In auto racing, that’s a whole lot of technology, testing and tweaking, and it’s why Wilson is 16th in the standings despite being a two-time runner-up in the Champ Car series. And why 19-year-old teammate Graham Rahal is 17th, despite winning consecutive Rookie of the Year honors, first on a support series and then with Champ Car.
And it’s why they’re very happy to be at Watkins Glen International this weekend.
“I think we’re looking at it as restoring some confidence and also restoring some pride,” said Wilson, a 29-year-old Englishman. “We’re used to being at the front, and the circumstances the way it is, we’re mid-field. Now it’s time to get back to what we know and show that we can do this.”
Rahal, son of 1986 Indy 500 champion Bobby Rahal, showed the team was ready for the circuit’s first turns on a street course when he became the youngest IndyCar winner at St. Petersburg in the second event of the IndyCar schedule.
“[Regular IndyCar teams are] just more organized because they know these pieces work, and these pieces don’t,” Wilson said. “And we’ve got to try all these different paths on a race weekend. We’re testing at the race track. . . . The biggest thing we’re lacking is time.”
“It’s tough and it’s trying every weekend to go out there and know that you’re competing maybe for 15th or 16th place,” said Rahal. “That’s not all that exciting.
“A place that shows our gap is a place like Texas, a mile and a half of just flat [acceleration],” said Rahal. “Easy flat, out-of-the-pits flat. Those are the places where, although we’ve had good race cars, the last few miles an hour just aren’t there. And that just comes with a lot of money and a lot of time.”
Teams are doing what they can to catch up.
Despite the rough transition, the former Champ Car teams realize that any bumps on the oval tracks are offset by having open-wheel racing together in one series.
“The merger is the best thing that’s happened in the last 10-12 years, we’re not complaining about that,” said Wilson. “We’ve got one series and everyone is moving in the right direction. We’re just looking at it as: let’s learn as much as we can this year, and hopefully that will pay off next year and the year after and we can get up there and be competitive.
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