Astromega was a very good choice for me because they have actually won quite a few races, they have potential, they won the last race last year in Monza, so basically we looked at all the options and we thought that Astromega was the best option for me because they are a motivated team, have the potential to win and, more importantly, they really liked the challenge ahead working with me and they made everything feel comfortable.
Q:
Just to clarify a couple of little things … you did no serious racing at all in Australia?
RN:
No, no serious racing. Probably the most serious racing I got in Australia was to be able to race with the mechanics at a go-kart track, the ones where you hire.
Q:
And then you left Australia to go overseas in 2000?
RN:
Yes, 2000.
Q:
So, in the space of less than two years, you've gone from no real racing at all to F3000?
RN:
Even less than two years.
Q:
How do you get your head around that; it's a remarkable rise.
RN:
Actually, it hasn't really sunken in. It's probably, in a different ways, like winning the world championship or something, and hasn't sunken in for you either. For me, it's like that way also. Everyone says it's such a big step, this and that, but I take one thing at a time and it hasn't really sunken into me. I just take each challenge at a time and try to make the most out of it and we will see where we go from here.
Q:
How did you actually learn to drive - or to race? Were you taught in any way?
RN:
No. A lot of things I watched on TV - I always like to watch. When I get to
F1 races, I never go to the grandstand, I like to go to the corners where it's technical and watch how the drivers do it. I really like to see how different drivers race cars and I really learn a lot from watching other people. I really self taught myself.
