ECR’s Ed Carpenter opens up about facing COVID-19 pandemic being a smaller IndyCar outfit on the grid as the big ones also face the heat.
Talks about the COVID-19 pandemic’s impact on the motorsport world revolve primarily around finances, and particularly the lack of sponsorship money flowing into the teams’ accounts, where the worry is difficulty in paying up salaries.
However, Carpenter sees the personal aspect of his IndyCar operation – Ed Carpenter Racing – the hardest hit of all. Separated due to social distancing, and itching for the return to racing, staff of this small operation are suffering, and this, he says, is a bigger hurdle than lacking sponsorship.
This is also the reason that the American says the big teams are suffering just as much as the next guy, irrespective of their stronger financial standing. “I don’t know the toll has been any harder for us than any other team,” said Carpenter to media including FormulaRapida.net.
“We are a team sport even though the drivers are out in front of everything a lot. We race six months of the year, but we’re together 12 months of the year. I would say the hardest thing is just not being with one another, being separated. Just like all of humanity, there’s a ton of anxiety during this entire time.
“I think for myself and other members, the management of the IndyCar team, just trying to be there for our employees and reassure them, make sure we can find ways to continue to provide for them is my number one priority right now, that when we can get back to work, everyone is in a very good position to do so.
“It has been I think stressful for all of us, but I’m pleased with the way our people are responding, the work they’re doing behind the scenes that we can do right now virtually and from home. I know that everyone is chomping at the bit to get back. It’s for sure been a challenge I think more than anything just dealing with the anxiety of when we can get back to work, when are we going to go racing, not being able to leave home.
Carpenter, though, was not ignorant of the existence and importance of sponsorship in his rhetoric, as the 39-year-old discussed the IndyCar team’s partners’ accommodation, which has certainly helped the outfit. He also noted that his driver, and teammate, Conor Daly, has helped the crew out with his presence on Twitch.
“I think that’s the key,” said Carpenter. It’s the best opportunity we have right now to be present for our partner sponsors, especially the fan base. We’ve been very fortunate with our partners that they’ve been supportive between Air Force, Autogeek. I’ve been driving a Direct Supply car.
“It’s been a great opportunity for us to talk about other than speculating on when we’re actually going to get back to the track, all the uncertainty around everything else. We’ve been sharing what we’re doing, sharing all the tune-in information with all those partners. We’ve had good feedback.
“I think they’ve been enjoying the opportunity, trying to look at a new way to do things. Everyone wants to get back on track for real, but we’re trying to make the best of the situation. Conor has been doing stuff with the Air Force gaming team. He was playing Call of Duty with those guys. Thus far I feel like we’ve had a good reaction from it.
“It’s the best we can do until we can get back to the real thing. I mean, I definitely think there’s value there [in Conor’s stream]. I think you have to combine all these mediums to go to do as much as we can. Especially with the Air Force, that program is built around recruitment, recruiting new members to join the Air Force.
“We’ve been able to bring some of the squadron leaders into Conor’s Twitch stream, do some Q&As to give them some content to go out and virtually try to bring in new recruits. A big part of that program is the physical contact, face- to-face with our race fans, people attending events, meeting those folks.
“We’re making the best of the situation as we can even with iRacing IndyCar Challenge. Conor is doing a great job. Like I said before, the Air Force specifically is really embracing it. We’re trying to make the best of an odd situation,” summed up Carpenter.
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