Life
After F1: 2002
2002
- a busy year
After
successfully competing for Champion Racing at Le Mans and in
the American Le Mans Series, Johnny considered his options for
2002. It turned out to be a very busy one...
Factory
Audi drive at Sebring and Le Mans
In
January, it was announced that Audi wanted Johnny to drive one
of their factory entered R8s in their third assault on the 24
Hours endurance classic at La Sarthe. Johnny said:
"I'm
delighted Audi has given me another realistic opportunity
to win what is arguably the world's toughest and most famous
motor race. The Infineon Audi R8 finished 1-2-3 at Le Mans
in 2000 and its two-car entry netted a 1-2 last year so the
Audi is without doubt the car to be driving in such a gruelling
marathon."
The
popular British driver made his début for the factory Audi squad
in the Sebring 12-Hours on 16 March, the opening round of this
year's ALMS championship in America, bringing the work's No2
car home to a famous victory.
Because
of the bumpy Sebring track, the American endurance classic is
known to be a tough test, the 50th running of the event being
even more difficult compared to the recent years: Intense heat
of up to 34 degrees Celsius even melted the track's tarmac at
the opening round of the American Le Mans Series, requiring
repairs at the beginning of the final third of the race.
The
high temperatures and humidity did not affect the winning Infineon
Audi R8. After last year's "rain battle" at Le Mans
the most successful sportscar of today mastered also the "heat
battle" in Florida. Audi is only the fourth manufacturer
that was able to achieve three Sebring victories in a row. While
Rinaldo Capello repeated his victory from last year, Johnny
Herbert and Christian Pescatori managed to win the endurance
classic at their first attempt. Johnny said:
"We
put in a lot of hard work for this win. Having achieved it,
it's fantastic. The Audi R8 is still the car to beat. In the
end I was basically trying to conserve the fuel and the brakes.
I set a comfortable pace which was enjoyable as well."
The
Le Mans 24 Hours takes place on the weekend of 15-16 June and
full details will be reported on this site.
American
open wheel racing
Rumours
again circulated early in 2002 that Johnny might land a CART
drive for the Sigma team but nothing more was heard once the
season started. However, important news was forthcoming in April
when it was announced that Johnny had achieved another lifelong
aim - to race in the Indy 500.
One
of the most illustrious names in Indianapolis Motor Speedway
history returns to competition as Duesenberg Brothers Racing
will field a car for next month's running of the 86th Indianapolis
500. Celebrating
the 75th anniversary since the family marque last visited victory
lane at the Brickyard, both the team name and '32' car number
have been replicated from that last winning effort in 1927.
Duesenberg
Brothers Racing has named three-time Formula One and Le Mans
winner Johnny Herbert as driver and announced primary sponsorship
by Western Union. Though technically a rookie on the Speedway's
oval, the much sought-after Herbert brings a wealth of experience
from his 12 seasons in F1.
Herbert
has dreamed of the Indianapolis 500 for a long time:
"Since
I was 10 years old I wanted to win Formula 1 - which I've
done, Le Mans - which I've done, and the Indy 500 - it was
those three that I wanted to win," said Herbert. "I am very
pleased to be given this wonderful opportunity by Western
Union and Duesenberg Brothers Racing to complete my dream
and race in this year's Indy 500 - especially with an experienced
team and a strong package," he added.
Every
effort is made to ensure factual accuracy but
no responsibility is accepted for this information.
Last updated Friday, 17-May-2002 07:44:19 BST .
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