WILSON: Looking Back At 2009; Roll On 2010!

IndyCar

WILSON: Looking Back At 2009; Roll On 2010!

Well it’s been quite a season. I suppose most drivers at the end of the year will all be able to point to their ups and downs.

Justin Wilson | Posted October 20, 2009 Denver, CO

The combination of Justin Wilson, Dale Coyne and engineer Bill Pappas made for a strong effort from the Z-Line Designs team. Year two of their partnership should be even more impressive. (LAT)

Well it’s been quite a season. I suppose most drivers at the end of the year will all be able to point to their ups and downs. We definitely had our high points and I know we’ve had our fair share of “if onlys” too. But the most satisfying thing of all for me has been that we were able to show what we were capable of on the road courses and street tracks as well as getting better and better on the ovals.

If you’d asked me at the start of the year what my expectations honestly were I’d have struggled to give a clear answer. Inevitably when you join a new team you’re finding your feet. I knew that in joining Dale Coyne Racing I was coming to one of the one car teams in the paddock, and a one car team, so it’s fair to say that I had realistic goals. The big attraction for me at the start of the year was Dale and Gail’s infectious enthusiasm and the fact that they are true racers at heart. Knowing that Bill Pappas was on board was also a big attraction and as the year has gone on Dale has grown the team carefully by bringing across key people like Mitch Davis and Glen Knabenshue who have worked with the guys at the track and the shop to make a visible difference to our performance.

We knew we were going to be stronger on the road courses than on the ovals, but I really don’t think any of us (or the rest of the paddock) expected to be so close to the sharp end from the very first session at St Pete! To lead that race and bring home a podium for Dale was pretty special for all of us and it made a lot of people sit up and take notice. Still, you’re always learning in this game. Ryan nailed me on the restart at St Pete and I learned a useful lesson that day that I was able to put to good use at Watkins Glen!

Long Beach was disappointing. We had a poor pit-stop at a critical moment and that dropped us down the field. Before we could recover I got caught up in the shunt at the hairpin and that was that. After that weekend the team spent many hours focused on pit-stop practice as well as the efficiency of the wheel guns and other equipment. By mid-season that investment had well and truly paid off.

The Z-Line Designs car was also quick at Toronto and Mid Ohio, but things just didn’t work out strategy-wise with the yellows at Toronto and we had a fuel telemetry problem at Mid Ohio. At Edmonton and Sonoma we weren’t quite on the pace in qualifying, but were there or thereabouts on race day but on tracks where it’s difficult to overtake.

Obviously this year’s highlight for me was Watkins Glen, where it all came together perfectly – and in such a perfect setting. Any win in the IndyCar Series is a major achievement given the level of competition. But for someone with my racing background to be able to do it at The Glen, where you can almost taste the history, was really something else. We had to work hard for the win, because we had a fuel problem for most of the weekend and I was 2 gallons down and having to save more fuel than everyone else. It was nice after that last yellow to be able to go flat out to the checkered flag. So much of what we do is tactical and involving fuel saving that you really relish the opportunities when you have the best car on the day to put your foot down and show off a bit. The podium celebrations were great and the trip to Seneca Lodge later that evening felt like being on the top step all over again. Being able to help Dale get his first victory was the icing on the cake and I know he feels just the same way that I do about being able to do it at The Glen.

Although we didn’t come close to that level of performance on the ovals, our objective there was steady progress and being able to deliver on that has been one of the best things about this season for all of us on the team. We had very little oval testing this year – a pre-season visit to Homestead where the car was a real handful and a final day there just before the end of the season when we were right on the pace. The car at both events was like night and day and it shows how all the hard work we put in has started to pay off. There is so little time at the oval events that if the car’s not there or thereabouts when it rolls off the trailer you know you’re facing an uphill battle. A few times this year we basically treated the races like test sessions.

At Indy, where we had plenty of track time, we were able to see the car improve session by session and we were pleased to qualify 15th. I enjoyed the race, but was disappointed to crash out. Once I had the air taken off the nose and I was in the spin it was all about damage limitation. I was doing everything I could to control the car and trying desperately to minimize the damage to our best chassis!

Wilson and the Dale Coyne Racing team broke through at Watkins Glen for the veteran owner's first win. (LAT)

Milwaukee and Iowa didn’t go too well, but at Texas and Richmond we made good progress in our understanding of the car, even if the results didn’t really show that. For the last four ovals all the hard work started to pay dividends. The highlight was definitely Chicagoland, where I was right there in the lead pack heading into the final lap. I choose the wrong line another useful lesson to store away for next year.

After the good test at Homestead we had high hopes for the last race, but got caught out by the change in temperature between the test and race weekend. After a few false starts we finally found a set-up close to what was needed in time for the race, but it was a very powerful change and we needed to make some adjustments during the race to get the balance right. By the final stint I felt I was able to move forward and it was good to get a top-10 result in the race and take 9th in the championship.

Dario, Scott and Ryan put up a great battle right to the end. They all had strong pace throughout the year, but congratulations to Dario. He won it like a true champion, by being successful on all of the different types of track we go to. I’m really happy for him and seeing that kind of level of performance is inspirational – especially when you know exactly what it takes to get there, which we feel we now do. I’m already excited about next season.

Roll on 2010!

~Justin

The opinions reflected herein are solely those of the above commentator and are not necessarily those of SPEEDtv.com, SPEED, FOX, or NewsCorp.

Justin Wilson drives for Dale Coyne Racing in the 2009 IndyCar Series. Wilson first came to prominence in his native England, winning the Formula Palmer Audi championship before graduating to the International F3000 Series. After claiming the 2001 F3000 title, Justin would earn a ride in F1 with Minardi in 2003, completing the season with the factory Jaguar F1 program.

After transitioning to the ChampCar Series, Wilson continued his winning ways, taking four victories between 2004-2007, and finishing 2nd in the championship in 2006 and 2007. His first season in the unified IndyCar season earned Justin another win and 7 top-10’s with Newman/Haas/Lanigan Racing.

Wilson lives in Colorado with his wife and young daughter.

Learn more about Justin at www.justinwilson.co.uk and about his team at www.dalecoyneracing.com. Learn more about the unique investment program created to support Justin early in his career at www.justinwilsonplc.com.

The opinions reflected herein are solely those of the above commentator and are not necessarily those of SPEED.com, FOX, NewsCorp, or SPEED

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Justin Wilson

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