I'm seeing a difference, which is most important thing, after such a short period of time. And, like Kevin said, I did the race distance and I got out of the car and it was almost, not fresh as a daisy, but it was almost like that. I know now that, if I was to do that again tomorrow, I'd be able to push 100 per cent and get out of the car at the end and think, well, that was fine, that was good, and that's really all thanks to the guys at Pit Fit and Jim Leo for coming up with this programme and helping me through it. They are there every step of the way to give encouragement and telling me what I need to do and how I need to do it, and I'm very grateful to them for that.
Q:
I remember talking to you after you won the race in Edmonton, and I asked you a question about the comparisons to Danica Patrick with IRL and you handled it very well, just saying 'you know what, she does what she does, I do what I do'. But, now that you're in a major racing series, I would imagine that the comparisons are going to crop up once again. How prepared are you to deal with the comparisons to Danica Patrick?
KL:
You know, she does what she does and I do what I do. That is it. I think she's doing a great job in the IRL, but it's a different series. It's not Champ Car. I need to worry about beating
Sebastien Bourdais, Paul Tracy, those guys. Maybe, one day, we'll get to race against each other - I really hope that happens and we can put all this to rest. But, really, the only thing that we have in common is the fact that we are both female. Like I say, I'm focused on who I need to beat, not somebody from a different series.
Q:
How key is it that you go to a team like PKV, that are established and have the means, maybe in comparison to an Andrew Ranger, who started out with Mi‑Jack Conquest Racing which hasn’t won in the series? Is it that important to you, and is it a factor in your decision that you're going to a really established team?
KL:
Yeah, absolutely. I think Andrew had a good team as well - I have a lot of respect for Mi‑Jack Conquest - so I don't know where you got that one from. But PKV are awesome. Everybody has been really, really professional, helpful and I couldn't have asked for more. I've made some great friends in a very short space of time and they are very behind me. They are 110 per cent behind me and I'm grateful for that. I have a lot of faith in what they are doing. I've been in the shop every day and I've seen the development of the team and I obviously believe that it's one of the best, if not the best team, on the paddock now. I'm very proud to be part of that.
Q:
I initially wanted to ask about what Kevin said about your training regimen and the rigorous work out that they put you through before they hired you. It sounded like maybe they were still comparing 2006 and still trying to draw a comparison between what women do and what men do. I wondered if there was any frustration on your part but, listening to you talk here, it sounds like maybe you wanted to test yourself a little bit to find out if you were prepared to make that step into the car and to race against men....
KL:
Absolutely, I think it's only fair that they find out what women are capable of because nobody has done it in the past. There have been no successful female racing drivers. There have been some that have showed potential and promise just as I show right now. There have been no female Champ Car champions. There have been none racing right at the forefront, and I think that was very important. I think fitness comes into it. These cars are brutal to drive. They are incredibly difficult and, if I wasn't in the gym twice a day, would I be able to do a race distance as well as the guys? Probably not. I have to work a lot harder at it, but that's part of being female, and I get benefits in other ways.
