VERIZON INDYCAR SERIES
CHEVROLET DETROIT BELLE ISLE GRAND PRIX
RACEWAY AT BELLE ISLE
TEAM CHEVY DRIVER PRESS CONF. TRANSCRIPT
MAY 29, 2015
TEAM PENSKE CHEVROLET DRIVERS DEFENDING VERIZON INDYCAR SERIES CHAMPION WILL POWER AND THREE-TIME INDIANAPOLIS 500 WINNER HELIO CASTRONEVES spoke briefly with media at the Chevrolet Detroit Belle Isle Grand Prix:
WILL POWER, NO. 1 VERIZON TEAM PENSKE CHEVROLET
IF YOU HAVE A RAINY RACE ON SATURDAY, HOW MUCH MORE PHYSICALLY AND MENTALLY CHALLENGING IS IT IF YOU HAVE A WET RACE AND THEN A DRY ONE SUNDAY? “In the wet, it’s a lot easier physically. There’s nowhere near the grip as in the try. You don’t have the g-force loads, and it’s cooler in the wet. So it’s nice if it’s wet, physically for sure.”
CAN YOU NOW GET A FEEL FOR THE NEW CONCRETE AND SOME OF THE CHANGES THEY’VE MADE AROUND THE TRACK, LIKE TURN 13? DID IT MAKE IT WIDER? “It’s definitely more of a ballsy corner, for sure. (Will there be more passing there?) It’s hard to say. Last year there was a lot of passing, and it was pretty racey through there already. It’s faster than last year, for sure. It’s not much different but just faster. We’re already closer to where we qualified last year.”
HELIO CASTRONEVES, NO. 3 HITACHI TEAM PENSKE CHEVROLET
LOOKING AT THE WEATHER NOW, HOW DO YOU PREPARE NOW FOR A RACE WHERE THERE’S RAIN IN THE FORECAST? “We’re not only working toward qualifying, but we’re also working toward the race. If you go through the race and all of a sudden you start chewing up tires, do you want to stop or keep going? That could be a problem. You can’t think about these things in the race. You have to be a step ahead. We can’t make any plans until about 40 minutes before qualifying starts.”
LAST YEAR, YOU WERE PRETTY DOMINANT HERE. YOU GOT A LITTLE TASTE OF WHAT YOU HAVE DURING PRACTICE THIS MORNING. HOW DOES THE CAR FEEL? “The Hitachi car looks very strong. We’re happy with the conditions where we started. I feel we have a good chance to do what we did last year. For sure the other competitors have stepped up their games since then. It should be a good battle.”
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