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"It's a lot nicer feeling going to work knowing that you've got a chance of being at the front if you get it right, than not being last if you get it right." -- Justin Wilson

TORONTO, Canada (July 11, 2004) -- With a year of Formula One under his belt, and having won the 2001 FIA Formula 3000 Championship, the 'rookie' designation is a little misplaced next to Justin Wilson's name on the Champcar World Series roster. Though the Mi-Jack Conquest Racing driver may be the most experienced 'rookie' driver in Champcar, both he and the team have a lot to prove.

Most recently Justin made his mark by qualifying second behind series champion Paul Tracy at the Champcar Grand Prix of Cleveland only to be taken out of the race in a first corner incident involving Tracy and Rocketsports driver Alex Tagliani - an incident that would set off a major war of words between Tracy and Tagliani.

Justin explains: "We went down to the first corner, [Tracy] braked, and I braked a little bit later. I was looking at my options - whether to go down the inside or not. I pulled out already, and was just going to see how it worked out...but as I started to get in towards the corner, I saw [Tagliani] alongside me going quite a bit quicker than I was - I tried to straighten out, still hit [Tagliani], and I bounced off into Paul - ending my race and Paul's. From my point of view, it was all Tagliani braking too late."

Justin's rise to the top didn't come easily though. He is not only distinguished by his skill, but also his height; at 1.92m/6'3, he is easily the tallest driver in Champcar or Formula 1. While many said he was too tall to be a professional open-wheel race car driver, Justin never listened.

"There are people that have said it's not possible for me to drive their cars - but I've driven 3 Formula One cars, raced with two teams, drive in ChampCars now - it's been tight in the car, and it's something I've gotten used to. A little bit of work trying to get the pedals right, the seat right - I can get in the car, but I don't think it'd be possible if I was a centimeter taller, but I just fit and I'm able to do the job."

Despite a glowing resume, it would take millions in additional capital for Justin to secure a ride with perennial Formula 1 backmarkers, Minardi. Without sponsors forthcoming, Justin opted for a unique scheme in which supporters could buy shares in his career in the same way investors buy stocks of corporations. The plan was a huge success, and Justin would join teammate Formula 1 veteran Jos Verstappen in the Minardi.

"The amazing thing was that so many people got involved...firstly, that those people believe in you...because it's normally such large sums of money [to compete in Formula 1]..." Justin continues, saying that while "we set out to find the funds to go into Formula 1 - those people stay with me, so I still want to pay those people back, and I do that throughout my career - wherever I earn my money driving race cars...it's not written off in any way, they're still going to get paid back as long as I keep racing."

Despite relative success with Minardi, and a mid-season move to Jaguar's mid-field team, Justin was unable to secure a ride in Formula 1 for 2004. Rather than fade away, Justin teamed up with Mi-Jack Conquest Racing in Champcar, in an effort to prove that both he and the team have what it takes to win in North America's premier open-wheel racing series.

"Obviously I was disappointed not to stay in Formula 1 - I believe I had quite a good season. As I came over here, I got the opportunity to be at the front of the again - and that's what I enjoyed," Wilson said.

While much is made of the challenges of moving from Champcar to Formula One, there are many challenges Justin currently faces in moving away from the highly-automatic Formula One cars to the more driver-oriented ChampCars.

"The biggest thing to get used to is the weight of the car - a Champcar weighs more than a Formula 1 car - slightly less downforce, slightly less power. That weight means that you have to brake so much earlier and it takes slightly longer to get up to speed. You've still got to think ahead, as you've got the weight to account for as oppose to the speed - it's a different feeling you've got in the car."

It's not only the cars that make Champcar different from Formula 1 to Champcar, but also the tracks. This combined with the heavier car, manual shifting and turbo charged engines creates a unique challenge for the drivers, and a great spectacle for the fans.

"The street circuits [in Champcar] are usually bumpier than Monaco - I don't think a Formula 1 car could take the beating around [a track like Toronto] because it's not designed for that,” he explained. “These tracks are quite bumpy, and I think that adds to the spectacle - you go over a bump, you come onto the turbo and you've suddenly got 3 times the amount of power that you had before, so when you land you light [the tires] up. It's more physical in the cockpit - just trying to keep the car under control, whereas the Formula One car is physical because it's quick and it's got a lot of G-Forces."

The fact that Justin squeezes so tightly into the cockpit of the race car means that his body endures additional stress compared to some of the other drivers, but it something he is more than willing to endure, saying "Usually after a bumpy race my knees will be sore for a day, but it's something I'm willing to put up with."

Though many in Europe consider Champcar to be a step down from Formula 1, Justin doesn't see it that way, and is anything but disappointed to be racing in the series this year.

"The F1 car is great, but I really enjoy this scene - I think it's more entertaining...as a driver you can work with the team and try and do something more about it because you know that everyone's got the roughly same equipment...it's not designed to compete with Formula One in being the ultimate car - it's separate to that, it's it's own championship..."

"I enjoyed my time in Formula 1, but it's a lot nicer feeling going to work knowing that you've got a chance of being at the front if you get it right, than not being last if you get it right - in the case of Minardi, where the big fight was not being last on the grid. It was quite good with Jos and myself - we both wanted to not be last."

That is certainly not the case in Champcar, with both Justin and Conquest moving steadily towards their goal of winning races - and a Championship.

"I think they're a good team that's got all of the fundamentals to win the championship - it just takes time. So, I was quite optimistic that we could work well together and have a good chance of proving ourselves - and obviously I'm eager to prove myself, but I want to win races, so I don't take crazy chances."

If Justin and Conquest continue to improve at their current rate, it will no doubt not be long before Justin's first Champcar podium, win and perhaps even Championship - firsts for Justin, and firsts for Conquest that everyone who enjoys a good show will celebrate along with this likeable competitive addition to the international Champ Car celebration.

CHAMP CAR INTERVIEWS:

Alex Tagliani
Patrick Carpentier
Paul Tracy
Michel Jourdain, Jr.
Sebastien Bourdais
Nelson Phillipe