This time last year, James Roe was about to embark on a big step towards his dream of reaching the IndyCar series.
Back then he had just progressed into what was then known as Indy Lights - newly rebranded as the Indy NXT by Firestone series - which is essentially equivalent to what F2 would be in the pathway towards Formula One.
It would put him on the final rung of the ladder on the road to making it into the highest echelon of US open-wheel single-seater racing.
But as the Kildare native told RTÉ Sport before the 2022 season, Indy Lights was always likely to be a two-year undertaking.
Fast-forward 12 months and his career is set to go into overdrive. Having started last season with newcomers TJ Speed Motorsport, the 24-year-old has just been signed by the renowned reigning Indy Lights team champions Andretti Autosport for 2023, representing a potential game-changer.
"It's the biggest moment in my career, there's no probably about it," said Roe as he joined RTÉ Sport just days before he is due to return to the US to prepare for the coming season.
"To sign with a team of such scale, known by 75% of US households, (with) Michael Andretti and Mario Andretti, involved in Indy Lights, IndyCar and Formula E, Extreme E, V8 Supercars, (and are) in the middle of the F1 bid at the moment to be on the grid soon, it's just a powerhouse.
"For any racing driver to be out of their stable is a dream."
The Andretti name is one of the most prominent in motor racing. Mario Andretti was Formula One world champion in 1978 and the 82-year-old's son Michael had success in CART, whilst also competing in F1 during the 1993 season for McLaren.
The team, owned by Michael, has amassed multiple championships in Indy500, Indy Lights and IndyCar over the years.
'I think last year was the making of me because mentally and essentially physically there were a lot of blows'
Roe's conversations about joining the team began all the way back last summer after Andretti Autorsport president J-F Thormann got in touch with him at a race in Wisconsin.
"Basically we sat down, had a chat and he asked me some questions about the [2022] season and what my goals and plans were for the future and where I want to go to and nothing else was really said to be honest right after it," Roe said.
"A team of such scale, there are drivers every day banging their door down and I just kept working on my craft and what I could do with the scenario I was in at that given moment.
"We stayed in touch and long story short, I didn't think anything was happening and I was over here in Ireland last September and the phone rang and it was J-F Thormann and he offered me to come and test with the team for an evaluation test. Thankfully it went extremely well and he called me a week later and offered me a contract."
The aforementioned scenario was a challenging season behind the wheel of the TJ Speed car for the first nine rounds of the 2022 season. The team would finish bottom of the team championship and did not compete in the final rounds of the season.
However, a good run for Roe last June when he finished seventh, ninth and seventh consecutively across three races in Detroit's street circuit and Road America served notice of his talents and also taught the Naas native more about his own capabilities during a campaign of anticipated "punches and knocks".
"In some aspects, I think last year was the making of me because mentally and essentially physically there were a lot of blows there and from a sports perspective, if you can get through them, coming in this environment that I'm in now [at Andretti], it's just a dream to be there because everything runs so smoothly," he said, adding that not giving up in the face of setbacks has been his biggest takeaway.
He also credited his long-time backers Topcon Positioning Systems, whose president and CEO Ray O'Connor is a fellow Naas man, for their support through the highs and lows as well as opening the door for him to race a Lamborghini in GT3 back in Europe in the latter part of last year which has allowed him to forge more contacts on this side of the Atlantic.
Andretti will continue to run four cars, rather than the customary two, during the coming Indy NXT season, with Roe's close friend and neighbour in Indianapolis Hunter McElrea as well as Louis Foster and three-time W Series champion Jamie Chadwick serving as team-mates.
All are quintessential "winners" according to Roe, having championship-winning experience in various categories, meaning it will be a highly competitive environment internally, let alone when it comes to taking on other teams.
"It's a four-car team but ultimately four one-car teams within the garage because every car has its own crew chief and its own full-time engineer and mechanics," said Roe.
"So we'll all work together off track but whilst we're at the track and operating, running and testing, qualifying, everything is run in singular fashion.
"So the number isn't an issue and the dynamic has been great with my team-mates so far."
Going from a team towards the back of the grid to one that challenges at the front end has already been eye-opening for Roe with two months to go before the start of the 2023 campaign.
"In the few days testing we did over the off-season, it's just a different world," he said.
"The standard that they work to is so high, from engineers to team managers, crew chiefs, mechanics (and) what's expected of the drivers, everyone's there to win and that mindset which ultimately stems from the Andretti family in Mario and Michael is filtered throughout the business and team and it's a winning environment and when you walk into a winning environment, you naturally spot a lot of differences right away both on and off the race track.
"So testing has been going well with them and a lot of the stuff that they do is quite different and I'm just excited to be part of that change and that switch ultimately."
And given the pedigree of the competition, Roe recognises that this year will require him to give everything he's got in his pursuit of his IndyCar dream.
"Ultimately, it's to perform, get results, win races, show what I can do in top equipment and make sure off-track as well that all our partners and sponsors are getting return on investment. And I guess if we're winning on the track and off-the-track, there's no reason you won't see us in IndyCar next year."
Watch the full interview with James Roe above.
