Q&A WITH RICHARD ANTINUCCI

THE 28-YEAR OLD DRIVER CONVEYS HIS FEELINGS BEFORE HIS INDYCAR DEBUT RACE AT THE GLEN.

Sunday, June 28, 2009

SAN DIEGO, CA. — Richard Antinucci will fulfill a career dream on July 5, when he starts the Camping World at The Glen Indy Grand Prix in the #98 Curb/Agajanian/Team 3G Dallara-Honda, in only his third season of American racing. Antinucci, who spent his formative years road racing in Europe and Japan has adapted well to the open-wheel scene since his 2007 Indy Lights debut. His 2008 runner-up finish failed to help him secure a deal in the top-flight. The San Diego-based driver had been chasing a ride since Chicagoland's 2008 Indy Lights season ender.

How difficult was your 8-month hiatus from racing ?
“When you sit around without a drive, you work hard to make sure that your opportunity comes. I had countless talks throughout the winter, mostly regarding Indy Lights programs. However during the Indy 500 weekend I talked to Greg Beck and Steve Sudler and things started to gel. Team 3G is a young IndyCar team, but first and foremost an IndyCar team, and when the economy hangs on by its fingernails you quickly come to grips with the fact that those who can better weather the tough times are those involved at the top level. This team may be new, but the key personnel have been around for a while and the energy is already buzzing in the workshop. It's fulfilling for me to be able to step in and have a shot at accomplish something special for the boys.”

At 28, have you ever thought that your window of opportunity is shrinking fast?
At 28 you may be too old to enter Formula 1, you’d be a toddler in NASCAR, and for sure you’re not too old as a IndyCar rookie. When I was sidelined without I ride I could not help but to look at putting things in perspective, and you know, you can really figure out how things can change quickly. This winter Honda F1 was on the brink of liquidation, and then in a fortnight they became Brawn GP and their driver has stacked up wins and now leads the series by light years. If you're motivated enough you can never take it personally when deals fall through, but at the same time never take no for an answer and move on.
Given the current economy and the impact it has had on the industry i found myself asking if I should ditch open-wheel racing in order to guarantee a solid career elsewhere. I wondered if I could have better opportunities to get a ride elsewhere. But to be honest throughout the winter I strolled around the pits at Daytona and Sebring --since I would like to do some sportscar racing every now and then-- and I realized that there were less openings in ALMS and GrandAm, which speak volumes about how resilient IndyCar has become even in this economy, after the unification. Therefore I knew I had to be patient and bide my time.”

Is the outcome of the past Indy Lights season still lingering ?
“On the contrary, I should remember to thank Rafa Matos… because his good results since he’s joined Jay Penske’s team have opened a few eyes on my skills, and it’s helped . After all we were even on points before the season finale.”

How is your relation with the team building up ?
“I aim to do my best to help propel a young team into the thick of the IndyCar picture. I am not pretending I am a savior and that I can take Team 3G in the promised land, that's not what I am supposed to be. All I want to do now is get on with what we drivers do best: racing each other with what we have, not what we would like to have.
Team 3G is currently not up there next to the Penskes and Ganassis. We have to work hard to improve, we’ll have to be very patient, not flinch when things don’t come our way. I don't set goals, but I will say that at the end of the weekend my hope is that we can look back and say we did our best. If we leave and feel that we've done a good job, we'll take the results for what they are, and hopefully there will be more chances for moving closer to the top.”

For a driver who’s coming from a season with a good Indy Lights team, isn’t joining IndyCar's newest team a tad disappointing ?
"As far as being perceived as the second choice ... that's irrelevant to me, I never thought about it in those terms, never would. It doesn't matter. I know Greg, Steve, Owen, they’ve looked at me as a driver who could help out, as they did picking Jaques Lazier for the ovals. I feel fortunate to be the one that's going to get the shot.”

You’ll be making your IndyCar debut at Watkins Glen, a road course which you rank among your favorite venues. What are you aiming for there?
“Well, last time out I won the race there, but even though I am confident in my driving skills I guess it’s unlikely I’ll stay unbeaten… Sure, I did not do heaps and heaps of testing, but the team had me run 65 laps in mid-June, which fortunately gave us some time to evaluate the stuff and see where we could make some immediate improvements. They've given me a car that I am comfortable with, and that has been a big part of it. I’ve been there twice in a Indy Lights car and I competed in a six-hour Grand-Am race as well. It’s a long, winding track with many elevation changes. Being so fast, you also get into aerodynamics. It's a place where you feel high-speeds loads and Gs, and luckily I have found out in our test that I am fit enough to cope with that.”

The Glen has been dubbed a one-off. What will be next ?
“We’ll see what the Glen outcome will be and we’ll start from there. I have driven a Formula 1, albeit in a test, now I’ll climb in a IndyCar, that's more than most people dare to dream. But as a lifetime Laker fan I can tell you that in L.A. they do not hang banners just for being there. They hang banners for winning titles. My goal is to fully graduate to IndyCar and hopefully I’ll be able to do it with Team 3G.”