The Limits of Teamwork
with Bobby Unser
Filmed January 2009

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Interactive Transcript

Dan Gurney was probably a big, big, big innovator, making speed, fast race cars, and just really good that way.

But, as I told you, Dan retired too young. When he retired, he was a really good race car driver and probably a better driver than even he was as a builder.

But whenever he and I hooked up, we made magic speed and did really good.

At one time, he probably had nearly every car in the Indianapolis 500, probably had close to all 33 of them, and those were all cars that I helped innovate. That I developed. We had a very successful venture.

But unfortunately, we didn't always agree on things, like I didn't like teammates. I never have liked teammates.

But my agreement with Gurney and with Penske was always, "I'll be honest during the testing. Whenever I do my development work or the team's development work in the testing, I'll always be honest.

I'll tell you the truth and I won't hide little things for me."

But I said, and it was in our contracts, that, "Whenever we go to the racetrack and you're gonna start your practice and you're gonna do your qualifying in the race, I'm a separate team.

I don't have teammates any longer. I will not help them and I won't ask them for help. I don't care what they do; I just don't even want to see them."

We had an understanding with that. I had it with Gurney and I had it with Penske. I never lied to either one of them. I dang sure never lied to the team, to the mechanics and stuff.

Of course, they always looked for it and maybe thought I was holding back some stuff for myself, but I didn't. It's just that their drivers that they had didn't know anything about mechanics. They couldn't help as much as I did.

Often it looked like I was holding stuff back; but I didn't. It's just that race. When it comes around to the race, it's Bobby Unser.

I don't care who the team driver is. I don't even want to see him, see? It doesn't mean I don't like them. It just means that it's competition.

I'm for Bobby Unser; I'm not for some other driver. He can make his own fame; do what he needs to do.


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being honest in development, being separate on the racetrack, competition, Indianapolis 500, Roger Penske, teammates, Dan Gurney

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