Penske happy with Brazilian combo

Dick Brinster

Wednesday, May 9, 2001 | 3:51 a.m.

Roger Penske figured the key to resurrecting CART's greatest team would be selecting the right drivers. In Gil de Ferran and Helio Castroneves, he appears to have found them.

"It's always easy to say you did the right thing after all the success we've had," Penske said. "They really jelled and brought the team together."

And it didn't take long. Last season, de Ferran gave Penske his first series championship since Al Unser Jr. in 1994, and Castroneves tied for the lead in victories with three.

First, the 33-year-old de Ferran got Penske his landmark 100th victory as a Champ Car owner - ending a stunning three-year winless run for the team - and then his eighth CART championship and 10th open-wheel title overall. The rapid development of Castroneves, who turned 26 this week, was an added bonus for Penske.

"Helio is a very exciting, outgoing driver," Penske said. "Gil is more calculated. So they bring a real balance to our team."

They also provide stability, something Penske had to be concerned about in 1999. He decided to let go of slump-ridden Unser, and rookie Gonzalo Rodriguez was killed while practicing.

So Penske hired hard-charging Greg Moore, at 24 a proven winner on the cusp of superstardom, to lead the team in 2000. But before Moore turned a lap for Penske, the Canadian was killed in his final ride for Gerald Forsythe in the season-ending race of 1999.

In de Ferran, hired with Moore, Penske still had one of the drivers he wanted. When Castroneves, fast but unproven, left his ride when his team lost its sponsorship, Penske found the other.

"Quite honestly, we're fortunate to have the caliber of both Gil and Helio on our team," he said.

De Ferran, like Moore an established winner, never hesitated when Penske came calling, even though the team had been losing and was not competitive by 1999.

"Here is a guy who has had more success than anybody else, not only in racing but in his life in general," de Ferran said of Penske, a multimillionaire businessman. "This is a guy who's telling me he'll review everything, do everything in his power to turn it around.

"I decided not to bet against that. I figured if he's going down that road he's going to get there."

Penske also changed top management personnel with his team, its engines, chassis and even tires. Castroneves saw that, and realized Penske was committed to being much more than an also-ran on a circuit he controlled for years.

Castroneves says Penske gives his drivers whatever they want, but expects much in return. Castroneves had no problem complying, and has won four times - including the Long Beach Grand Prix last month - since coming aboard.

"I know I have the talent and I know I'm quick," he said. "No, I wasn't surprised to win three times last year. I know what we have here."

One of those things, Penske emphasizes, is a camaraderie between his drivers.

"They keep an eye on each other," he said. "They don't miss the setup on each other's cars to be sure they have the best."

For de Ferran, that means being in position to gain valuable points each week, not pushing the car beyond its capability and settling for a sixth-place finish if necessary. He says going slower is sometimes the smartest thing.

Castroneves, who enjoys the give and take in which each driver occasionally ribs the other, has his own spin on that.

"He drives like an old lady," he said as de Ferran sat a few feet away in the team's motorhome.

De Ferran leaned back, rolled his eyes upward and laughed.

"I have a lot of respect for Helio," he said. "But I look at it this way: If he was on another team, I'd have to race him, so I might as well beat him anyway."

He'll get that chance on May 20, when CART contests the Firestone Firehawk 500 in Motegi, Japan.

Then it's on to the Indianapolis 500, now an Indy Racing League event, where Penske will seek his 11th victory May 27. He hasn't had his drivers at the Brickyard since CART's ouster after the 1995 race.

Castroneves wants to win at Indy, and wants de Ferran's CART title, too. But he never strays from his senior partner's pronouncement that every move on or off the track is a team effort. They don't even disagree on how to set up their chassis.

"If I like the car, he likes the car," Castroneves said.