Vintage

Latino Heat: A Fast Track Conversation With
Racing & Dancing Star Helio Castroneves.

By Reid Davis

At thirty-two years, Helio (pronounced Elio) Castroneves is a world class racing driver with a “million dollar smile and personality”. He has been named in People Magazine’s recent “Top Ten Sexiest Bachelors” list and is currently enjoying superstar status as the winner (along with partner Julianne Hough) of the reality TV show Dancing With The Stars.

The Sao Paulo, Brazil native, who now makes his home in Miami’s South Beach, has come a long way from his childhood days of racing go-karts, competing in the Brazilian and British “Formula 3” open-wheel series to his debut in American racing in 1996 with CART’s Indy Lights series. Racing’s original “Spiderman”, named for his victory fence climbing celebrations, is the 2001 and 2002 Indy 500 winner and senior driver for internationally renowned team owner Roger Penske in the Indy Racing League Series.

Helio was in Nashville on January 19, 2008 as part of the DWTS Tour for an evening performance at the Sommet Center. In addition to a few towns in his adopted home state of Florida, Helio was only participating on the DWTS tour in cities which he competes in during the IRL season. He has been racing at Nashville Superspeedway since 2002 and is again scheduled to appear in this year’s Firestone Indy 200 on July 12th. I have been interviewing Helio since 2002 and again had the privilege to sit down with him that Saturday evening. With reacquainting and holiday pleasantries out of the way, it was time to get “serious” with Mr. Castroneves.

Q. Welcome back to Nashville but in a different venue and capacity with DWTS. How is the tour going?

Helio: “Thanks, great to be here. I’ve done only one show so far at Indianapolis (the previous night) and wow, what a great vibe man. I mean, it was something not expected. I was very pleased to see everybody really enjoying, really pulling for it in a positive way. It was very nice, I felt great last night and hopefully Nashville will have the same kind of vibe and looks like we will.”

Q. How much practice time have you put in since the DWTS show’s end?

Helio: “Well only an hour yesterday (laughs) and Julianne was like ‘Wow, you still have it’ and I was like, hey, if you tell me the dance we probably need at least a month now. But, it was great, it came quick. It’s still obvious I need to practice, which I love to do, to make sure that it goes perfect but last night was nice and we’re getting it together again.”

Q. How did you become involved with DWTS?

Helio: “I was approached last year at Indianapolis by the show’s producer and he asked me if I wanted to do it. I said I don’t know, I don’t know how to dance. But, he talked about the personality and things like that and I do understand those (intangible) things help out and man, it was great.”

Q. The ‘07 IRL season was still in progress when you started practicing, how did you balance the racing with the dancing?

Helio: “We had two races to go and obviously I wasn’t focused on dancing at that time. In fact I was the one (on the show) to start late on the dancing in preparing myself for the season. But when I started, I started like in a way that I said OK, got to do it everyday, six hours a day, lets put it together. With that attitude, it was really quality, we were learning quickly and it was really very good. That was the good news about not having the racing around and probably why I did very well.”

Q. I’ve watched you at the racetracks for several years and you are a very focused person. What were your realistic goals for DWTS?

Helio: “Well no question when I started, I wanted to achieve the public that does not know about racing and not only that, it would benefit my name and obviously the (IRL) series. Now, to continue doing the (DWTS) tour and (media) stuff is promoting and hopefully people will follow where I’m going to be. With that, everybody surrounding me, the series, my team and sponsors will benefit and I see it as a win, win situation.”

Q. Every interview that I saw with you and every performance, you made a seemingly conscientious effort to promote the fact that you are an IndyCar driver. Was that a deliberate act?

Helio: (emphatically) “Oh, absolutely! But first of all, racecar driver….it can be anything but, IndyCars is what I do. I know if the series can come back, which it is, the way it was in the past, it would be great. Everybody’s going to benefit so that was one of the reasons I did that.”

Q. With the IRL losing (drivers) Sam (Hornish, Jr.) and Dario (Franchitti) to NASCAR and Danicamania (Danica Patrick) something of the past, do you feel that since you have introduced yourself and the series to an audience that was unimaginable at this time last year, that you are now the spokesperson for American open-wheel racing?

Helio: “Well, I hope the series will take advantage of that. You know, if they want me to, I’m certainly open to do that. I do feel like that I reached a lot of new people, a lot of new fans. I’m sure if we (IRL) work together to use this position to bring those new fans to the races and have them having fun watching the races (which is not only about the racing but the whole production which is something I’ve learned from DWTS) then for sure, we are going to grow as a team. If the IRL wants to do that then I’m more than happy to do so.”

(Helio’s DWTS success and the importance that the exposure has brought to the IRL has not gone unnoticed to fellow driver Dan Wheldon. The 2005 Indy 500 winner and Series Champion is quoted, “I honestly believe the IndyCar Series is ready for a big momentum boost. They (IRL officials) now seem ready to go the extra mile and do what it takes to increase product awareness and the Helio DWTS factor will be very, very good. I have to give him credit for the positive way that he portrayed himself and the IndyCar Series. I don’t think anybody but him could have done as good of a job. What he has done for IndyCar’s image is very important.”)

Q. I have to ask you about Gil (former Penske teammate and best friend Gil DeFerren). I saw the taped interview with him on the DWTS final’s show. Was he calling you after each show giving you a hard time?

Helio: “He was the only one giving me a hard time which he does that, he’s always giving me a hard time. But you know, he was very pleased and he was watching the dancing through You-Tube and was like, ‘Man, you’re actually really good.’ So, he was giving me a lot of compliments. The good news is we are still great friends. It’s hard in this business to keep a relationship like that and I’m very happy that he is one of my buddies.”

Q. I would like to see him back with Team Penske (since leaving the Honda F1 team after the ‘07 season) in some capacity. He’s too good, he wasn’t called “The Professor” for nothing….

Helio: “Yeah I know. Me too and I think one day that’s going to happen. So hopefully we’re going to get back together as a team again and that would be awesome. But he’s very quiet about what he’s going to do.”

Update: It has been announced that Gil DeFerren will come out of driving retirement to compete in the 2008 ALMS series. Gil will be operating his own team, DeFerren Motorsports Engineering, and is expecting to debut at the Long Beach (California) Grand Prix in April. A teammate has yet to be named.

Q. Your dancing partner Julianne has recently recorded an album (Country) in Nashville. I don’t know if you told her but about five years ago, I was in the recording studio when you and Gil, (laughter from Helio), have you played her the CD that the two of you recorded?

Helio: (laughter) Oh that’s right, I forgot about that CD….I don’t even know if…(laughter)…I do have it but I don’t know where with moving and changing offices. (laughter) That’s right…..thank God I can’t sing and she can’t drive a racecar so that’s good.”

Q. I think a duet album should be next up….

Helio: (laughter) “Trust me, I would be the guy in the background dancing. Really, a dancer is all I can do.” (laughter)

Q. We could even have Gil producing it….

Helio: (laughter) “Stop it, stop it….that’s too much (laughter), that’s going to go downhill with Gil producing it.” (laughter)

Q. The 2008 racing season is upon us and you have a new teammate in Ryan Briscoe (replacing Hornish, Jr.). He spent a year with Team Ganassi in the IRL a few years ago and also had a great finish in last year’s Indy 500 with a Penske “side team”. You tested with him last December at Homestead (Florida), have you spent enough time with Ryan to get a “feel” for him as a teammate?

Helio: “Yes, let me tell you, Ryan is an incredible talent. I feel that the combination that we’re going to have this year is incredible. Not only is he fast on the road courses and ovals, but the communication and the vibe that he is sending out is very positive. He’s not a new guy because he’s been with Team Penske so he knows the team. He’s driven so many different cars, he’s experienced and young and as you mention, he finished fifth in last year’s Indy 500. It’s great, I feel that definitely the atmosphere within the team is positive. Man, I’m really looking forward to the 2008 season which starts March 29^th in Homestead.”

Q. Only one win each for you and Sam last year. What has the team done during the off-season to not only get you back in the winner’s circle, but to bring you that first driver’s championship?

Helio: “We proved we were fast (last year), in fact we broke the record for pole positions in a season with seven. We’ve put ourselves together now. The team has moved to Charlotte (North Carolina from Pennsylvania) and finally, everybody is settled from moving and selling and buying houses. I feel this year, everything is set, everybody’s focused and I know we’re going to do very well.”

Closing comments: Helio, thank you very much for taking the time. Good luck with the DWTS performances but especially for the ‘08 racing season, Indy (500), the Championship and we‘ll see you back in Nashville in July.

Helio: “Awesome, this was very good.”

Reid Davis is a Nashville, TN based, freelance Motor-Sports journalist specializing in Open-Wheel racing. Contact: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it