As it shifted from category to category, PCM had to come to grips with a variety of disciplines - and machinery. (LAT photo) » More Photos

Although Tadevic sees Long Beach as a sign of PCM’s growing maturity, he is also keenly aware of the monumental challenge that remains, one that includes not only the IndyCar Series but PCM’s continuing relationship with Seneviratne and US RaceTronics.

“I think our results at Long Beach really indicate we’re taking some significant steps forward,” Tadevic says. “We were really looking forward to running a Champ Car in ’08 as one of the teams to be contended with.

“The thing is, we inadvertently prepared ourselves very well for what has to happen (now) this year. First, we’re not exactly ‘newbies’ when it comes to doing something new and second, with the Atlantic program we’re proud to keep that going and we’re thankful to Mazda and Cooper Tires to keep that series up and running. Third, over the winter, we hired some really capable people with IRL and oval experience, including Didier Francesia a chief mechanic from Target/Ganassi, and we have (crew chief) Roy Wilkerson and (mechanic) Chuck Miller who were with us last year and have a significant number of Indy 500s and time in the IRL under their belts.

“Then, engineering-wise, we brought on Gerald Tyler, who has a ton of oval experience in Indy Lights and Champ Car. It’s the same with our general manager, Michael Harvey. So I think we’re better prepared personnel-wise for the IRL than a lot of other teams. Can we be ‘best of the rest?’ I think we can and I think what we did in Long Beach displays that. As an organization we’re really matured and I think we’re ready to make that next step.

“It’s daunting to say the least. The cars arrived in our shop the Wednesday of the Long Beach race week, so where a lot of the other teams had the ‘luxury’ of having four weeks to prepare their cars, we have nine days to get prepared for Rookie Orientation. Both used cars – we don’t get new cars – I mean the mountain to climb is huge, but it’s either try to climb the mountain or go home . . . and we’re not ready to do that.”

Only time will tell if that step Tadevic speaks of is the next rung on the ladder of IndyCar series success . . . or over the proverbial financial cliff. But Tyler Tadevic is, as ever, upbeat. What other choice does he have?

“I’ve become pretty good friends with Michael Cannon, race engineer at HVM,” says Tadevic. “Michael told me the other day, ‘You’re the most ambitious man in motorsports.’ I think what he was really saying was that I’m either the most ambitious man in motorsports – or the stupidist. But we’ll see. All I can say for now is that failure is not in the scope of things.”


David Phillips is a Senior Writer for RACER magazine. For details about the current issue, visit www.racer.com.


The opinions reflected herein are solely those of the above commentator and are not necessarily those of SPEEDtv.com, FOX, NewsCorp, SPEED, or Haymarket Worldwide.