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Scott Roembke, general manager of Team Rahal, has taken on an increased role
since owner Bobby Rahal assumed the duties as interim President/CEO of CART
back in late June. Roembke may be the unsung "hero" of the Team Rahal racing
operation as he is in charge of the business side and runs the team's daily
activities. His job description encompasses everything from hiring personnel
to coordinating budgets to formulating pit strategy at the races. Roembke
comments on the success enjoyed by Kenny Brack and Team Rahal this season,
and looks ahead to this weekend's race at the California Speedway.
QUESTION:
SCOTT ROEMBKE, ARE YOU SURPRISED THAT KENNY
IS STILL IN POSITION TO CLINCH THE DRIVERS' CHAMPIONSHIP CONSIDERING THAT
THIS IS HIS FIRST SEASON AND HE DID NOT FINISH WELL IN THE RACES LEADING UP
TO AUSTRALIA?
Scott Roembke:
"I'm not surprised that Kenny has been so successful. When
Bobby (Rahal) hired Kenny from the other league it was because he was a
consistent front runner and a driver that had proven to be not only a title
contender but capable of winning the championship."
QUESTION:
CONSIDERING HIS EXTENSIVE EXPERIENCE RACING ON OVAL TRACKS, DOES IT SURPRISE
YOU THAT KENNY HAS MORE PODIUM FINISHES ON ROAD/STREET COURSES (THREE) THAN
ON OVALS (ONE)?
Scott Roembke:
"To be honest, we left points on the track at several of the
oval races through our own fault. If we managed to gain those points, there
wouldn't be a disparity between Kenny's road and street points and his oval
points. Kenny's early career was formed on the road and street courses of
Europe, so I wasn't surprised when he regained the form of his early career
on those kind of tracks. We knew we were getting a complete driver at Team
Rahal when we hired him, not just an oval specialist."
QUESTION:
ALTHOUGH KENNY DIDN'T FINISH THE RACE IN MICHIGAN BECAUSE OF CONTACT, HE WAS
FAST AND CONSISTENTLY RAN AT THE FRONT. HOW CONFIDENT ARE YOU IN HIS ABILITY
TO DUPLICATE THAT EFFORT AND WIN THIS RACE?
QUESTION:
HOW ARE YOU AND TEAM RAHAL APPROACHING THE RACE IN FONTANA? ARE YOU PLANNING
ON DOING ANYTHING DIFFERENTLY?
Scott Roembke: "If you are changing things just for one race
because there is a title on the line then you are in trouble. For Team
Rahal, this race will be business as usual. We have a veteran crew of
mechanics, engineers and a driver who has a proven record of success. There
are a lot of variables in a 500-mile race that you can't control. As a team
we have had a fair amount of success on the superspeedways the last couple
of seasons and we know if we do our jobs then our drivers will have a chance
to win."
QUESTION:
IS THERE ANY EXTRA PRESSURE WITH A RACE LIKE THIS?
Scott Roembke: "No more than usual.
Actually, in our situation there isn't a lot of pressure. We are still
considered a long shot for the championship so the pressure is on (Gil) de
Ferran and (Adrian) Fernandez - they are the favorites. We just have to
worry about ourselves. Our goal is the same as it was for the previous races
- to win the event. If we do that then we can start to worry about the
tiebreakers and the finishing order of our opponents. The first thing we
have to do is win and that is our goal going to California."
QUESTION:
WHAT THINGS CONCERN YOU ABOUT A 500-MILE RACE, LET ALONE A RACE WITH SO MUCH
AT STAKE?
Scott Roembke: "A 500-mile race is a unique event. The race is so long that a lot
of factors come into play that you normally don't worry about. We will
approach this race the same way we approach every 500-mile event. We will
try to stay on the lead lap and survive, then with about 50 laps to go we
assess the situation and go racing."
QUESTION:
WHAT WOULD WINNING A CHAMPIONSHIP MEAN TO YOU AND TEAM RAHAL?
Scott Roembke: "For Team
Rahal it would mean that over a long, arduous season we managed to
consistently score more points than our opponents, and that would be a great
accomplishment. Bobby (Rahal) has won a championship before (1992 -
Rahal/Hogan Racing), but for the current version of Team Rahal it would be a
first and a validation of thousands of hours of long work and perseverance
by our team towards this goal. Personally, it would give me a feeling of
satisfaction knowing that our crew in our first year with a new driver was
able to come together as a team and perform at a championship level."
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