https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RmRd0hJScgA

 

MILLER: Why Colton Herta's special

Tuesday, 14 March 2017
By Robin Miller / Images by MRTI, IMS Photo

When he was nine years old, Colton Herta flipped his go-kart so violently it lacerated one of his kidneys. As Bryan and Janette Herta were rushing their son to the hospital, he asked his dad: "Do you think we'll be back in time for the second heat?"
Hearing that story made me instantly think: That kid's got the right attitude.
Watching 16-year-old Colton Herta's performance this weekend at St. Petersburg inspired another thought: He's also got the right stuff.
In what has to be one of the most impressive debuts in any professional racing series, Herta finished second and first in the Indy Lights doubleheader. He'd never seen the track before and had two test days in his Dallara/Mazda at Homestead, Florida. Yet he methodically marched from fifth to second on Saturday and then led all 45 laps on Sunday to give George Michael Steinbrenner IV a rousing introduction to car ownership.
And sure, it's only the first weekend of a long season, but for a kid who is barely old enough to drive a passenger car he's not supposed to be this advanced. This mature. This collected.
And this quick.
"I didn't drive my first car until I was 18 and it's just amazing," said Michael Andretti, he of 42 IndyCar victories who partners with Steinbrenner and also co-owns Alexander Rossi's car with Bryan Herta. "Colton is so mature and I think I was more impressed with him on Saturday when he made those decisive passes.
"Today it was almost like he was toying with them, and I've never seen anything like that at 16."
The Herta family made a tough decision a few years ago when their 14-year-old was offered a ride in the British Formula 4 championship. He'd have to live in England without his mom and dad. He jumped at the opportunity and finished third in that series with four wins and three poles. Last year it was the same on-your-own scenario for the Euroformula Open series, which resulted in four wins and five poles.

All that testing and racing and fending for himself helped Colton on and off the track, and it's impossible to put a price on what it was worth.
"No, actually I can put a price on it," Bryan says with a laugh. "But it was worth every penny. It was amazing training and an amazing learning experience and I'll never be able to thank Trevor Carlin enough for taking care of Colton and letting him stay at his place. I couldn't imagine doing that at 14 or 15, but Colton ate it up.
"I never drove a car until I was 18 at the Skip Barber School and here he is at 16 already winning a race in the stepping-stone to the Indianapolis 500. I'm just so proud of him."
The 2017 Lights lineup is full of young talent with Neil Alberico, Nico Jamin, Kyle Kaiser, Pato O'Ward, Aaron Telitz and Santi Urrita all gunning for that $1 million prize and entrée into IndyCar in 2018.
And it almost seems unthinkable that a 16-year-old driver and 20-year-old owner could be moving up that fast.
"I don't want to get too far ahead of ourselves so I'm just thinking about our next race at Barber, but I've been a Colton Herta fan since I first saw him in a Barber Dodge race in 2012," said young Streinbrenner, whose father and New York Yankees part-owner/co-chairman Hank Steinbrenner was in attendance in Florida.
"But it was a great start for our new team."
When Bryan drove for Bobby Rahal and David Letterman, the "Late Night" host passed out buttons at the press conference that read: "Hertamania, Catch It."
And while Herta was a good racer, with four wins and 10 poles in his CART/IRL career, he didn't seem to have that edge, that chutzpah, that cool his son does.
"I don't like bragging about Colton but I knew he was good," said the elder Herta, who is calling Marco Andretti's races this season and already has the third-generation driver moving in the right direction. "And he's so strong up here (pointing to his head)."
Nowadays, no matter if it's a first-timer or veteran, winning a race usually results in Alex Zanardi doughnuts, wild fist-pumping, spraying Coke or Pepsi on your crew or tearing up.
After becoming the youngest Lights winner ever in its 31-year history, Little Hertamania showed why he's looking like a very special breed. He took the checkered flag, stopped in the pits and gave his crew the thumbs up.
Why the subdued celebration? Because he expected to win.