Herbert closes in on Indy

"We've been talking for a while and it's something that came up because they were going to do a test here," Herbert said before Sunday's Belterra Casino Indy 300 at Kentucky Speedway. "It's a good opportunity for everybody to get together, see how we work and prepare for the next step.

"I have one major challenge left to accomplish in motorsports; winning the Indianapolis 500. Racing at Indy has been a goal of mine since I was 10 years old. It is the greatest race in the world, and I'm taking every opportunity I can to get to Indy."

Herbert made his F1 debut in 1989, finishing ninth in his first race. In 12 years of F1 competition, Herbert has accumulated three wins in 164 starts.

Heritage Motorsports is owned by John Mecom III and Jim Rathmann Jr. Mecom's father, John Jr, was the winning team owner in the 1966 Indianapolis 500 when Graham Hill drove to victory as a rookie. Rathmann's father was the winning driver of the 1960 Indianapolis 500.

Herbert will run an Infiniti-powered G Force chassis in Monday's test. It's the same car CART driver Bruno Junqueira drove to a fifth-place finish as a rookie in this year's Indianapolis 500.

"My partner, John Mecom III, has a deep heritage with Formula 1 racing with McLaren," Rathmann said. "Johnny Herbert knew that and they contacted us before the Richmond IRL race in June. They met us at Richmond. We talked to G Force, G Force talked to Infiniti and the whole thing came together.

"We're not committed to Infiniti or Oldsmobile at this point. Whoever has the better engine is who we will deal with."

Rathmann has confidence that after Monday's test, a deal can be reached with Herbert to compete at Indy next year.

"For next year's Indianapolis 500, I'd say we are very close to reaching a deal," Rathmann said. "He really wants to run Indy and he really wants to win the Indy 500. We have to see how he likes the car on Monday and how we like him.

"He's Johnny Herbert. He's a Formula 1 driver. Those guys are the best in the world, bar none. We're not worried about that."

Herbert test drove a CART Champ Car owned by Dale Coyne at Rockingham Motor Speedway in England last month, logging 175 miles with a top speed of 198mph.

"I don't expect too much difference with the IRL car," Herbert said. "The aerodynamics will take over and they have less horsepower. I think the biggest difference would be in a race situation when you get on the gas and get back on it, it takes a bit longer to get going. I think the style will be similar, but I think this will be easier in some respects because Rockingham is a tri-oval."

But his main goal is to arrive at the 2.5-mile, four-cornered Indianapolis Motor Speedway for the biggest race in the world.

"I have no idea when I can test there," Herbert said. "The big thing will be to get with the team and then test there. I think mainly we need to get something together where we can work together with somebody and then move ahead to start testing.

"I know the guys at Infiniti, but the thing with Tom Walkinshaw came up afterwards," Herbert said. "The chassis is a good one that works well. Yes, I'm an English driver, but at the end of the day, you have to put the deal together."

Rathmann believes the lure of the Indianapolis 500 will lead Herbert to sign up with the IRL team for an Indy-only effort next season, rather than sign with a team in CART.

"He did run a CART car at Rockingham, England a few weeks ago," Rathmann said. "Let's face it - the Indy 500 is what turns him on and this a viable product to race the Indy 500 in. Add to that CART is in such disarray right now, nobody knows what is going on."

Mecom believes Herbert's addition to next year's race would add even more lustre and international acclaim to what is still the biggest race in the world.

"I can't take credit for that because it was a big effort by G Force to pull it together with the Infiniti guys," Mecom said. "I did get the very first phone call from Johnny's manager. It's a deal we are working on right now. It would definitely be exciting to have Johnny at Indy. He's a great race car driver and would bring a lot of attention to our sport. I expect Johnny would entertain an Indy deal with us.

"Johnny is a hell of a race car driver," Mecom added. "He is still an F1 test driver and has the most experience. I expect Johnny to get up to speed instantly and do well tomorrow (at his test)."

Herbert also believes the attitudes and opinions of the Indy Racing League have shifted dramatically in the Formula 1 crowd since the series was started in 1996. It has picked up momentum this season and some Europeans believe it is a healthy and viable series.

"It's shifted a little bit," Herbert said. "I think mainly the attitude was that way because in Europe, we have street courses where over in the IRL, it's just ovals. Champ Cars are on both so they can relate to the street course more than an oval. But the racing is very good. It's exciting racing. Formula 1 does get to be single-file. When they see the racing with the Indianapolis 500, that has really grown.

"At the present time, it seems the tide has shifted away from CART to the IRL and people have noticed that even in Europe. It has shifted and how far it shifts is something we'll have to see. I think the organisation of the Indy Racing League is very good. There is a very basic chassis configuration everyone has to adhere to.

"Indy may have suffered in the early years of the IRL, but it is coming back. The biggest thing that it has suffered from is the split and not having all the drivers there you possibly could," Herbert said. "The good thing is last year, and what will happen in the future, a lot more drivers will get involved. It will become an even bigger spectacle. The spectacle it has is very, very special to people around the world but when we get everybody there, it will be even more special."

Herbert was at last year's United States Grand Prix at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and marvelled at how the staid collection of Formula 1 drivers were in awe of the auto racing shrine that predates modern F1 racing by nearly 40 years.

"There were a lot more drivers who went on the grid and had their pictures taken," Herbert said. "It does have something special and it does have the reputation of being a mega race. It's an amazing place, but you have to be at the Indianapolis 500 to see how truly amazing it is."

Herbert used Sunday's IRL race at Kentucky as a chance to familiarise himself with the high-speed style of racing in the Indy car series.

"Today, I'm going to look at the racing and I hear it will be rather close," Herbert said. "Monday, that won't be the case for me. It will be nice to have a view of the track itself. Monday is to do the best job I can, impress enough people to keep things moving."