Not for the first time, but for the first time in many years, Will Power is going to race with a roof over his head.
Two-time IndyCar Series champion Power was one of the star attractions of this year’s Indianapolis 8 Hour Presented by AWS, up there with his 75 Express co-driver Chaz Mostert, and MotoGP hall of famer Valentino Rossi at Team WRT. But whereas the latter two have quite a bit of contemporary endurance racing experience in the bank, Power’s last proper endurance race was the 2003 Bathurst 24 Hours, driving a Porsche 996 GT3 RS. Before that, he’d made one Bathurst 1000 start in 2002. His last race in a closed-cockpit race car came a decade later, as a guest driver in the Supercars Championship Gold Coast 600.
In contrast, the metallic orange #75 Mercedes-AMG GT3 EVO he’s driving at Indianapolis this weekend represents a quantum leap, one that Power has quickly gotten up to speed with – despite his apprehensions of how he’d perform.
“I didn’t know how I’d be. I really didn’t,” admitted the 44-year-old Australian racing legend, part of an all-Aussie team with Mostert and 75 Express owner/driver Kenny Habul, with matching white race suits carrying their nation’s flag. “My first run, I was like, ‘Oh my god, this thing feels strange!’
“I think it was almost worse having done so many laps here in a different car, because all these habits that you’re used to. But it’s been nice having Chaz, who has experience in tin-tops.”
Through two official practice sessions, Power has not only been one of the quickest drivers in his own car, but his pace is measuring up to some of the experienced Mercedes-AMG Performance Drivers who are driving the AMG GT3 EVO for a living, in some of the premier racing series around the world.
“It’s always good when you’re quick, that’s what the team asks you to come in for – but I’m looking forward to qualifying and the race,” he stated.
Power and Habul, friends and rivals going back to their days climbing the Australian open-wheel ladder, were always meant to go racing together. Power was to be one of many star-calibre guest drivers at the 2023 Rolex 24 At Daytona, driving alongside Habul at the team formerly known as SunEnergy1 Racing.
But far more important matters had to take priority. Liz, his wife of over 15 years, fell seriously ill with a near-fatal staph infection, forcing him to withdraw from Daytona.
Two and a half years later, Power is looking to use his expertise around Indianapolis’ 14-turn, 3.925-kilometre road course to the benefit of Habul. The 75 Express owner/driver is one of three drivers who can win the IGTC Independent Cup, given to the series’ top Bronze driver. It’s a prize that Habul has won four times before, and as one of two Bronze drivers in the Indy 8 Hour’s Pro category, it may represent Habul’s best chance to overturn a six-point deficit to Ralf Bohn and reigning IGTC Independent Cup holder Antares Au, both of whom race in the Pro-Am class.
Thankfully, only the legendary Michael Schumacher has won as many top-billing races around Indianapolis Motor Speedway’s road course as Power, a five-time winner at this circuit in the IndyCar Series. Not to mention, his name and likeness are on the Borg-Warner Trophy, as the winner of the 2018 Indianapolis 500.
“I’ve spent a lot of time at this place, and had a lot of success too, so I love being here,” Power continued.
When asked, Power said he’d love to get another chance to try running the Rolex 24, or participate in some of the other major endurance races – including those on the IGTC calendar.
But this is a major year of transition for Power, who, after 17 years at Team Penske, will not return to the team and will instead race in the IndyCar Series for Andretti Global. The nature of his Penske exit has been a source of contention within the IndyCar community, to say the least, but it’s revealed an outpouring of respect for Power and what he’s achieved in American open-wheel racing.
Once his contract with Penske runs out at the end of the calendar year, Power wants to make sure that his move to Andretti, working with a new group of people for the first time in nearly two decades, is done properly.
“I could do Daytona…gotta be very focused on IndyCar, as I’m going to a new team – I’ve gotta work with new people and all that sort of stuff. I think you want to be very focused and have no distractions,” he admitted. “But yeah, it’s possible. I think there’d be a chance to do it with Kenny. So we’ll see how this race goes, and I’ll think about that.
“Le Mans, obviously, would be an amazing race to do in the right situation. That would be something, if there’s a chance at some point to do that. Bathurst, Spa, some of the tracks they do (in the IGTC), it’s incredible – Suzuka, I could do that. That’s pretty cool, that’d be a lot of fun.”
And while Power is having lots of fun in his Mercedes-AMG GT3 EVO, he’s also left the door open to try his hand at running in a prototype, as many of his IndyCar rivals have done to varying degrees of success.
“I’m always keen to do something different; I think the prototype would be somewhere in between an IndyCar and a GT car. GT cars are good for what they are, they’re impressive on the brakes, they’re a nice car.
“You’re just adding to your toolbox of skills, because they are very different to drive. The style is very different. You haven’t got as much downforce or mid-corner grip with the car as heavy. So it’s just a different discipline. It’s the same sort of thing, you’re putting everything together really well to get a lap, and just understanding what’s required, what it needs, to get the lap time out of it.
Following and overtaking other GT3 cars will be the biggest challenge Power foresees in Saturday’s eight-hour race.
“You see a bit more in front of you in an open-wheeler. That’s what I was noticing a lot last night. (When following other cars) You lose a lot of front and overall grip. I think working out how to get by people will be something that I’ll have to work on during the race. Where do you place a car and that sort of thing, knowing you’ve got all the car out there,” he gestured.
“I hope we can do a great job for Kenny and get him a championship. And also, I don’t know if we have a shot at the overall win, but that would be amazing too.”
Images © Fabian Lagunas / SRO Motorsports America
