NEW ORLEANS (WGNO) – No guts, no glory. To make it as an IndyCar driver, you’ve got to put in the work or someone younger and hungrier will take your spot.
“I mean, you need to be smart outside the track and inside the track, you need to be fast of course, instantaneous instinct of a driver,” says driver Patricio O’Ward.
That instinct comes naturally for the 15-year-old from Monterey, Mexico who started racing go karts at 6 years old. He doesn’t even have his license yet!
“I only have my learner’s permit,” jokes O’Ward.
“One of the good things about racing formula cars is the competition, that you actually get to go wheel to wheel with another person and you know it’s the race craft and what it takes to get on top,” says driver Nikita Lastochkin.
These drivers are fearless! On the front straight of the reconfigured track at NOLA Motorsports Park, they’ll take their cars up to 155 miles per hour, which is why knowing the ins and outs of the car is crucial.
“It’s all about the team, how the team can develop the car and help develop with you, but if you as a driver cannot provide that information that’s accurate then the team is going to struggle so it’s very, very important. The car only weighs 1,300 pounds which is roughly about a third of what your average road car weighs, so it’s a very fast car. There’s no frills with this car, it’s all just down to the business,” says Team Pelfrey driving coach Anders Krohn.
Speed is the name of the game. The faster you drive, the faster you move up. So if you want to race IndyCars, there’s no looking back.
“If you’re scared why do it? Just push for best results and to be able to keep going up the ladder on the road to Indy. To make it in a big way, you know, it’s hard” says O’Ward.
The drivers will return to NOLA Motorsports Park for the IndyCar race scheduled for April 2015.