to do that. It's not going to be easy, I know that. It's going to be a very competitive year this year with Penske, who were a very big team in Champ Cars and have now moved over to the IRL, and a lot of other Champ Car drivers and teams coming to Indianapolis. So, it's going to be very competitive from that point of view and I think that's a good thing because if you do win the race it's more satisfying because you've had more competition. So it's going to be tough but, at the end of the day, I think that's always a very good thing. But I think the package we have will make it very strong for us.

MC: Are you looking forward to racing against fellow Brit Dario Franchitti who'll be racing in the Indy 500?

JH: Yeah - it's always good having well known names like Dario. He's done very well out in America in the CART series and it will be great to race against him - I've never raced against him before. I think there's a good few other drivers who are going to be very competitive as well and, as I said, it's going to be a very tough year this year to get out there and actually win the race. But I feel very confident about it and very, very positive.

MC: Since we spoke to you last, you've been back in action, back in winning ways, in the American Le Mans Series with victory in the Sebring 12 Hours.

JH: Yeah, it was very good for me. I was fortunate in driving the works Audi at Sebring, and which I will also drive at Le Mans. It was just a very nice race. There was a nice restaurant in the town with [racing] pictures which go way, way back of drivers who've been in the race and was great to win it at my first attempt. It's tough, it's 12 hours long and a very physical race because the track is very bumpy. The main opposition was the other works Audi - we took the lead fairly early on and it ran into a few problems which just made the race much easier for us. It doesn't come very often that you can drive at 80% and it was very satisfying for myself, Dindo Capello and Pescatori, my team-mates. It was a great win and a great start to the year.

MC: Are you looking forward to the next race on the ALMS calendar, the spring race at Sears Point?

JH: It's the weekend before the Indy 500 race and I'm looking forward to that. Because I won at Sebring, it's given me a good opportunity to go and win the [ALMS] Championship. I've got to have a good result at Sears Point. I drove there last year, which is good, so it's not a new circuit again this year. Hopefully with that experience - and I should be with Andy Wallace as well, and maybe one other driver - it should be very good. Getting a good result there is very important.

MC: Just finally, Johnny, looking forward to the Grand Prix at Imola on Sunday - we were talking to Jenson Button earlier in the show and he said he hoped that Montoya and Michael Schumacher would take each other out at the first corner so that he could finish higher up. We're all just hoping for a good clean race on Sunday though, aren't we?

JH: Oh, I think so. I think it's better that we don't have that sort of problem at the start of the race because it would be great to see what Montoya can do. I'm sure that he would have a very good drive and a very good chance of winning this weekend because Ralf [Schumacher] actually won his first race there last year, and we know that the Williams and the Michelins run very well at Imola. So, yes, we don't need any confrontation at the first corner - we want a nice clean start and a real battle. For Jenson, it's the same thing. He's had a good start to the year and he's better keep on going. I think he's growing in confidence and it could be good for him again, maybe getting a few more points.

MC: Thanks very much for taking the time out to talk to us on Full Throttle here at TEAMtalk252, Johnny, and best of luck for everything coming up for you in the future.

JH: Thank you very much…