October 30, 2004
Pole ? Zlatko Bratonja (Mapes-VO - Honda)

Zlatko, that was impressive. You?ve also given Mapes-VO their first Pole of 2004. Can you go as quickly in the race? And I presume no antics into the first corner with Mr Elencevski in order to help your team-mate out?

"I am delighted to score the first Mapes-VO pole this season and I hope I can keep the same pace in the race too. And, no, I would never think of doing something as unfairly as that!"

The forecast for race day is a potential for some rain. Has your set-up covered this scenario?

"Yes partly. I think that our car is fairly suitable for both wet and dry conditions. Lets just hope it doesn`t rain! hehehe"

You seem to fit well into the Mapes-VO team, quite a big name in the sim racing community. How did the deal all come about? And what are your requirements for 2005 ? a drive in the F1VWC?

"It all started simple, I was looking for a drive and fortunately I got attention from some of the F1vwc managers. As soon as Mapes-VO came into talk, I knew where I wanted to go, I`ve seen their previous achievments, and was somewhat surprised by their interest. I hope I have proven worthy of driving a Mapes-VO car in the 2005 season too."

2nd ? Steve Elencevski (FinOz - Ferrari (c))

Perfect position on the front row for the race to the tight first corner. And you must be pleased to see so many cars so close together around here. Do you still believe you can be crowned Drivers Champion?

"It certainly was a close session with not much in it, but we don't know what fuel some of the other guys have onboard & i think we are in for a very exciting race. I really struggled early on in practise, the car was all over the place, i had lots of oversteer on the exit of corners & the rear end was very unstable under braking, but we managed to get it right just in time for qualifying.

As for the Championship, although i'm not a real fan of this circuit, it's a win-win situation for me so i will fight hard til the chequered flag. My only hope is Mikko has some sort of technical problem & i finish 2nd at least. The other scenario would be for me to win & Mikko finishing 7th - as i have more wins, it's a big ask, but you never know."

It?s been a remarkable season Steve, and a win here would put you statistically as the most best performing driver of the season. In the early part of the season you definitely struggled compared to the more experienced guys. What was the reason for that?

"Well we're on the pace in qualifying & we we're baffled as to why we couldn't translate the same pace in race trim. So after the race at Barcelona, we compared my data with Kari's & found that i had a throttle problem, where i was only getting about 85% throttle & losing around 15-20km/h with top speeds. We believe i had this problem with my car since the very first race in Melbourne, but it wasn't until Monaco that we had it sorted, as the results speak for themselves from then on.

But i think i have been improving all the time & once again the results are proof of that, as i have been on the podium at every race since the U.S GP until the last one in Japan. Looking back at Monaco, i'm really disappointed in losing 5 points at that race, due to a plank wear issue, as i would have been only 3 points behind Mikko going into this race."

Of Championships such things are made! Race trim ? happy if it rains or if it stays dry?

"I wouldn't mind if it stays dry, but if it does rain, i'd prefer it to be bucketing down rather than having slightly damp conditions."

3rd - Kieran Ryan (SCUM - Holden)

Kieran - I'm smiling at your late season form as you'll be driving for my team in 2005. But you have been very consistent in Qualifying since joining SCUM. What's the reason for this?

"No particular reason. I joined SCUM at a time where the tracks suited me better I guess. I do admit that winning in Monza gave me extra enthusiasm to find more in me and I guess I have. Qualifying was difficult here. I mean the car was fine - and that was the problem, I couldn't identify where exactlty I could find more time. I know the car could have been faster but I couldn't tell the engineers where which didn't help matters. But 3rd is quite good, my 4th or 5th 3rd on the grid this year so it miust be lucky for me."

How would you rate your chances in the race. Does it depend on what the weather brings, or are you happy with the cars set-up either way?

"I set the car up for dry conditions so I will do my best whatever the weather turns to. I would welcome some rain and I do hear that it will rain at the begining. This will make it tricky as it's meant to stop after a while and racing from wet to a drying line is VERY tricky. Everything must be inch per inch perfect, if you run onto the wet part of the track, you've lost it really so it's very hard but challanging too which is why we're all here I guess. I think my strategy is pefect for the race, so I just have to give it my all and I will love to finish on the podium once more."

The battle with MMC Racing means that you really need to win this race. But a lot of drivers are very close in lap times, plus fuel levels are unknown at this stage. Any particular driver you fear on the Interlagos circuit?

"My aim is just do finish as high as I can, that's all that can be asked of me. If it rains then I shall be happier as it suits me more. Wheather we (SCUM) finish 5th or 6th really won't matter much as the team has done a great job this year, we've won a race and I've tried to keep spirts as high as I can and I think it's worked. If i can even finish 3rd here the guys will be happy. It would be a fitting farewell to the team."

After the race has finished the 2004 season will be over. How will you spend your winter break and the pre-season for 2005?

"I haven't decided whether I'll do the Gold Cup race yet so we'll see. I plan to just take a break, go back to Dublin and just take a nice long rest from driving. While racing is something I love, after 11 races which I've done this year, it can take it out of you, so a break will be welcome. Pre-season 2005, I should hope to make an apperance in the new Phoenix F1 along with my new team mate Jason, and see how it goes really. I need to re-focus my attention and take the next step up and re-challenge for the title and just see how far I can take the challenge and to what level."