For example, we weren’t agonising over internal damper dynamics or differential lock-up and release characteristics back in the 90s, when there was essentially complete freedom to develop the major aero components of the car or design completely new suspension. So, when you have a situation like we were facing at St Pete, where the IRL has limited the scope for development with the road course package, we effectively had a spec car to deal with, so it really was a fairly familiar exercise. Once we came to grips with how to use the power band of the Honda, the rest of the car was fairly well understood.
When you look at the oval situation on the other hand, like we had at Homestead, we were facing the opposite problem. Whereas the Indycar regulars have had time these past five years or so to really hone in on the details of an oval racecar, we had to broadstroke our adjustments just to try and get into the window in the time available. You have to remember that a lot of us have been around long enough to have at least been racing when it was CART, and we were running - and winning - on ovals against Penske, Ganassi and Green, so it’s not like oval racing is a complete mystery to us. The difference is that those teams have had the time to focus on the details on an oval that, in the past, we put way down on the priority list because we were playing with things like completely different sidepods rather than making sure the sidepod gaps were perfect.
Note that I keep making reference to time, because that really is the crux of the issue. The transition teams all thought they were going to be racing in Champ Car at the beginning of March. So, in a month - or, in some cases less - these teams effectively had to re-invent themselves – build new cars, purchase all new parts, build pit equipment, revise engineering tools, etc. When you think about it, when in history have we seen a collection of rookies who had never even previously seen an oval, let alone race on one, complete about 100-150 laps of testing and then go straight into a full blown race weekend - on a superspeedway no less? Ultimately, an Indycar is still a racecar with four wheels on it. What the ‘transition’ teams and drivers need is mileage - and lots of it.
Q:
Can we expect the same competitiveness on road courses later this season as there was on the street course in St Pete?
EZ:
The series has done quite a good job keeping the package fairly spec for road courses. Other than a few small aerodynamic components and freedom in the area of dampers, there isn’t really any major gains that can be made with the package. This definitely highlights the talents of the drivers which, fortunately for us, we have a couple of very good shoes. In that regard, particularly with our comfort level with the circuits, I expect that the parity should remain over the course of the season. Of course, other than at Edmonton and Surfers, the transition drivers and teams will have the disadvantage of having to learn the tracks but, given the format of practice on Friday and qualifying on Saturday, that shouldn’t be too great an impact.
Q:
Will all the practice time for the Indy 500 help in levelling the playing field?
EZ:
The Indy 500 is a whole different animal – it really is like a separate championship. The track is so unique that no other circuit on the schedule can prepare you for it or serve as a point of reference. I’ve had the fortune of participating in the past and I’ve seen great success and great failure all compressed into the one month. With all the practice days and practice laps, one would get the feeling that everyone would converge on a solution and the drivers would all find a comfort zone, but this is rarely the case. The conditions can change so dramatically - even hour to hour - that you can spend an awful lot of time just chasing the track. Rather than level the playing field, I think Indy really highlights weaknesses – separates the men from the boys, so to speak. It’s a place that you either grab a hold of or it grabs a hold of you. Fortunately, I think our guys are up to the task and will respect Indy rather than fear it.
![Conquest Racing works on Franck Perera's Dallara-Honda at Sebring [pic credit: IRL/Payne]](http://pix.crash.net/thumbs/418435.jpg)
