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Learning curve Indy 500 rookies facing 'an entirely different world'
Posted: Tuesday May 25, 1999 07:21 PM
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) -- Being a rookie in the Indianapolis 500 can be as intimidating as it gets for a driver. Four of them will be in the 33-car lineup Sunday, all virtually unknown and facing by far the biggest race of their lives. But John Hollansworth Jr., Jaret Schroeder, Robby McGehee and Belgian Wim Eyckmans have a couple of experienced friends backing them up. Three-time Indy 500 champion Johnny Rutherford and four-time Indy winner Al Unser Sr. have a vested interest in the rookies. The two retired veterans have been hired by the Pep Boys Indy Racing League as driver coaches, a unique situation at the top level of motorsports. "It's kind of like watching one of your own kids out there," Rutherford said. "You really, really want them to succeed. You're as nervous as they are -- maybe more." Hollansworth joined the Indy Racing League from the U.S. F2000 series and the American IndyCar Series. The 35-year-old driver already has one-upped his father, who failed to make the Indy lineup in 1967. The younger Hollansworth began his IRL career this season with finishes of 19th in Orlando, Fla., and 15th in Phoenix. Schroeder, 29, is a graduate of the Toyota-Atlantic series and finished 14th and 19th in his only two previous IRL starts -- both in 1997. McGehee, 25, was third last year in the F2000 series. Eyckmans, 26, came up through the European Formula 3000 series and ran three Indy Lights races in 1998. Neither McGehee nor Eyckmans has run in an IRL event. "You know, these guys have a great aptitude for racing," Rutherford said. "During the rookie orientation, we had more problems with the engines than we had with the drivers." The 1999 rookie class started out with nine drivers, but Mike Borkowski, Nick Firestone, Jaques Lazier, Dave Steele and Brian Tyler failed to make the field. Borkowski and Steele crashed last week during practice. Lazier qualified but was bumped out of the lineup by a faster car, and Firestone and Tyler never came up with enough speed. The four survivors now have a chance to establish themselves. But Rutherford says they face a "huge learning curve." "I try to forewarn them about what to expect out here on race day, as opposed to any other day they've had out here this month," said Rutherford, who retired in 1988 after 24 Indy starts. "It's an entirely different world with 400,000 people out here, and all the excitement and all that's going on around them." On the track, Rutherford said the biggest difference for the newcomers will be braking. "You practice all month and you don't use any brakes because you're trying to learn how to go flat out all the way around," he said. "When they drop the green flag on race day, it's a 180-degree flip. You use the hell out of your brakes because the race track is totally different because of the traffic and turbulence out there. "Hopefully, they'll learn how to handle it without a big incident." Schroeder said he has not been intimidated at all since practice began May 14. "The pressures I thought would be here haven't been," he said. As for nerves, Schroeder said, "I've really tried not to let that aspect of it get to me. Right now, I'm just trying to treat this like any other race. All I want to do on Sunday is drive a safe, consistent race and make it to the checkered flag." Hollansworth has much the same goal. "The key thing is to just stay out of trouble, stay out of people's way until you get the rhythm of the race and pick it up as you go," he said. "I know I'll be a little nervous on race morning, but there's a lot riding on this."
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