He may be nursing a broken ankle from his foray into NASCAR, but reigning Indianapolis 500 champion Dario Franchitti has some sage advice for those attempting to tame Indianapolis Motor Speedway for the first time.
Visiting the Brickyard to show off the winner's ring he acquired for taking the chequer in last year's rain-affected race, the Scot warned this year's rookie crop that the circuit could bite back at any time - a point illustrated by Jaime Camara's accident on day two of practice.
“It's really cool to be back," Franchitti commented, "It felt kind of strange to be back and not driving, but this is a really special place and, particularly after last year, a place that has a special place in my heart.
“I remember coming here in 2002 and the biggest advice I could give is 'respect this place'. It is the most difficult track I have ever driven. It changes so much with the weather. You think you've got everything right and, the next thing, it bites you.
"The race is incredibly difficulty too. I think the rookies, the guys who haven't been here before, are going to have their work cut out. The rookie teams as well - I don't like when they are referred to as the ex-Champ Car drivers or transition, because it's one series now - they are going to have their work cut out because there are certain tricks to making these cars go fast and it takes a while to learn those, both as a driver, an engineer and as a mechanic.
"It will be tough - and then you look at the drivers at the top of their game, and the teams at the top of their game, and it makes it more difficult. I think, as far as the talent of the drivers and the teams, it's definitely up there. They just need some experience."
Despite having pledged his immediate future to stock car racing, Franchitti admitted that he still paid attention to the series which gave him a first major title in 2007.
![Dario Franchitti [pic credit: IRL/McQueeney]](http://pix.crash.net/thumbs/436308.jpg)
