Turning passion into profession
Ian James, 2004 P2 Champion, Miracle Motorsport
By Margot Orenchuk
Photos courtesy Margot Orenchuk and Jim DeFord
MONTEREY, California (October 15, 2004) – From their first race in the American Le Mans Series in 2004, the Miracle Motorsports team of John Macaluso, Ian James and James Gue have been fan favourites.  There were no more joyful winners at the 12 Hours of Sebring (with Mike Borkowski in place of James Gue, a later addition), where they brought their quickly-assembled team onto the grid and despite early problems with their gearbox they came home first in class.  Throughout the season the racing has been close between the Miracle team and the No. 30 Intersport Lola piloted by Clint Field and Robin Liddell, so close that the P2 championship went right down to the last race of the year.  RFM caught up with Miracle driver Ian James following his pole winning qualifying run to get his views on 2004 and his expectations for the race to come.  

Margot Orenchuk: Please tell us about your qualifying run that landed you on pole for tomorrow’s race. 

Ian James: Well really, we have just been improving the car in general, and it was just a question of getting that extra 2-10ths of a second out of her so we could run that pace. We could not run that all day long; the car is deficient in a couple of areas that do not matter in 1 or 2 lap runs. But in general, it was just a really good lap. 

MO: Have you ever been to Laguna Seca before? 

IJ: Yes, I came here about 6 or 7 years ago. I did 20 laps in a sports Toyota or something; I can’t remember what it’s called. I haven’t been here and raced, no. 

MO: Will you be driving in the dark? 

IJ: Who knows? (laughs) 

MO: How would you sum up your year with Miracle Motorsports and the two cars? 

IJ: Well, obviously we started the year with the Lola, and we won Sebring. It was a really good way to start the year by getting a lot of momentum going for the team; however, we understood the limitations of that car and we just drive it accordingly. Fortunately, the results came as we expected them to so that was really good for team morale as well as the numbers on the board. Then [team owner] John Macaluso went from the Lola to the Courage, which was a big level commitment, and a big increase in performance for us. It’s always a bit unnerving when you change a programme that is working well. But, so far, everything has jelled really nice. The car is performing really well, we are understanding it more, and James  [Gue] and I are understanding more that goes into the total drive, right now it’s the fastest car in its class.   

MO: If you could change one thing about your car, what would you change? 

IJ: I’d have it made in England! [Note: Mr. James is British.]

MO: How do you find your motivation to get behind the wheel? 

IJ: I really enjoy getting out there and competing on the track in a strong field. When you are out there, the competition is what drives you to that little bit extra. You always want to be the quickest guy out there. I’ve been fortunate enough to turn my passion into a profession. 

MO: How long have you been racing? 

IJ: Racing cars? For the last 12 years.  

MO: You also race in the Grand Am series? 

IJ: Yes, I drive for the Lexus team. 

MO: What do you think the fundamental differences are between GARRA and ALMS?  Do you think it would be a good idea for the two series to continue running side by side, or would you like to see them run crossover races? 

IJ: The AMLS series, in terms of the way they are promoting the series, and the level of it are at a slightly higher level right now; but Grand Am have also got this concept of the Daytona Prototypes that has raised their car count. Unfortunately, the reality of racing in any series is such that you can’t go out and win a race if you don’t have the resources to do it. Our GT races in GARRA are pretty good, but I’d obviously like to be in a Daytona Prototype in that series.  Yes, I want to get an overall win. As a racer I just love the thought of competition. My main goal is to be in something that will win the race regardless. Because I learned a long time ago if you aren’t at the front, nobody cares. 

MO: What is going to happen if you have to choose? 

IJ: It’s going to be a very, a really tough decision. I’ve been in Grand Am for the last 5 years. And this is the first year I’ve been able to do a full year in the ALMS; and it’s really great to be in this arena.  I think anytime you have competing series, it’s going to take a few years to shake out. I don’t think the schedule is going to affect the show either way. Perhaps the big difference is, in Grand Am, you have more American Drivers, where you have more European drivers in the ALMS. I don’t think that difference is either a good or bad thing.                                        

MO: What has been your greatest moment this year? 

IJ: For sure, winning Sebring. We had a lot of problems leading up to the race that we thought would put us totally off the radar to be honest.  For one thing, we put an engine in that was already out of miles for a 12-hour race! In a way the expectation was really lowered. So it was a huge, huge achievement for us to win what is still one of the big races.  

MO: We can still remember you guys at the post-race press conference afterwards – so happy and smiling! 

IJ: That was a really good feeling.  

MO: How do you feel about the level of competition for your particular class? 

IJ: It needs to be better regarding car count, but the reality is if you are racing against one good car with 2 good drivers, that is good enough! Your drivers and your car have to beat that car. But each of the top classes has their powerhouse teams, and a lot of it centers on the car.  For example, I think you could put any monkey in the Corvette and it would still win the race. And it has been like that for how many years now? But in our class, you don’t know. It’s small, but Robyn Liddell is quick. All those poles this year. And that car surprises how quick it is. But, it would be nice to have the depth there that they have in the GT class, for example. 

MO: What happened at Petit to put you out? 

IJ: We had a plan at Petit and we followed that plan. But, what took us out was a battery cable, something you wouldn’t even think about. You think about the big things, like an engine blowing, but a battery cable breaking is not something we expected. 

Tomorrow we go out and try to win the race. We will be 100% occupied with the job in hand and making no mistakes. That’s the game plan!  But then again, I don’t know many teams that would approach a race differently.  

As we all know by now, the Laguna Seca race was a roller coaster ride for the Miracle Motorsports Courage, with perhaps the biggest spanner thrown into the works the torrential rainstorm in the last 30 minutes of competition.  James Gue was in the car when the rain began, and he was caught up as many others were and ended up in the gravel.  But although they did not win the race, they had completed enough laps for Ian James to win the driving championship for the P2 class.