Helio Castroneves
Helio Castroneves
Hélio Castro-Neves, better known as Hélio Castroneves, is a Brazilian auto racing driver competing in the IndyCar Series. In IndyCar competition, Castroneves has 23 wins and 38 poles, and placed second in the season standings four times, third two times and fourth four times. Prior to IndyCar, Castroneves competed in the CART championship, with a highest championship points finish of fourth; he recorded six wins and seven pole positions in the series...
NationalityBrazilian
ProfessionRace Car Driver
Date of Birth10 May 1975
CitySao Paulo, Brazil
CountryBrazil
That's a good problem to have. Maybe they'll have to bring out a piece of fence to the start-finish line.
It was very weird. There were some wet spots. I put rain tires, dry tires, rain tires. I kept on going back and forth. It was very hard to find balance. Toward the end I felt comfortable.
It was a bad move on Ryan's part, you know. He had a great car, he was fast. Both of us were fast. Danica was trying -- she noticed that we were really fast and she was trying to give us a way. I don't know what the heck he was thinking. He just decided to pass everybody in one corner and he ended up taking everybody out. It's just ridiculous. He's a good driver. He's fast, but there was definitely no patience at all.
I wouldn't take anyone for granted. But hopefully we'll continue to do what we do.
Actually, I have to ask you: What's the weather going to be like tomorrow?
The way I see it, we're pushing each other. Sharing information is good because it's going to make both cars better. I think our team and the way it works is the right chemistry and the right combination, and we're looking to keep doing the right thing.
It's great to finally win here in Japan.
Let me show that I have that (talent).
I think it will be important to make sure I'm in the best condition possible for this weekend. At the beginning of the season, I began preparing for the road courses by lifting more weights and trying to improve my conditioning. I've found that the combination of swimming and then running really adds a new dimension to my overall performance as I have built my stamina significantly over the past several months.
I always like racing in Japan and I'm looking forward to (today's) race.
I'm definitely optimistic about our competitiveness in 2006. I think if this team works hard all year, we'll be in good shape for the championship. There are so many good drivers in this series, it won't be easy, but that is what makes winning all the better.
Every time you go out on the track, which is very technical and unique, you learn something different. This place, if you keep practicing, keep running and learning every corner, you'll be consistently fast.
Sam is a truly competitive driver. Yes, I want to beat him and he wants to beat me. But at the end of the day, we want both cars up there and we want to make the boss happy.
It's hard to lose a colleague, a person who is doing the same job you're doing. But we're all here, and all the drivers know the risk and the danger of the sport. We are here because we love what we do.