FORNISCE DINDO !
My Italian isn’t all that good, neither is my German, French, Danish, etc. This
was supposed to say “Dindo Delivers”, maybe it does, I’m sure our readers
will let me know as they usually do. However, Dindo Capello did deliver a
great performance at La Sarthe and was rewarded with his third trip to the top
step of the podium. Considering the competition, there is no underestimating
how important this was to one of the most liked and successful sportscar
drivers of the last decade.
KM: How are you feeling today? How were you greeted when you returned
home?
DC: I was on the train (TGV) from Le Mans to the airport at 7:30 a.m. and for
the first three hours after my wake-up call I was still sleepy, but when I got
the first Italian newspaper in the plane and saw a large photo of me on the
podium I started to think that Allan, TK, and I, we did something great.
KM: Last year you were miles ahead of the field and could have cruised to
victory until the wheel nut incident. This year it was flat-out attack, how was it
going from being the hunted like last year to being the hunter?
DC: From one side it was less pressure; from the other side we all knew that
to have a small chance to win this year we had to make exactly the same
race like 2007 but without the incident, which almost was the perfect race.
We also knew that would’ve been almost impossible to repeat it, but we did
it. Great!
KM: TK and Nishy have different driving styles than you do. The R10
appeared to be more on the edge this time, were these changes to the aero
or just down-to-driving performances?
DC: I felt the car in some stints was not as good as in other stints with some
movement on the tires that make the car not so nice to drive. I do not think
it’s coming from the new aero package.
KM: You get the same question I asked Nishy. Every driver has a big
moment at Le Mans, nothing could top yours personally from last year, but
what was this years?
DC: To be honest, the race for me went very well without any risk to having an
accident with slower cars or driving errors. I would say a big moment was
when I was on slicks and I had to bring the car back to the pits in heavy rain.
I thought I was very slow but later when I checked I had gained more than 10
seconds during that lap.
KM: A lot of drivers don’t appear in the pits until just before their stint. You
always seem to be quite comfortable just hanging out and taking it all in. Is
this your way of getting ready or do you just enjoy being there?
DC: Very often I would like to stay away from the pits, and especially from
the monitors, but at the end I am always focused on the pace of my
teammates and the coverage of the race. I should be more relaxed!
KM: You’ve had a difficult season so far with just about every mishap or
mechanical problem possible, at any time during the 24 hours were you ever
thinking, “OK Dindo, what is going to happen next?”
DC: At the end of my first four stints I immediately thought: This is the first
time that Allan and I have done six hours without any problems! This was at
least the first good news of the race for me.
KM: The victory showed a rare glimpse of a genuine letting go of emotion from
the Audi team right on down to Dr. Ullrich. It was evident on the podium. This
must have felt very different from your previous wins at Le Mans.
DC: For me the photo of the podium with Dr. Ullrich, Ralf Juttner, and the
drivers all together shows exactly how strong the team spirit has been in the
No. 2 car. I also felt that for many people this victory was at least as
important as the very first one in 2000.
KM: Why don’t you ask Audi for one of the race cars you drove and put it
away for your children one day?
DC: That would be great, but to be able to afford that, Audi should first
increase the drivers’ salaries.
KM: Teams are always looking for youth, not to say that you’re old but this
has been both a profession and living. Not only have you been successful,
you continue to outpace a lot of people. What gets a driver to a plateau like
that to remain sharp and competitive?
DC: I’m working very, very hard to keep in shape, not only for the body but
also for the mind and for the eyes. I would say that I invest a lot of money for
the training. Plus, I have the will to fight to keep my seat.
KM: OK, you haven’t been back to the U.S. since Sebring, don’t you think
it’s time for you and the wee Scot to come back? We forgive you.
DC: I really miss the ALMS even though the LMS is a great championship.
OK, there is nothing to forgive, I am coming back to drive in the ALMS with
Emanuele Pirro so I see you in Lime Rock !
Kerry Morse
July 2008
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