IndyCar Series rookie Will Power insists that his KV Racing Technology-run Team Australia operation has a long way to go to be a match for powerhouses Andretti Green, Penske and Chip Ganassi Racing, but claims that that will not stop him pressing for top five results and a place in the top ten overall.
Speaking after another promising weekend in Texas, the Australian revealed that there is a big difference in materials, as well as experience, between the 'big three' and the Champ Car convert run by Kevin Kalkhoven and Jimmy Vasser but, after spending the best part of a month pounding around Indianapolis Motor Speedway, he feels more able to play a part in pushing the team up the pecking order.
"I think where these other guys have got us is all of the work they've done on wind tunnel and wheel bearings, coatings for the gearbox," he explained, "All of those little things that add up to the 1.5-2mph they have over us on the faster ovals.
"But when you're running maximum downforce [on shorter ovals], that doesn't count. It's more about the car balance, and that's the reason that we can run up front. Obviously, shorter ovals helps me a little bit too, because I raced at Milwaukee once, in 2006, and I really enjoy running around them because, when you have got full downforce, it's a lot like a road course - you go take a proper racing line, and it's all about just holding it flat and just running the car as free as possible.
"[Where we struggle] is mainly the longer ovals. I think that we can be competitive and run in the top five on the shorter ovals, [but] it's just the development. We're five years behind, and we're about probably $30 million worth of development behind. But we are catching [up] very quickly. To qualify eighth at Texas was really good for us, so we're finding the speed, but it's just a whole lot of little things to be honest.
