[h=2]INDYCAR 2016 Jack Hawksworth[/h] Tuesday, 18 October 2016
Marshall Pruett & Robin Miller / Images by IMS Photo
JACK HAWKSWORTH
NO. 41 AJ FOYT RACING HONDA
2016 Best result: 11th (St Petersburg, Road America)
2016 Championship position: 20th (229 points)
How did he go from the talk of IndyCar in 2014, to likely being out of the series?
PRUETT: Bad decisions, and change. Jack's limited grasp of ovals proved costly for Bryan Herta Autosport in 2014; Jack was either invisible in the results or up against the wall. We figured the oval shortcomings would be addressed in the presence of AJ Foyt, and while he did improve, it wasn't enough for anyone to take notice.
A return engagement with Foyt in 2016 looked like a perfect opportunity to turn his potential into results, but the program went backwards. Three IndyCar seasons with small (Herta) or wayward teams (Foyt) is almost a guarantee to create some form of career damage, and when you take the last two seasons with Foyt and pile Honda's recalcitrant aero kit on top of the challenges he faced, it's hard to be surprised about the position Jack finds himself in.
MILLER: Very puzzling. He was so impressive with Bryan Herta's little squad in 2014, and expectations were high when A.J. snatched him up in 2015. But besides a few flashes in practice and qualifying in 2016, that old Union Jack seldom surfaced. Racing is all about confidence and his looked drained midway through 2016, but there just seemed to be a major lack of chemistry.
Who is to blame: the driver or the team?
PRUETT: Both. Foyt felt bad enough about the crappy season Jack endured in 2015 to invite him back for another. And upon his return, he had a new engineer in Dan Hobbs (who joined from SPM) to work with, who struggled mightily before being replaced after three rounds by support engineer Daniele Cucchiaroni, which made little difference. If Jack wasn't making mistakes or damaging equipment, the car was slow almost everywhere.
Even when he showed significant speed in practice or qualifying, something was bound to go wrong in the race. And if there was a wrong race strategy call to make, it tended to fall on Jack's side of the program. For those of us who saw him kick ass in Pro Mazda, win races in Indy Lights, and shine on occasion with BHA, it was hard to watch a driver and team combine to have their worst output of any pairing in the paddock.
During his first year with Foyt, he finished in the top 10 five times. This year, he only managed four top-15s ... and no finish higher than 11th. What happened?
MILLER: A new engineer and shaky pit stops aren't a good combination for somebody driving for his career, so the team certainly shoulders a fair percentage. As mentioned above, there were times like Road America where Jack was one of the fastest cars in practice yet wound up up qualifying 18th. The team never seemed to click on red tires, except at the Indy GP when he qualified fourth.
Are there any positives that he can take from his season?
MILLER: A.J. never locked him out of the transporter.
PRUETT: Hopefully he got paid, which is not something that every IndyCar driver can claim.
What argument would you make for giving him another shot with a different team?
MILLER: He didn't forget how to drive in two years, but his oval-track liability makes it tough to see him getting another shot without bringing money.
PRUETT: Watkins Glen. The rocket-fast track requires immense bravery and feel, and Hawksworth reminded everyone that he hasn't lost his touch after qualifying ninth. In isolation, and before things went sideways in the race, it was refreshing to experience Jack - fresh out of the car - feeling confident and in his element.
His teammate Sato had a better year, but we're talking about Taku finishing 17th in the standings to Jack's 20th. If Taku was 12th, I'd have a different view of Hawksworth's potential, but both drivers had seasons to forget. If I'm looking for another driver to consider for the road course drives in Ed Carpenter's car, Jack would move ahead of quite a few contenders. He's lived at the bottom and worked with four different engineers in three seasons; I'd have to believe he'd respond favorably to a strong car and engineering base like ECR has to offer with the No. 20 Chevy.
Simply put, I'd hate to see a kid with so much determination and talent end his IndyCar career without a proper chance to shine in a competitive car.