That was a relationship which really came out of their involvement in
Formula One and their relationship formally with Cosworth, which of course Mr Forsythe and Mr Kalkhoven have an interest in. They've met the principals. They were able to share their vision of the Champ Car and the Atlantic programmes with them. Happily, Red Bull thought this was a very good place to bring themselves as a brand, as far as regards to Atlantic goes, to bring Robert and John to Forsythe.
MC:
How did they happen to target these two drivers as the drivers they were going to bring over and join Atlantics? I know these guys have been on the fast track here. Can you speak a little bit about that, how they targeted these two and settled on Forsythe as the team to run with?
PD:
As far as the drivers go, that would be an interesting question to ask Robert and John as to why they felt they'd been picked. But, certainly, their results speak for themselves. All of the teams that are in Atlantic and Champ Car are interested in the young drivers, the talents coming up through the various championships. These two young men have proved themselves at the stages they've been in.
Clearly an organisation with the resources and the vision that Red Bull has to secure for themselves both personalities and talents has identified them both and taken them through the Formula
BMW USA and the European programmes. They felt the next logical step for them was to come to the Atlantic Series, deep fields of talented individuals. Having developed the relationship with Kevin Kalkhoven and Gerry Forsythe, we at Forsythe had a recently re-established Atlantic programme, and this would
be a good place for them, not only in terms of, I hope, our reputation for good equipment, John can talk to that, but also providing a mentoring environment for these younger drivers to mature and develop as they hone their skills on the track.
MC:
Thank you, Peter. Good overview of the relationship with
Red Bull. Next up we'll turn to John Brunner. John, you've had a chance to work with Robert and John in testing over the off-season. Can you tell us what you've seen from both of these guys on the racetrack. Both very talented young drivers. What do you expect from Forsythe Racing in the 2007 Atlantic season?
John Brunner:
The drivers, both Robert and John, have done an excellent job so far. They've completed four of their six off-season test days. All four have gone very well for both of them. We're quite impressed with their maturity in the car. They are young. That doesn't show through in their abilities inside of the car at all. We've been really impressed with the work they've done so far. They've given outstanding feedback. They're very accomplished in the car. It's amazing for their age. Quite unbelievable.
MC:
John, when you look ahead to 2007, obviously the team was a four-car programme last year. Will you be a four-car programme again? Are you going to focus on two cars for the upcoming season? I'm sure a lot of people are interested in what the plans are moving forward.
JB:
We were a four-car programme last year. With us returning to the series, all the new excitement surrounding the series last year, when we decided to put a programme in place to join with the new car, the Mazda motor, the $2million prize, all of it really came into play. When we decided to jump back in, we wanted to go all in, basically. We did come out as a four-car team. With the 2006 season over, we had a good season. We ran up front all year, which was our focus. Going into this year, though, we felt that it was important to focus more on the two cars, work with John and Robert. The series is very strong on its own. We weren't just positive at the beginning of last year. When we made our plans, Gerry wanted to be very active in that new program. And, obviously, the new series is stronger than ever, stronger than it's been in a long, long time. So this year we will focus on our two cars. The series is in fine shape otherwise.
MC:
Looking for good things again from Forsythe in 2007. Thank you very much, John. Now let's hear from the drivers. We'll start out with Robert Wickens. He's the 2006 Formula BMW USA champion and one of the rising stars in Canadian open-wheel racing. Robert, talk about the opportunity you have here in Atlantics with Forsythe and Red Bull, and also touch on following in the footsteps of some of the great Canadian racers who competed for Forsythe in the past, we're talking about drivers like Jacques Villeneuve, Greg Moore, Alex Tagliani and Patrick Carpentier, to name a few.
Robert Wickens;
Obviously, being a Canadian, getting the opportunity to be a part of Forsythe, really it's an honour. In Denver, when I was fortunate enough to sign the contract with Forsythe and Red Bull, I was speechless just being at the same table with Gerry Forsythe. Everything has just pretty much a dream come true. I find myself pinching myself making sure I'm not sleeping. Hopefully, next year will go pretty well. Obviously, every driver hopes to win the championship. I think with the consistent finishes, you can get a decent result.
MC:
Looking for good things from you next season for sure. John Edwards is a bit of a racing prodigy. After winning the Red Bull driver search, John became the youngest driver ever to earn an
FIA licence, doing so at age 14. He's been driving in Europe for Red Bull the past two seasons, racing in the competitive Formula Renault series. He returns to the US this year, competing with Forsythe Racing. John, if you could talk about your experiences that have gotten you to this point and what you expect from the 2007 season as you get your first taste of Champ Car Atlantic competition.
