Ron McQueeney/IMS
Canadian auto racing legend Paul Tracy will run his first practice lap Thursday in a car he’s never been in before in his first open-wheel race in almost four months as part of a one-shot attempt to determine his IndyCar future.
In other words, Tracy said, no pressure. “We all want to do well, our expectations are to do well, but I haven’t set any type of goal on myself that we have to win the race,” Tracy said. “We’re just going to take it step by step every day. From my standpoint, this is my opportunity to get back in the (IndyCar) series.”
The man nicknamed the “Thrill from West Hill” was still under contract to Forsythe Racing, which did not join the merger.
Tracy, famous for an aggressive, in-your-face driving style, has 31 career wins and 262 career starts.
He has raced three times for Champ Car in Edmonton, finishing in the top five every time.
“You really have to be quick here to do well,” he said. “If you’re not on the pace, you’re really going to struggle, so from that standpoint the car’s got to be good here.
He didn’t look concerned and insists he isn’t despite the fact he has never driven the car and has only sat in it long enough for a custom seat to be made.
“I’ve got a lot of expereince, I feel I’m in good condition to drive, not in the best shape I’ve ever been in,” he said.
“Obviously I will have to rely on my experience on the track and on Derrick’s experience. I’ve never driven one of these cars, I don’t know what to expect, but it can’t be any different than anything else I’ve driven.”
“I’m just jumping in the deep end,” he said, downplaying the fact he is one of the winningest drivers in open-wheel racing history. “The team is motivated, I’m motivated to do well, hopefully we’ll have a good result and then see what develops for the future. This could be the first step to getting back into the series full time.”
Having raced on the Edmonton track the last three years, Paul Tracy figures the smaller drivers like Danica Patrick will be at a disadvantage come Saturday.
“This is a very physically demanding course,” said Tracy. “In the past, in Champ Car, the smaller drivers tended to struggle near the end of the race. On this track ... there are things that add on to driver fatigue. I think girls will have a more difficult time because this is a very tough track with no rest at all, really.”
“It creates attention for the series,” he said when asked what he thought of the Patrick-Milka Duno shouting match in the pits of the Mid-Ohio race last weekend. “When you see the opening story on television is Danica-Milka Duno, that makes it a big deal.”
And that attracts sponsors and, said Tracy, “from that standpoint, that’s what the series needs to get to the next level.”
Speaking of Patrick, Tracy said the conflicts show her emotion and desire to win, and perhaps the pressure she is constantly facing.
“She’s obviously very competitive, has a lot of desire to win, to prove she can do this,” he said. “Having gotten the first win out of the way ... now it’s a question of you have to keep performing well, and along with that comes pressure. There’s always pressure ... from the start to the finish of your career.”
