Star Mazda Series driver Zach Veach says he’s ready to stretch his bigger bigger wings around Iowa Speedway, including developing a relationship with the track’s famous bump.
The middle rung of the Mazda Road to Indy — Star Mazda Series — will be part of a three-race Saturday at Iowa Speedway. Veach is in his first year as a driver for Andretti Autosport in Star Mazda, having spent two years in USF2000, the first wung on the ladder. Firestone Indy Lights is the last step of the three-step series.
Veach last raced at Iowa in 2010 with USF2000. In that race he lost a front wing and went three laps down but managed to race back onto the lead lap and finish fifth without the aid of yellows.
The Star Mazda car, has has 60 to 70 more horsepower than a USF2000 car, but the biggest difference is much more downforce, Zeach said, making the Star Mazda car faster through turns. Increased downforce levels and how they interact with tire wear take some getting used to, he said.
“Trusting (the aero grip) is one of the biggest things you have to figure out,” he said. “You find that you trust it, you trust it ... and then it snaps out and you don’t catch it. It’s there until the car starts to slide out, and then you’re (in the wall)." Being able to sense when the car is changing and adjust driving style is key to success in the series, he said.
The Star Mazda car is also less forgiving than the lower downforce, slower USF2000 cars.
“With USF2000 you can step over the line ten times a lap and be able to save it,” he said. “With Star Mazda you just have to step over the line one time and you’re in the wall.”
Like other drivers, Veach said the famous (or infamous) bump over the tunnel between turns one and two at Iowa Speedway challenges drivers.
“f you have a cushion or a comfortable lead you can go a little higher and miss the bump try to save everything a little longer,” said Veach. “But if you are in the heat of battle you have to ride it out and use the bars you have in the car to help contend with the growing problem.”
Iowa Speedway has worked a bit on the bump since IndyCar last raced here. Earlier this year they drilled into the track surface and injected a jell-like substance that helped raise the track and remove some depressions right before the bump. IndyCar drivers say the bump is about the same as it was last year, and most like it as a character feature of the track.
Veach said he’s hoping to jump to the top rung of the Road to Indy — Firestone Indy Lights — next year, but isn’t on a set timetable.
“I’d like to in IndyCar in 2015,” he said. “I’ll be 20, but why rush it? That’s one of Michael’s (Andretti Autosport owner Michael Andretti) biggest things is making sure we have the time we need in each developmental series. Any time you are in a race car you are going to learn something new. Why not learn it in one of the lower (rung), slower cars than catch up in an IndyCar?”
Veach’s approach has been to evaluate his performance at the end of each season and then decide where he wants to pursue his next ride. “It’s really what level do you think you are at at the end of the year. If we finish strong at the end of the Star Mazda year and I feel like I have a good grasp on it, then definitely (look to) Indy Lights, and if not, then a second year in Star Mazda. It’s just where we’re at at that time.”
Meanwhile, Veach tries to take advantage of every opportunity to interact with drivers in the rungs above and to watch as many races as he can.
“I love to go and watch the other series if I have time,” he said. “I’ll go and watch the Indy Lights race and kind of see some of the moves and fakes some of the other guys make and think about that going forward in our race. As a driver, as I watch I am always trying to figure out where the tires are and what the fuel is at and what’s going through their head at that time. You see a driver fall back you say OK he’s going to set up this guy; he’s just trying to get a gap. That’s one of those thing I like about having a little knowledge about the sport.”
When not on the track or watching other races, Veach lives the non-glamorous life you’d expect from someone in the IndyCar equivalent of AA baseball.
Veach and his father, Roger, made the nine-hour drive from their home in Ohio to Newton and will stay in an area hotel during race weekend. No at-the-track motor coaches for the minor leaguers.
“My motor coach is a Ford F150,” Veach said with a laugh. “It’s got a great bed in it, but I’m to the point where I’m starting to grow a little more so I can’t lie flat on the back seat so I gotta bend my legs that’s kind of annoying. It comes with a pillow, so that’s nice, and air conditioning.”
Roger usually drives the entire distance. “I kind of feel bad. I make him drive pretty much everywhere,” Veach said with more laughter. “But I don’t like driving trucks. They handle so soft you can never tell what they are going to do. I’d probably have to take the fenders off it or something.”
Veach and his Star Mazda at 5:30 p.m. Saturday at Iowa Speedway. Tickets here. For more on how Veach got into racing, go here. Visit Veach's site, ZachVeach.com here.
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