September 11, 2003
Italian GP Press Conference following the Qualifying session completed 10th September 2003.

Present were Joe Consiglio (Pole); Mikko Jakonen (2nd); and Toby Lock (3rd).

Pole - Joe Consiglio (Stealth GP)

Q - Joe, congratulations on a superb lap - as smooth as could be - in fact, it didn't look fast!!! What's your secret?

A - Ah that would be telling! Basically I think the lap time was all about the 1st sector, when I saw the split time come up I was pleasantly surprised. From there I just tried to drive as smoothly as I could and finish the lap.

Q - Race conditions will be different of course - can you carry that form into the race itself and win your first GPVWC/F1VWC race?

A - To win a GPVWC/F1VWC race is the main reason for my return! I'd say I've got a pretty good chance, I've never taken Pole by such a margin before, the Stealth has the best engine in the field, so assuming conditions remain similar to today I'm in the best position in my career to take my first victory.

Q - How long can we expect to see you around the F1VWC paddock? Rumours are that this appearance is a one off deal with Stealth?

A - Well this will definitely be my last drive of 2003. We'll see weather I can drive next year. I've had offers from a number of different teams but I guess only time will tell.

2nd Position - Mikko Jakonen (Mapes-VO)

Q - Mikko - you broke the previous track record, but couldn't get close enough to Consiglio in the end. You suffered from several lock-ups under braking - did you have your car set up as you would have liked it?

A - Yes, I managed to go a bit faster than I actually expected; we were already doing qualifying runs at the last test, so in that sense the result is positive. The car was actually very good to drive, no complaints there. I saw Joe's pole sector time in the monitor and was blown away by the fact that he was half a second faster than me in the first sector at that point. I realized I have to be a lot more aggressive there, and that's why I got a few lock-ups when trying a bit too hard. But if I take the best sector times from my laps today and in the warm-up, I'm only a tenth behind Joe, so there isn't any big problem with the car at least. I just have to concentrate to make consistent laps in the race; then I should be able to fight with him for the win.

Q - Still, 2nd on the grid is an excellent result, especially with your Drivers Championship rivals in 6th and 10th. You must know that this could be your chance to take advantage, especially with Ryong in 10th and clearly struggling for pace?

A - Yes, this race will make or break my championship hopes. I need to win here, and hope that Ryong doesn't gain any extra speed in the race. I'll drive for the win flat out and hope there's Petri and many other cars between me and Daniel and Shiro. Then I'd still have hope.

Q - Mapes-Vo have clearly improved the car and the engine package - the Honda is no longer doubt ridden over reliability. Does this give you more confidence as you undertake the challenge for the Championship in the last 3 races?

A - This is a power circuit, and Honda definitely has some power now. All the simulations indicate that we should be able to push the engine this high in the race as well without any problems, so yes, it seems we still have a chance to realistically fight for both championships. The whole team is dedicated to doing just that for the remainder of the races.

3rd Position - Toby Lock (JTM)

Q - An excellent lap Toby, but one mistake that I could see as you understeered into Parabolica - you could have beaten the 1m20 barrier but for that mistake. How did your session go?

A - Didn't notice that myself, but obviously reporters are better than the drivers at analysing laps! The session was ok I guess. The first half was not too bad, the setup needed some fine-tuning, and that paid off in the second half. I noticed more understeer in the Variante Ascari, but half a tenth faster wouldn't have moved me high, so this lap was good for what its purpose is.

Q - You also beat your team-mate Matt Maple. You have been very closely matched in other leagues (e.g. IGP3C), but here we have seen two different results in the last 2 races come qualifying. How do you rate yourself and Matt, and the JTM team?

A - I don't rate Matt at all; I think he is over hyped, lazy, and stupid&ldots; nah only kidding!! He's my best mate, couldn't get on better and I think that will help the JTM team in the future. Obviously with Matt on pole in Hungary we expected higher positions, but points on my first attempt was more than I could have hoped for, and I hope we can score more here.

Q - Obviously race day is much more important than qualifying. You must realise that your performances (and that of others) can clearly affect how both Drivers and Constructors Championships are resolved. Monza, with its fast straights, will be a track where Jakonen and Wilkinson will be hoping you can beat Ryong and aid their championship challenges. How will you be approaching the race?

A - Having never heard of these guys until I came here, and I don't mean to disrespect any of them, I couldn't care less about them to be honest. I'm not involved in the championship race, and JTM don't look like winning the Constructors, so I'll race my race, and if it comes to racing with the championship contenders, I'm not going to move over simply because of their status. However, I'm not going out there to destroy anyone's chances simply because I've got the upper hand over him at the moment. We'll see what happens in the race, then analyse championship chances.