Q. Long Beach. What is your favorite corner and why?
DAVID BRABHAM: There are a lot of great corners there. I think the one that I find the most challenging is Turn 1 because it’s a real knife edge between braking a little bit too late and not getting turned in. Of course the wall is right there on the exit.
It’s quite a quick entry. And to get it right you’ve got to be absolutely spot on. It’s a real challenge.
SIMON PAGENAUD: The fountain corner is very exciting. You go into the corner, you just come from the front straight, which is absolutely flat out, and then you enter a very tight section of corners.
The fountain is very interesting because you’ve got a wall in front of you and you need to brake late and jump the curb on the inside and get out of the corner very quickly. It’s very intense. Your movements, they have to be very, very quick and responsive.
Q. What’s the most challenging aspect of the Long Beach race?
DAVID BRABHAM: Like any street circuit, the challenging aspect about Long Beach is the walls. The track is narrow in places, wide in others, and bumpy. Through the fountain area, it’s very, very narrow as well. To be on the limit through there and make sure you don’t clip anything is a real challenge.
SIMON PAGENAUD: You have to be very focused. It’s a street circuit and its difficult to remain focused every lap and do a perfect lap every time because you’re very close to the walls.
I really love that track and it’s a crowd pleaser every year, so it’s a very nice race.
Q. What’s the secret to a good lap at Long Beach?
DAVID BRABHAM: I’ve been fortunate enough to go quite well there in the past. The secret is to be absolutely precise. You have to be so careful with every braking, every steering input, every throttle, lateral load in the tire, just getting out close to the walls. Everything you do has to be so precise at Long Beach.
SIMON PAGENAUD: It’s very important to brake at the right points. It’s bumpy on the braking line, and sometimes you need to brake after the bumps or before the bumps, and you need to adjust your braking while you’re braking in the braking zone.
It’s very important to have the right modulation on the brakes.
Q. How do you expect the Patrón Highcroft car to go against the opposition at Long Beach?
DAVID BRABHAM: Looking at our past results, I think the Patrón Highcroft Racing car will actually be pretty tough to beat there, to be honest.
SIMON PAGENAUD: I think Long Beach should be a good track for our car. The ARX-01c is very easy to maneuver in the street tracks, and Long Beach is one of those.
Q. If you could make a change to the circuit, what would it be?
DAVID BRABHAM: No change at all. Great circuit. Love it.
SIMON PAGENAUD: Maybe I would put in a faster corner to make it more challenging.
Q. What’s your favorite Long Beach memory?
DAVID BRABHAM: Well, I think the best memory at Long Beach for sure was the first win for Patrón Highcroft Racing in 2008. It was a titanic battle. We came from behind and we beat the Penske Porches, and it was a fantastic result for a new team and it really set the tone for a fantastic period after that in terms of wins and championships.
SIMON PAGENAUD: My first race in America was in 2006 with Walker Racing in Champ Car Atlantic. I was on pole and finished 4th in the race. It was my first race in America, so it is a good memory for me.
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