E.J. Viso participated in a Q&A session this week, discussing his IndyCar Series season and this weekend's race at Edmonton City Centre Airport. Below are select quotes from his interview followed by "Five Questions with E.J. Viso."
E.J. Viso· 24-year-old who is competing in his second full season in the IndyCar Series.· Driving the No. 13 PDVSA/HVM Racing car for HVM Racing.· Ranks 18th in points with season-best seventh-place finish at Watkins Glen earlier this month.· Has 25 career starts, recording six top-10 finishes.· Enjoys extreme sports such as mountain biking, motocross and sky diving.· Is very superstitious and carries several lucky charms when he gets in a car.
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Q. You've seemed to have turned your season around from the bad luck that plagued you at the start. Do you feel like the team is taking steps in the right direction?E.J. Viso: "(On the road courses) it seems like we've taken a step forward. At Toronto, we were having a very good race. All the changes made after qualifying were all positive, everything was going good and we had a good strategy. Everything was paying off. Then I had a big hit on the rear tire, and I got a flat tire. That's what put me in position 13."Q. The next race is the Rexall Edmonton Indy. What are your thoughts about the Edmonton City Centre Airport circuit?E.J. Viso: "Edmonton is a very unique place. It's really fast. They have the fastest chicane in the championship. You do (the chicane) upshifting from fourth to fifth, and it's completely flat out in a qualifying lap. Because it's an airport, the straights can be very bumpy with patches of asphalt and cement there. It's very difficult to position the car in the hard braking corners, but you want to brake as late as possible. It's a track where you can gain time if you can brake late.Q. Is there a secret to getting around the track?E.J. Viso: "You need to basically find whatever is better for the car, whatever makes it go faster. It's very bumpy so there are a couple of lines that are better to use."Five Questions with E.J. Viso:1. What's the craziest thing you've done?"BASE jumping in Venezuela."2. What's your favorite meal?"I like Herbalife shakes. I just put anything inside - Milky Ways, fruits, yogurt, milk - whatever is on my mind.3. Do you prefer blondes or brunettes?"Either one."4. What's your dream car?"I wish I could have (the one) that my father used to drive. He used to be a race car driver, and he had a (Ford) Mustang, a 1968 Mustang. I wish I could find that one, one day. That would be my dream car."5. What was your first job?"My first job was a driving instructor in England."
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The 2009 IndyCar Series season continues July 26 with the Rexall Edmonton Indy at Edmonton City Centre Airport. The race will be telecast live in High Definition at 5p.m. (EDT) by VERSUS. A one-hour qualifying show will be telecast by VERSUS at 6 p.m. on July 25. The race will air live on the IMS Radio Network, XM channel 145 and Sirius channel 211. The radio broadcast also will be carried on indycar.com. The 2009 Firestone Indy Lights season continues with the Firestone Indy Lights Grand Prix of Edmonton on July 25 at Edmonton City Centre Airport. The race will be telecast at 4 p.m. (EDT) on July 27 by VERSUS.
