Juan Pablo Montoya is well known for his fantastic resume in the world of racing. He is the only driver to win a CART Series title, the Indianapolis 500 and the 24 Hours of Daytona, all in his first attempt. He is also a former winner of one of the most prestigious races in the world: the Monaco Grand Prix. Legendary racers Mario Andretti and Dan Gurney are the only other drivers besides Montoya that can boast wins in Formula One (F1), CART/IndyCar and NASCAR. As the 38-year-old Montoya re-acclimates himself back to IndyCar racing in 2014, he has an opportunity to add to his impressive racing resume and to Team Penske’s long legacy of success. Montoya was taught the art of motorsports at an early age by his father, Pablo. He quickly began to show promise as he captured four consecutive Colombian National Carting Championships from 1981-1984.
After several successful seasons in the Colombia Formula Renault series, Montoya moved to Europe to pursue his dream of competing in F1. In 1997 he finished second in the Formula 3000 series and was signed to a contract as a test driver for the Williams F1 team. After capturing the Formula 3000 title in 1998, Montoya made the move to CART for the 1999 season. In a remarkable rookie season, Montoya became the youngest champion in the history of CART at the age of 24. He edged out Dario Franchitti for the title after the two racers posted the same number of championship points but Montoya had the advantage producing seven victories on the year to Franchitti’s three. In addition to the CART title, he was also named series Rookie of the Year.
From his start into racing to now Juan Pablo Montoya is a fan favorite on any track. After you read my interview with him about fatherhood I am guessing that you will respect him even more.
Art Eddy: You won your second Indianapolis 500 title when you won earlier this year. How was winning this one different from the first one you won back in 2000?
Juan Pablo Montoya: Well it is different. I think the first one that I won I didn’t really understand what Indy was. I heard about the race, but I never really cared about records. I have never been a really big history buff. So I think that played a very big influence. Working with Team Penske you learn to appreciate it. You understand it better and you understand what it means. To win it with Team Penske was really special.
AE: You have won many different titles in your career does one rank over the others?
Juan Pablo Montoya
JPM: Not really. I think that everything that I have done in my career has been special. From the simplest wins to the big ones, they all mean something. They are all special in their own way.
AE: What got you into racing?
JPM: My dad used to race go-carts. So for me racing was just part of our everyday life. He used to do go-carts and I used to go with him to the races and giving it his car racing suit so he can race. He got me started when I was really young and that was it
AE: Do you recall your emotions in your first race?
JPM: When you are doing it you don’t think about it. You just execute and do it. Beforehand you think about it. You think about what you want to do. Like for Indy you are there for such a long time that when it comes it is just the end of the road for all of that preparation.
AE: For us race fans who will never feel and experience what it is like to be a professional driver describe what it is like to compete in a race.
JPM: I don’t know. For me it is normal. That is what we do. For me the race is all about doing a better job than anybody else. You don’t get overly excited about it. I feel like you just need to do what you need to do. You got to prepare well. The better you prepare the better you will race. Even when you prepare things don’t go your way. You got to figure how to get out of the hole. When you do that every week you do a good job. That is what I have been doing.
AE: Switching to fatherhood now, what are some of the core values you look to instill in your kids as they grow up?
JPM: Me and my kids race. I have a boy and two girls. My boy races. The biggest thing is fair play. No cheating. Do it the right way. Work for it. If you want something work for it. If you want to be better than anybody else then you got to work harder than anybody else.
AE: What is the biggest thing that has changed from the time you were growing up to now as your children are growing up?
JPM: The biggest different is the electronics and the computers. The amount of information that the kids can have is amazing. When I grew up racing and you were slow and all you had was a stopwatch. It would show you that you are losing three tenths here and there, but nobody could tell you why you were losing three tenths.
Nowadays when someone is losing three tenths you plug in the data and look at it. You are going in to hard. They make it easier for you. So the level of competition gets tighter. The natural raw talent is harder to find because it makes it easier for the average guy to be better.
AE: What do you kids think of your profession? They must think it is pretty cool right?
JPM: It is kind of normal at home. For them I am just their dad. (Both laugh.) They have been to the races. They were there when I won Indy this year. They were excited. We were all happy. To be honest we went home and did the same thing we do every week. Did my life change because I won Indy again? No, it didn’t.
Was it still great that I won and beat everybody? Hell yeah. It felt good. My life hasn’t changed. Like today I got up and took the kids to school. I got on my bike and went for a bike ride. I picked up my kids from school. They have rollerblading class and hockey class in an hour. Then I will play with them and maybe go for a swim tonight.
AE: What advice do you have for new dads out there?
JPM: Support your kids. Push them a little, but the biggest thing is that you really need to support them. You need to help them be what they want to be. Help them be a better person.
Life of Dad Quick Five
AE: What is your favorite family movie you guys like to watch together?
Juan with his kids
JPM: I really like Star Trek. Sabastian loves movies. He will sit down with me and watch anything. The girls like all the girly movies. It is funny we all do different things with our kids. They all behave differently. It is pretty cool.
AE: Do you guys have a favorite song that you all like to sing and dance to as a family?
JPM: Yes, but I don’t know the name. (Both laugh.) There is an app called Dub Hop or Smash. You don’t have to say anything. You just copy it. We were just doing that about 20 minutes ago.
AE: Describe the perfect family vacation.
JPM: Something that we can do together. I don’t mind where it is. Maybe at a pool. We are in Miami so we like that. Just a day where we can do things together. I think that is the important thing where we can share time together.
AE: In your opinion what is the best venue for a fan catch a race?
JPM: If you have never experienced racing and you could go anywhere I would go to Indy. I have done Formula One. I have done NASCAR. I have done everything. If you go to the Indy 500 and don’t like motor car racing after you have gone to the Indy 500 you never will. (Both laugh.)
AE: Do you remember your first car?
JPM: It was a Renault Clio. It was a French car. That was my first car.
For more info on Juan Pablo Montoya go to his website http://www.jpmontoya.com and follow him on Twitter @jpmontoya