THE MOTOR SPORT INTERVIEW
Dario Franchitti
The four-time IndyCar champion and three-time Indy 500 winner on his American adventure, that crash in Houston and a return to the track – “I’m a racer, always have been”
INTERVIEW BY ROB WIDDOWS
IMAGE: GETTY IMAGES
Dario Franchitti mbe (for services to motor racing) is an American idol whose heart remains firmly in his native Scotland where he is a patron of the Jim Clark Museum and where his career began in karting. By the age of just 15 he’d won four championships. Having taken both the Vauxhall Junior and Vauxhall Lotus championships, impressed in Formula 3 and for Mercedes in touring cars, he was offered the job of test driver at McLaren in 1997. He turned it down, preferring to focus on a new career with the Hogan team in CART. It was a good decision. Dario won three races in ’98, was runner-up to Juan Pablo Montoya in the championship in ’99 and, now with Andretti Green, he took his first of three Indy 500 victories and his first of four IndyCar championships in 2007. All the other championships and wins at the Brickyard came with Chip Ganassi where he stayed until an accident ended his career in Houston in October 2013.
“We never expected to see Alex Palou at this level so soon“
These days he’s working with Ganassi as a driver mentor and coach, commentating on Formula E, racing historic cars and working with Gordon Murray on the development of the new V12 T.50 supercar. Motor Sport caught up with this busiest of ‘retired’ racers at Goodwood.
Motor Sport:
You’ve just done a two-day trip to Indy and flown in overnight to prepare for Goodwood Members’ Meeting in a Ford GT40. Life is busy for Dario Franchitti.
DF: “Yeah, a damp track in a GT40 is a good way to shake off the jet lag. A wonderful car on a great track. A good start to my day. I just love racing, you know, but I do it for fun, not because I’m desperate to win, so I’m at nine-10ths round here, there’s no room for mistakes and the car is worth a lot of money. It keeps me sharp, along with testing Gordon Murray’s incredible new T.50 prototype. I tell you, that V12 engine is a beauty. The noise is amazing. I’ve ordered one, which means I’ll probably have to live in a tent, but hey, it’s the absolute ultimate driver’s car. They are all pre-sold and there’s a waiting list but I’ve decided I’ve got to have one of these cars.”
OK, we’ll come to the T.50 later but first let’s get your take on the IndyCar season, another championship for Ganassi and a new young star in Alex Palou. How good is this guy?
DF: “Oh, very good, outstanding, and more to come. I’ve been very impressed. He’s lifted the whole team too. He’s got a great feel for the car, a lovely driving style, very smooth, he’s easy on tyres, easy on fuel, mentally very strong, quick and brave. All those things. When we signed him for Ganassi we thought he was quick but we had no idea. He’s at a level above what we thought. It’s been a while since Scott Dixon had a team-mate who’s pushed him, and beaten him, so it’s good to have that back in the team. He’s always learning, always asking questions, asking Scott how things work, and of course he has benefited from the depth of the whole Ganassi organisation.