Jack Hawksworth is fitting right in with A.J. Foyt Racing
AUSTIN,Texas — In case you were wondering, Jack Hawksworth has heard the bee story.
A.J. Foyt's latest hire dropped by Circuit of the Americas on Saturday after visiting Foyt's race shop in Waller, Texas. He already has heard Foyt tell many of the stories of his colorful life, including the one about the attack of the killer bees.
"Yep, I've heard that one," Hawksworth told Paste BN Sports. "That was a funny one. He's definitely got nine lives, hasn't he?"
For the uninitiated, Foyt survived an attack of Africanized bees while bulldozing on his ranch in 2005. He was stung more than 200 times and nearly died. At a press dinner in 2007, Foyt said, "I was probably the most scared in my life. I was like, 'Just finish it off.'"
It's one of many unusual events that has happened to Foyt. In 2007, he escaped another bulldozer-related incident when the machine flipped into a creek while he was — again — clearing brush on his ranch. Hawksworth, who made his third visit to Foyt's shop on Friday, has heard many of the stories.
"A.J.'s a cool guy," Hawksworth said. "He's a legend of the sport, but more than that, he's a genuinely funny guy. He's easy to get on with and very welcoming."
Foyt, the four-time Indianapolis 500 winner who will turn 80 in January, took a major step Wednesday, hiring Hawksworth to drive a second car for A.J. Foyt Racing next year in the Verizon IndyCar Series. It will mark the first full-season, two-car effort for Foyt's team since 2002, when Eliseo Salazar and Airton Dare ran the full Indy Racing League season.
Hawksworth, a 23-year-old from Bradford, England, turned heads in his rookie season in IndyCar racing, finishing on the podium in the second street race of the Houston Grand Prix with Bryan Herta Autosport and finishing 17th in the final IndyCar drivers' standings.
Now he joins former Formula One driver Takuma Sato on a team that could be poised to win races in 2015. Sato won at Long Beach in 2013, led the Indy 500 in 2012 before spinning out on the final lap, and won two pole positions this year.
But it's Foyt, the only driver to have won the Indy 500, the Daytona 500, the 24 Hours of Daytona and the 24 Hours of Le Mans, who garners the bulk of the team's attention. Hawksworth admits being awestruck during their first meeting.
"When I first met him, it was like meeting a myth," Hawksworth said. "The guy won so much. But once you meet him, you realize he's just like any other racer. He loves racing, and he's a really easy guy to get along with."
Hawksworth spent much of Saturday at COTA talking to racing friends, including Daniil Kvyat, who Hawksworth raced against in the Formula Renault Winter Series in 2010, and Max Verstappen, who Hawksworth has known since their go-karting days.
Kvyat will start 14th in Sunday's U.S. Grand Prix for Scuderia Toro Rosso. Verstappen, 17, who will join Toro Rosso next year and become the youngest driver in F1 history, was allowed to practice in Friday's first session.
Now that Hawksworth is comfortable with Super Tex, he's looking forward to testing Foyt's No. 41 Honda as soon as possible.
"I feel like he's welcomed me to the team," Hawksworth said. "Honestly, he's one of those guys you can have a good chat with and have a good laugh with. He's a really decent guy."
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