Briton Dan Wheldon, the hottest driver on the IndyCar circuit, is ironically out of a job.
The Indy500 winner had a one-race only deal with Bryan Herta Autosport which had sponsorship for only one race in 2011.
In New York City for a victory media tour Wheldon spoke to Auto123.com at a fish and chips restaurant about his career and his future. He also posed with a London taxi.
Was he nervous that, after leaving Panther Racing last year, he had no full-time ride at the end of 2010? “No, my management team has me in a position to be selective,” Wheldon said adding “the financial side is taken out of it because it doesn’t matter.”
Yet, on the other hand, it’s important to get paid especially for the biggest race of the year at Indianapolis, “when you’re putting your life on the line. Every driver should be compensated. It’s a strange position to be in. I have to credit my wife to give me the confidence, not that I got sad or depressed. When you do a race you need to go into it with confidence.”
“You can look at it two ways, when I realized, in January, it was going to be difficult to get a ride. I spent time with my family and went back to Europe. It could always be worse. I remained positive throughout. I’ve seen Dario, Will Power, and some others have a similar situation that turns out to be positive in the end. Fortunately for me it’s turned out to be positive.”
Although Wheldon will be at the next IndyCar race, at Texas Motor Speedway next week, he’ll be in the television booth, not behind the wheel of a race car.
The Briton explained “we’ve created a lot of momentum and we need to continue. Bryan (Herta) is not going to do a race (just) to do a race. He wants to be competitive. We have to wait to see if we can drum up enough sponsorship.”
Looking to next year Wheldon would consider a full season with Bryan Herta Autosport if that’s the plan. “Yeah, I would love to. That’s up to Bryan to find the funding we’re trying to help him with that. I hope that can be the case,” he said.
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| Photo: Lewis Franck |
The Indy500 winner had a one-race only deal with Bryan Herta Autosport which had sponsorship for only one race in 2011.
In New York City for a victory media tour Wheldon spoke to Auto123.com at a fish and chips restaurant about his career and his future. He also posed with a London taxi.
Was he nervous that, after leaving Panther Racing last year, he had no full-time ride at the end of 2010? “No, my management team has me in a position to be selective,” Wheldon said adding “the financial side is taken out of it because it doesn’t matter.”
Yet, on the other hand, it’s important to get paid especially for the biggest race of the year at Indianapolis, “when you’re putting your life on the line. Every driver should be compensated. It’s a strange position to be in. I have to credit my wife to give me the confidence, not that I got sad or depressed. When you do a race you need to go into it with confidence.”
“You can look at it two ways, when I realized, in January, it was going to be difficult to get a ride. I spent time with my family and went back to Europe. It could always be worse. I remained positive throughout. I’ve seen Dario, Will Power, and some others have a similar situation that turns out to be positive in the end. Fortunately for me it’s turned out to be positive.”
Although Wheldon will be at the next IndyCar race, at Texas Motor Speedway next week, he’ll be in the television booth, not behind the wheel of a race car.
The Briton explained “we’ve created a lot of momentum and we need to continue. Bryan (Herta) is not going to do a race (just) to do a race. He wants to be competitive. We have to wait to see if we can drum up enough sponsorship.”
Looking to next year Wheldon would consider a full season with Bryan Herta Autosport if that’s the plan. “Yeah, I would love to. That’s up to Bryan to find the funding we’re trying to help him with that. I hope that can be the case,” he said.
 |
| Photo: Lewis Franck |