Q&A with IndyCar driver ‘Buckshot’

James 'Buckshot' Jakes

After sitting out a season, James Jakes has returned to IndyCar and now drives for Schmidt Peterson Motorsports. He finished third in the rain at NOLA Motorsports Park. The 27-year-old native of Leeds, England, talks about the business of racing, his NASCAR-ish new nickname and his appendix with Chris Jenkins, Special for USA TODAY Sports.

USA TODAY Sports: So how's your season so far?

Jakes: "Kind of mixed emotions, really. Obviously it was nice to be on a podium as early as the second race. Very happy to be with Schmidt Peterson Motorsports. But obviously all the Honda teams are still figuring out the new aero kit. It's taken a bit longer than expected. Chevy seem to have the edge right now, but I think as of the weekend, Honda seems to definitely be closing the gap. I think it was five out of the top 10 cars at the finish were Hondas (at Birmingham). I believe we would have been one of them, but we had a problem on pit road. The redhead (fuel nozzle) broke on the fuel rig, so that put us to the back after we had made some progress on the first stint. And then I got taken out. Although it's kind of been up and down so far, everything seems to be coming together, and we're very confident about the Indy GP."

Q: So what's it like to arrive on a new team? What's the adjustment process been like?

JJ: ‘They've made it easy for me, and a big thanks to them for doing that. I have Hinch (James Hinchcliffe) as a teammate, who has quite a bit of experience now and that's been great, it's been very helpful. We've both kind of had similar feedback, so that's been good for the team and it's helped us push forward. I feel like we're in a strong position now, especially as far as the top Honda teams. We just have to put the results down on paper and show everyone that we're the team to beat, Honda-wise. We're looking forward to that. And then we test at the weekend at the Speedway, it'll be the first time with the aero kits so that's a big question mark right now."

Q: You were out of the IndyCar Series for a year. What did you do with that year?

JJ: "I was just putting all the funds in place to return the following year. Me and (team owner) Sam (Schmidt) have spoken quite a bit over the offseason, and I had a few other options team-wise but I believe Sam was the best one for the future."

Q: So did you race at all, or were you just working on the business side of it?

JJ: "I was just working on the business side. The only racing I did was a 500-mile go-kart race with Tony, Rubens and Will Stevens, who's in the Manor F1 car this year. It was down in Brazil, just for a bit of fun. The last time I drove before St. Pete was Fontana back at the end of '13. It was probably I would say at least 15, 16 months before I was back in a race car so I was thrilled to be back on the podium in the second race."

Q: Was that frustrating? Do you get rusty? How difficult is that?

JJ: "It was frustrating. There has been a little bit of rust but I think I'm finally shaking it off and kind of am back to where I was in '13."

Q: So when you're growing up wanting to be a race car driver, you probably don't spend a whole lot of time thinking about the business side. How frustrating is the business side of racing?

JJ: "I think it's very frustrating. It's an element that nobody really sees unless you're involved in the sport. Don't get me wrong, it's not just in IndyCar, it's in Formula One, NASCAR. At the end of the day, whatever motorsport that you're in, it's a business, and it has to be run like a business or it wouldn't run. First, that has to come, and then secondly the driving. It's unfortunate to say that, but that's just the truth of it and the way it is. Motorsport over the past three or four years has been hurting massively due to the economy. But I think as of right now, IndyCar has an unbelievable product. It's got the best product it has in, say, 20 years. The household names that are in there now are awesome. Growing up, my biggest idols kind of were (Ayrton) Senna and I was a big fan of (Juan Pablo) Montoya. I never thought I would be racing against him. It's great to see that, and I think things are going in the right direction."

Q: Your family, and the company your father founded, have been very supportive of your racing. How thankful are you for that?

JJ: "Massively thankful. They were involved for a lot of my career, and it's nice to kind of step away from that and do my own thing now. But obviously I wouldn't be in the position that I was if it wasn't for them, and I'm very thankful for that. But it's been nice to get away from that and do my own thing and get the ball rolling and hopefully this can propel me for the next, say, five to 10 years in the sport."

Q: So it is important for you to do it on your own, right?

JJ: "Massively. It's everything. It goes back to what we spoke about a couple of minutes ago. It's the way it is, and it's happening all over the grid, whoever's paying the bills, somebody's got to do it. But you're right, it is nice to work on the business side of it, on my own, and do it all myself."

Q: Your team is now calling you "Buckshot"?

JJ: "It was just a name that was brought up in engineering meetings just to separate James from James. But the ‘Jakesy' title is still there because of my name, and the ‘Jakesy nation' is a big part of my fan base. It's kind of a side nickname to my nickname. My engineer has a big NASCAR background."

Q: Did you have your appendix removed?

JJ: "It was probably a good thing I sat out (last) season. It happened at the end of August, beginning of September so I would have missed a chunk of races. Which is crazy because Hinch, his father is from the same town as my father in the U.K., and then they both ended up living in Oakville in Canada, both sons are driving for the same team, called James, and both have had appendicitis."

Q: What's it like to drive for Sam, and how much do you appreciate his story?

JJ: "It's great. Sam is kind of a true inspiration to everybody, and I believe that's why he's been able to have such a successful team – and kind of the only team that's been able to take it to the giants of IndyCar, Penske and Ganassi and Andretti. He's a great inspiration, obviously the position that he's in. But he's kind of the first at the track and the last to leave. It's really awesome to drive for someone like that. A lot of people would be affected but he still wants it more than anything."

SPEED ROUND

Q: Favorite track you've ever driven on?

JJ: "I would say as far as spectacles go, I hate to be a broken record, but the Indy 500 is pretty special. As far as street courses, probably Macau in China."

Q: One track you've never raced on that you'd love to try?

JJ: "Road America. Everybody says it's the Spa of the States, and hopefully we can get it on the calendar."

Q: First street car you ever owned?

A: "It was a diesel Golf. Diesels aren't really big in the States, but with the fuel crisis back in Europe, you're stupid if you didn't have a diesel because of the cost of petrol and the amount of miles we were driving when we were racing in junior formulas."

Q: One celebrity you've met through racing?

JJ: "Justin Verlander. He's a cool guy. I met him in Florida, and he's been at the race in Detroit."

Q: If you weren't racing, what would you do for a living?

JJ: "I would probably be trying to get myself in a fighter jet somehow. I'm not sure if they'd insure me. But I'm fascinated by flying and I'm trying to get my pilot's license. I have 15 hours logged." USA Today