By Steve
September 30 2003

It was an exciting race at Indianapolis…Especially for Jag fans around lap 20 when Mark Webber was leading the race………………………………………………………… ………………unfortunately his lead didn’t last long, Webber spun off the track after staying out on slicks one lap too long. Wilson, however, managed to keep his Jaguar on track and was momentarily in second place after Webber spun out. He was soon forced to pit and eventually finished the race in a respectable 8th place.

The difference between the Bridgestones and the Michelins in the Wet made the race very unpredictable. With a damp conditions early in the race it was clear that the Michelins grooved tyres were much faster, but when it started to get seriously wet the Bridgestone intermediate tyres had a clear advantage.

Justin Wilson’s Comments:

“That was by no means an easy race and I was more than happy to see the chequered flag. The start of the race was fairly clean but as the conditions kept changing it became increasingly difficult to achieve good long runs. The team did a great job today to support me and a combination of our race strategy and well-oiled pit stops certainly helped me secure eighth place. I am of course very pleased to have achieved my first Championship point here at Ford’s home race and at this time in the calendar.

“It has been a tough few months for me but I knew that my luck would change at some point. My weekend overall has been a good learning curve for me and I am only too pleased to add to the points tally in our bid to fight for fifth in the Constructors Championship. It was unfortunate that we could not have scored more but to be honest I was trying hard just to stay on track and to have secured a point is a real bonus.”

Mark Webber’s comments:

“I was really looking forward to today’s race despite starting in 14th and I am naturally disappointed not to have finished. I had a good start and the first twenty laps were tough under the conditions but we made a tremendous leap forward to the extent that I was leading the race by lap twenty. As the conditions were so mixed I was not actually too sure about where I was in the order so I was quite shocked to find myself up there. The car’s handling was generally good and the pace of the car evident.

“Unfortunately as the conditions deteriorated I was heading in for my first pit stop and a change of tyres on to shallow wets when I lost the car on corner eight. There was little I could do and of course that was the end of the race for me. We have generally had a good weekend so it is always de-motivating not to finish on a high. However, well done to Justin who scored his first point and finished the race. It was not easy out there so it was good to see that the R4 handled the conditions and secured us another point.”

Mark Gillan, head of vehicle performance’s comments:

“Mark and Justin both went to the grid in shallow wets but it soon became clear that they would need only grooves, so we made this change just prior to the start. The pace of the car was good over the first few laps and it was not long before both cars were racing in the top ten. However, typical to Indianapolis the temperamental weather changed for the worse and we were lucky with Justin timing it just right to come in and change onto shallow wets as the heavens opened.”

“Unfortunately Mark was leading the race when the rain was at its worse and as he struggled for grip he spun and that was the end of his race. Justin continued despite also fighting against a lack grip and he did well to move his R4 into eighth position. Justin held his own in the field and did an admiral job to bring the car home in one piece to finish not only his first race with the team but to secure a well deserved point for both him and the rest of us.”

“The race for fifth has heated up even more as we go to Suzuka and of course with all to play for we will be aiming for a bit more on-track success for the last race. The team have done a sterling job this weekend and we will continue with this determination in Japan.”

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