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Friday, March 16
De Ferran, Castroneves will run Indy 500
Associated Press
AVONDALE, Ariz. -- Helio Castroneves might be unfamiliar with his surroundings, but he's is excited by the prospect of competing in the Indy Racing League.
The CART series ace is joining stars of the rival IRL for the season-opening Pennzoil Copper World Indy 200 on Sunday at Phoenix International Raceway.
|  | | CART regular Helio Castroneves, who has tested IRL cars at Indianapolis, will make his debut at Phoenix. |
Penske Racing, with defending CART champion Gil de Ferran and Brazilian countryman Castroneves as its drivers, has entered the event as a warmup for its return to the Indianapolis 500 in May.
"I can't wait to see where we rank against those guys," Castroneves said.
Roger Penske, who owns a record 10 Indy wins, has boycotted both the big IRL event and the league since the new series began competition in 1996. But fellow CART team owner Chip Ganassi opened the door for a return last year.
Ganassi's drivers last year, Juan Montoya and Jimmy Vasser, ran in only that one race in 2000, finishing first and seventh, respectively.
Both De Ferran and Castroneves have tested IRL cars at Indy, but will get their first close look at the competition in Sunday's
race.
"I'm really looking forward to it," de Ferran said. "I love driving race cars, and I love competition. I don't really care that much about the politics of the situation."
De Ferran, who raced once in Phoenix -- finishing 11th as a CART rookie in 1995 -- was second in last Sunday's season-opener in Monterrey, Mexico, despite an intestinal problem that necessitated taking intravenous fluids several times during the weekend.
Doctors have said he will be fully recovered by the time practice begins Friday on the one-mile oval. Both Penske drivers are hoping to be competitive right from that first practice session.
"The IRL cars are quite a bit different," de Ferran said. "They are a little bulkier and slower than the CART cars, and they have a lot more downforce. It's a completely different feel and it's going to take some getting used to, so I'm glad we're going to Phoenix.
"Those guys are talented race drivers. They know the cars, they know the track and it's their series, so we'll just try to take away whatever we can from it. It should be a pretty interesting experience."
Castroneves, who finished eighth in a balky car in Mexico, was even more enthusiastic.
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The fans sitting in the grandstands are not going to see a procession of cars; it's going to be mayhem from the very first lap.” |
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—Eddie Cheever |
"When you're testing, all you know are the lap speeds and the numbers," he said. "Once you get out on the track with the other drivers, then you can really see where you are and what chance you have.
"We have a lot of work to get done in Phoenix. Hopefully, it will be really good preparation for Indianapolis."
The defending race winner in the 200-lap event is reigning IRL champion Buddy Lazier, whose spectacular run from last to first a year ago at PIR was one of the highlights of his career.
"It's such a mixed bag for me," Lazier said. "We've always run well here and been fast. But it's where I broke my back, so I always feel more stress and anxiety when I come here, it's human nature."
Lazier broke his pelvis and shattered his back like an eggshell when he backed into the wall at Phoenix in the spring of 1996. He came back two months later, hobbling with a cane and in obvious pain, then won the Indianapolis 500.
But Phoenix remained his nemesis until last year, when his spectacular ride ignited his championship run.
"To me, maybe last year is where I made the turning point from not being able to get the results we wanted here to getting the results we wanted," Lazier said.
For the Penske drivers, Lazier and the rest of the entries, the one sure thing at the suburban Phoenix track is that it's likely swarms of cars will be battling for position on nearly every lap.
"The fans sitting in the grandstands are not going to see a procession of cars; it's going to be mayhem from the very first lap," said Eddie Cheever, another of the IRL regulars. "The cars are running such high speeds and it's so competitive that it's very difficult to break away from the group.
"Phoenix is probably one of the most difficult events we run because at the beginning of the season you don't know who has what. We've all been testing and reading the reports of who's quick, who's slow, who's consistent, and who's not, but when the green flag drops, the real tale will be told." Send this story to a friend | Most sent stories
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