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IZOD INDYCAR SERIES
Q & A - APRIL 22
IZOD
IndyCar Series driver Justin Wilson participated in a Q&A session
to discuss the first quarter of the 2010 season and next weekend's race
at Kansas Speedway.
Justin Wilson
·
31-year-old native of Sheffield England, compete in his third season in
the IZOD IndyCar Series in 2010.
· Drives the No.
22 Z-Line Design-sponsored car for Dreyer & Reinbold Racing.
·
Has two wins, seven top-five finishes and 17 top-10 finishes in 37 IZOD
IndyCar Series starts.
·
Currently fourth in point standing with a pair of runner-up finishes at
St. Petersburg and Long Beach.
***
Q. Justin,
you're off to a strong start to 2010 with Dreyer & Reinbold Racing.
You're fourth in points and have a pair of runner-up finishes at St.
Petersburg and Long Beach. Has the year started off the way you had
hoped?
JUSTIN WILSON: It's been a great
start to the season and exactly what I was hoping for. The Z-Line
Designs 22 car has been pretty quick. We had a strong showing in
qualifying in Brazil, but had everything happen to us in that race. I
was disappointed with 11th, but I knew the potential was there and
Q. Next weekend
is the first oval of the season at Kansas Speedway. Are you looking
forward to that race, the Road Runner Turbo Indy 300?
JUSTIN WILSON: I
actually really like the way the series is laid out at the minute with
the four road courses then four ovals then back to the road courses
then back to the ovals to finish the season off. It's divided up really
nice so you can apply yourself and learn from weekend to weekend. You
spend so much time focusing on one thing and you want to put into
practice what you've just learned. It's really good. I'm looking
forward to Kansas and seeing what the Dreyer & Reinbold car is like
on an oval. From what I remember last year, they were pretty strong.
Looking forward to working with them, and seeing if we can move our
championship along. Obviously after that we have Indy, so
hopefully, we can learn something at Kansas that will help us for Indy."
Q. Do you think
the aerodynamic changes made for last year will make this year's race
at Kansas more exciting?
JUSTIN WILSON: I
think so. You never can tell. The slightest little changes on the ovals
sometimes make the biggest differences. It's not like the cars are
changed that much to reduce the racing. After a few races last year,
the (IZOD) IndyCar Series made some changes and you saw the differences
at Kentucky and Chicagoland where we going wheel-to-wheel again. I hope
we are going to be able to race (like that) at Kansas, but it seems to
me that the wind has a bigger effect than anything. It blows the cars
around and makes it a bit of a handful. I'm looking forward to getting
out there and giving it a try.
Q. You have
Larry Curry in your pit, who obviously has had a lot of success with
drivers such as Tony Stewart and Ed Carpenter on ovals. Do you think
having him calling your races is an ace up your sleeve?
JUSTIN WILSON:
Larry has a lot of experience and done this for years and he's seen it
all. It's good to have him working with myself and also working with
(engineer) Matt (Curry). We have a really good combination and I'm
looking forward to learning from them on the ovals. That's their
background. My background is road racing and theirs is on the ovals. I
think all in all we have a mix between the three of us and that is what
has so being so competitive this year.
Q. We let some
fans ask you some questions on Twitter. Mike in Iowa wants to know
about your biking. You regularly tweet photos from his rides. Just how
much bike training do you do?
JUSTIN WILSON: I
do quite a bit and I enjoy it. Living here in Colorado I have the
benefit of doing road cycling and also mountain biking. Usually I take
a picture and post it on Twitter when I get to the top of one of
my climbs. It's a great view looking out at the mountains or back at
the plains. It's fun. I really enjoy it. I'd like to do more, but
obviously as we get into the season and the weather picks up, we're not
here. Just try to make the most of it whenever I can.
Q. Matt wants to
know how Mike Conway is as a teammate and if you can tell us who your
other teammates for Indy will be?
JUSTIN WILSON:
Mike is a great teammate. We have a very similar driving style, and so
far this year, when one of us is doing better than the other, we've
been able to implement those changes to the other car and get the other
car up to speed. So that's a big benefit, and on top of that, Mike's a
good guy. It's a good, fun, relaxed atmosphere. There's no edge on the
team. There's no ego, so we're able to concentrate on making cars go
quicker. I don't know who else is going to be my teammate at Indy. I've
heard rumors on the Internet that we're going to add a car, but I'm not
in the loop and I don't need to be. The team has its own business and
we'll leave them too it.
***
The 2010 IZOD IndyCar Series season
continues May 1 with the Road Runner Turbo Indy 300 at Kansas Speedway.
The race will be telecast live in High Definition at 1:30 p.m. (ET) by
ABC. The race will air live on the IMS Radio Network, XM channel 145
and Sirius channel 211. The race also will be carried on
www.indycar.com. The 2010 Firestone Indy Lights season continues with
the Firestone Freedom 100 on May 28 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway
The race will air live on VERSUS.

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