After the events of Friday, Jean arrived at the Lotus Fan
Force United garage with an extra spring in his step. Regardless of age, when it comes to the Indy
500, Jean is the spry youngster, ready to take on the old, grizzled
veterans. Contrary to what many may
expect of a celebrated Grand Prix racer, Jean can often be found outside the
garage, signing autographs, taking pictures with the fans, and generally
enjoying the entirety of the Indy experience.
It is most definitely a unique world unto itself.
As the green flag flies for the official opening of practice
for the 2012 edition of the “Greatest Spectacle In Racing,” Jean’s crew is hard
at work on the FP Journe car. It’s not
unreasonable to expect that the racing circuit may be a bit crowded, as practice
time at Indy is seemingly always in short supply. Because Jean still needs to complete the
third phase of his rookie orientation, it has been decided that he will take to
the track later in the day. Owing to
that, Jean heads over to turn 1 and joins his spotter in a climb to the spotter’s
tower at the top of turn 1, as he is focused on the educational process, not
wanting to waste a single moment that could be used to better prepare him and
make him a better racer. He is
eager. Time is short and the stakes are
high. There is always something new that
can be learned (which is not a bad philosophy for life in general).
As Jean and his spotter engage in conversation, examining
and discussing what is happening with each driver that comes by, it feels like
a slow start at Indy. Track activity is
relatively light, which is surprising, considering the all new cars and new
engines that the competitors of IndyCar have brought to the Speedway this year. Because of that, Jean spends more than an
hour high atop Indy’s first turn, as an early high average lap speed in excess
of 219mph is posted by another Indianapolis rookie. When he is satisfied that he has seen enough
for now, Jean heads back to the garage, to process what he has seen and
heard.
The hours tick by.
Jean finds himself in discussions with his engineering staff, the Dallara
engineering staff. As has been fairly
well indicated, this is serious business, so he is assimilating and processing
as much information as possible, both in and out of his FP Journe adorned,
Lotus-powered, Fan Force United prepared racing vehicle. Thankfully, there is no shortage of people
willing to offer whatever assistance can be provided, as the Lotus Fan Force
United garage sees a steady flow of helpful parties.
Some come because it is their job. Undoubtedly, some come because they are fans. Others, like Indy 500 champion Buddy Lazier
(who spent more than an hour with Jean after the close of practice on Saturday –
Jean didn’t leave the track until almost two hours after the checkered flag flew
on the session, well after every other driver had left for the evening) because
they know what Indy means, and they want it to mean as much as possible to Jean
as well. Jean has gotten on board quite
quickly with the sentiments surrounding the Indianapolis 500. Yes, just in case it had not yet been figured
out, Jean most definitely knows what Indy means. If one is willing to accept it and go with
it, it does not take long to discover.
After a decorated and successful career that has truly left him with
nothing else to prove, that’s why he is here, pushing himself both physically
and mentally in pursuit of Indianapolis 500 glory. Whether it comes or not, he is now a part of
Indy’s legend, its lore, and its mystique---drivers the world over, chasing and
living the dream.
Finally, the time comes for Jean to return to the Speedway
surface. The FP Journe car is backed out
of the garage amidst an eager and interested crowd of spectators. Something rare occurs, in that Jean himself
hops in the car, grabs the tow rope, and steers the car behind the two vehicle. One rarely sees this at Indy. Jean is focused and he is determined. There are to be no distractions now. His jaw and his mind are firmly set on the
task at hand.
At 4:11pm, under cloudy skies and with a coolness in the
air, Jean rolls out of the pit lane and on to the racetrack. The wind is blowing from south to north, with
a steady breeze that will work against him on the front straight, push him down
the backstraight, and work to upset the racecar at the exit of turn 3. Every day, every lap at Indy is
different. His first run is just a few
laps. He posts a speed in the same range
as his phase 2 speeds from Friday afternoon, as he picks up from where the team
left off and feels out the adjustments.
It is a good place from which to begin today’s efforts. Engine tuning is going to be the order of
business today. It is hoped that he will
be able to complete the third phase of his rookie test, but if he does not,
that will be acceptable as well.
Every time Jean returns to the pit, the amount of
communication is staggering. His years
of Formula 1 training and experience show through, as Jean expects and enjoys a
voluminous amount of detailed feedback. He
is able to process and quantify a staggering amount of information, and though
he is a rookie here, and though his team is a crew of Indy 500 veterans, and
though he has just only begun working with his Lotus engine and its engineers,
his vast experience with a variety of cars and engines, combined with an
absolute dedication to his craft, makes it possible for the veterans of the Lotus
Fan Force United team to also work quickly through the decision-making process
as they apply the changes that will serve to enhance performance.
Ride height adjustments are made. Wing position adjustments are made. Lotus tunes on the engine, exploring ideas
and opportunities. As the oh-so-precious
practice time ticks steadily away, the engine is re-fired and off he goes. It is 4:39pm when Jean goes green again. He posts his quickest speed to that point,
with a lap speed just over 209mph before the circuit goes yellow for a piece of
debris. The moderate increase in speed
is encouraging to all.
At 4:56pm, the sun is attempting to break through the
clouds. This will change things again. As was said, every lap at Indy is different. It’s a finicky race track and all factors
must always be taken into consideration.
At 5:05pm, another return to the track.
Nothing new. He returns to pit
lane, coming in quick (as usual for him), and slides to a spot, stopping
precisely on his marks. This will serve
him well on race day, as every second counts.
Jean hops out of the car for a few minutes, to talk things over with the
engineering group, as the Lotus Fan Force United team works to get their arms
around the challenge of car and engine.
The team is working very closely with the Lotus staff, as much is
resting on the shoulders of this team and driver when it comes to developing an
engine that truly does have great potential.
Jean, together with the team, is processing and applying a
staggering amount of information. There
is simply no time at all to waste.
Qualifying this year may be a guarantee, but that’s simply not
enough. How many thousands of times has
the old master done this very thing? He’s
been the underdog before. He’s been in
the car to which nobody gives a chance.
Let us not forget his debut race in the United States, which was the
USGP in Phoenix in 1990. This was Jean’s
first full year in Grand Prix racing, and he went into battle with what was
considered to be an underfunded and therefore underdog team. In Phoenix, he was sensational. Doing what he had no business doing, he led
for 25 laps, running in front of the late Ayrton Senna in what was most
assuredly an inferior car to that of Senna.
Not only did he lead Senna, he re-passed Senna after being overtaken for
the lead. Though he ended the day one
spot behind the great Brazilian, he ended the day on the podium, finishing
second. Let us not think for a moment
that Jean does not have his first race in the USA in mind as he makes his first
attempt at Indy. Can he duplicate that
level of success? What a story that
would be.
Jean is back in the car now.
With half an hour left in the session, he re-takes the circuit, as the
team tests out some technical changes along with their engine partner. Whatever it was, Jean didn’t like it, and he’s
right back to the pit. Each and every
time the car comes to a stop, there is a swarm of activity. The Lotus Fan Force United team makes up for
its late start with quick and continuous work.
At 5:41pm, Lotus temporarily has the racetrack to itself, as
Jean’s fellow Lotus-runner, Simona deSilvestro, makes her first appearance of
the month on the racetrack. It’s a Lotus
party that is shortly broken up by a fellow, non-Lotus-powered competitor. The nerve!
Jean’s times are consistent again.
He posts the same speeds as the previous afternoon. The whole team is learning together, as the
focus is presently on the electronic control unit that governs the engine’s
performance.
For the next run, there is another wing adjustment, as some
trimming is taking place. The team gives
Jean sticker tires for his final run, and these will be the tires with which Jean
begins practice the next day. At 5:55pm,
with time for just a few more laps, Jean’s engine is fired for the final time
today and he joins several cars on track.
This will be his first opportunity to run with some traffic. It will be his first opportunity to lose the
air on the front wing as he follows a car through the turn. He handles it like the legend that he
is. Dealing with drivers around him for
the first time, Jean posts a few laps of nearly identical speeds, all of them
his fastest to date. Always an encouraging
sign as we look towards race day.
As the checkered flag flies, Jean completes his 32nd
lap of a productive session in which the team gained a great deal of knowledge
about gearing and gear splits. Jean
reports that he was able to play with the bars as he ran traffic, communicating
his pleasure with the feeling of stability as he made the changes, which is
good for a boost of confidence leading into the next day’s practice
session. Naturally, there is disappointment
that huge gains in speed were not made, but there is time for all of that. Progress has been made, and it is nice to
hear Jean report that “less downforce did not feel like less downforce.” All in all, we get a thumbs up from “the
Jean,” as he flashes a grin and says “another day!”
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