By Dick Mittman
indy500.com
Monday, May 7, 2007
Phil Giebler is within a whisker of not worrying about washing dishes and sleeping on the floor any longer to keep his racing career alive.
Giebler is a 27-year-old rookie hoping to reach a lifelong dream by qualifying for this year's Indianapolis 500-Mile Race, scheduled for Sunday, May 27. He's a Californian who spent five years in Europe driving everything from karts to Formula 3000 machines.
Now, after competing in and finishing fifth and 16th, respectively, in the 2004 and 2006 Freedom 100 Indy Pro Series races at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, he is returning to the world's most famous racetrack with a strong chance of becoming a part of the 91st Indy 500.
Giebler completed the four-segment Rookie Orientation Program on Monday, May 7 to join Venezuelan Milka Duno as likely rookie qualifiers for the 33-car field. He is driving the Panoz/Honda/Firestone entered by Playa Del Racing and is a teammate of veteran Jaques Lazier.
"A very long time," he said about his vision of driving at Indy. "I had aspirations from a young boy racing go-karts in Southern California.
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"Everybody here has definitely put me in a good car at Playa Del Racing. It's a very stable car and gives me a lot of confidence. And also with Jaques being my teammate, it's been really good having him here to give me some pointers and just to make a comfortable transition."
Lazier, brother of 1996 Indy winner Buddy Lazier, will race at Indy for Playa Del Racing for the third year and is seeking his sixth start.
"Phil's is a unique driver," Lazier said. "I mean, he's very talented in the many things he has done. Obviously, he's been over in A1GP, he's run IPS (Pro Series), done well with that and won a race at Homestead, so he is good on the oval.
"Obviously, the jump from those kind of chassis up to the Indy car is a pretty significant jump. The difference I find with him over many other drivers and what makes him unique is he very willing to talk to me about stuff, to listen to any input that I have. I have had some drivers in the past that I've gone to and tried to help them, and basically it got thrown back in my face that I don't understand what's going on.
"To show you how quality of a driver Phil is, he's very open to any kind of suggestions. At the end of the day, he sits down and tries to debrief with me and talks about what he felt. I think he's going to be a very good attribute to the team."
Giebler took a circuitous route to Indy. He moved to Europe as a 17-year-old to compete in karts and stayed five years. He advanced to F3 and F3000. In karting, he beat current Formula One World Champion Fernando Alonso when Alonso was one Europe's rising young stars.
His goal then switched to thinking F1. That's when he washed dishes and slept on a floor, anything, just get a chance to race.
"I was passionate about it," he said.
"I was doing everything I could to do it. I didn't have a full budget to have a full season, but I just loved the competition."
Giebler had a few conversations with F1 teams, but none was serious.
Then in 2004, a week before the Indy Pro Series opening race at Homestead-Miami Speedway, he received a call from Keith Duesenberg asking whether he would be interested in driving the Western Union car. He jumped at the chance, started last and won the race.
"That really got me over here, got some attention," he said. "I was over in Europe for so long people didn't know about me here."
He drove the rest of the season and added a third place and two fifth places in seven races. He started seventh and placed fifth in the Freedom 100 in his first visit to the Speedway in 2004.
Last season, Giebler drove primarily in the A1GP open-wheel series that races around the world. One of his career highlights before this May was racing in a support event to the Monaco Grand Prix.
Making the Indy 500 obviously will become No. 1.
"Definitely!" he said.
"I mean, in Monaco I was in the support series. Everybody's here for the big race, and that's what I love about being able to compete in front of big crowds, being able to put on a good show for the people. It's just a different atmosphere when you're the headlining show."
Doing all the one-offs that were available to him in Europe has been a help in adjusting to any type of track or car/team situation, he said.
"I had to jump into an unknown car and just get out there and do it where you're only allowed 30 minutes of practice," Giebler said about racing in various series in Europe. "The team, the car, you don't know anything. So it's really helped me in developing my skills."
Those include adapting to a high-speed Indy car in a short space of time. His only prior experience was about 30 laps at Kentucky in a test. He reached 217.091 mph on Monday at Indy.
"I think as a driver the sensitivity that you need for the ovals is quite demanding," he said. "Ovals, it's really small, small movement (changes), and it's so small you have to develop a sensitivity you didn't have on the road course."
Giebler is excited about finally getting an opportunity on auto racing's largest stage.
"I'm ready for it, and I'm really looking forward to the race," he said.
***
Indy 500 tickets on sale: Tickets are on sale for the 2007 Indianapolis 500 on Sunday, May 27, the 91st running of "The Greatest Spectacle in Racing."
Fans can order tickets online at www.indianapolismotorspeedway.com, by calling the IMS ticket office at (317) 492-6700 or (800) 822-INDY outside the Indianapolis area, or at the ticket office at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Parking and camping information also can be obtained through the ticket office.
Hours for phone orders and the ticket office are 8 a.m.-6 p.m. (ET) Monday-Sunday during May, with special hours of 7 a.m.-6 p.m. on Pole Day, Saturday, May 12 and 6 a.m.-1 p.m. on Race Day, Sunday, May 27. Online orders can be made at any time.
Race Day ticket prices start at just $20.
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