We have a lot of under-steer over in the carousel because you’re not setting up for the best high speed car between (turns) 4 to 6. Those corners can be taken so many different ways and the time really shows up. To be consistent in that sector is very difficult. That’s probably the most challenging part of the circuit.
That’s what I heard as well; the sweeping turns look like they should be simple from afar but then once you’re on them…
You drive a car length different from where you drove the last lap and it could be anywhere from .2 to .4 different, just that car length. Just because the timing is just so critical through there. I like challenging tracks, it’s not really straight forward, there’s more than one way to take it which makes for some diversity in driving styles.
What about turn 9?
It’s difficult but it has become one of my favorite turns in the U.S. because you can get on the throttle just tenths second sooner and your whole exit is screwed up but when you get it right, it still feels like you can get on the throttle earlier. It’s really a challenge to get it right. There’s not one time when you go through it and you think to yourself – “Oh, I got it perfect”.
I never heard of issues with turn 9 until I started reading interviews of people outside of Formula One. With these cars seems a little more difficult to get a handle on 9.
I’d say it’s probably because of a biased on the weight. F1 cars are significantly lighter and more agile. Our cars carry a heavier weight and run for a longer
distance and period. We have to throw around a lot more weight. We have to load one side of the car then load the other side of the car and it’s a really short sector to do the weight transfer.
I heard you say that getting into this series is the first step of a professional career in Motorsports. Where do you see yourself 5 years from now?
Funny you bring that up, this is the first weekend we’re announcing it, but we've had a lot of meetings about me going into Indy-Lites next year and trying to do the Indycar ladder. Ideally I’d like to be there in the long run. I’m young; I’m American, I feel like I have a possibility of a career over there.
Endurance racing is something that has always been a passion of mine. The first major race I went to when I was 3 or 4 and it was the first Petit LeMans. That’s why that race is a little bit special. Regardless of whether I’m doing Indy-Lites or Indycar in the next 4 to 5 years, I would like to participate in endurance races. I’d say almost equal to the Indy500 I would really like to go to LeMans.
Anything else you’d like to add?
I love Austin!