The Indy 500 will soon be celebrating its centenary. Over the years The Brickyard has provided plenty of memorable moments.
After the war the speedway was in a sorry state. It was purchased by Anton Hulman Jr. in 1945 and quick work ensured it was ready to hold the first post-war 500 in 1946. The next few years were dominated by front-engined Indy Roadsters, large but surprisingly elegant machines. While the average speeds rose steadily year after year, safety precautions unfortunately did not advance at the same rate. Pat O’Connor’s death in 1958 led to roll bars and fireproof overalls being made mandatory. Petrol was banned after two drivers burned to death in a first lap inferno in 1964. It was replaced by less volatile methanol.
The 1960s also saw the British invasion as first Cooper and then Lotus ventured to Indy. By that time rear-engined cars were commonplace in Eutope. When Lotus supremo Colin Chapman visited the speedway at the behest of Dan Gurney he was not over-awed by what he saw.
“I was horrified to see the way that the design of cars had stagnated over there in so far as they just hadn’t had the spur of competition that we’d had in Europe to evolve newer and better cars.”
Gurney had close ties with Ford and persuaded them to supply an engine for a rear-engined car which Lotus would build. Scotsman Jim Clark almost won on his debut at the speedway in 1963. Two years later he did win, dominating the race. The small, light car, dwarfed by the giant roadsters, was clearly the future.
Further technical innovations appeared in the late sixties, including a gas turbine car which came tantalisingly close to winning. Aerofoils also began to appear, increasing downforce and raising speeds considerably. The higher speeds meant faster accidents when something went wrong and there were several fatalities. In 1973 two drivers and a crewman died. In a cruel twist one of the victims, Swede Savage, who suffered a horrific accident in turn four, may well have survived had he not been given contaminated blood while recovering in hospital.
The modern day cars which compete at Indy are constructed of extremely strong carbon fibre composites. The circuit has also addressed the issue of safety. It is now lined by state-of-the-art energy absorbing barriers. A split in the mid-nineties led to two rival series emerging, the Indy Racing League (IRL) and Champcar. For a while the future of the race looked bleak as only IRL cars competed and interest waned, but for 2008, a merger has ensured that once again it will be the jewel in the crown of American auto racing.
Sources:
‘The Power and the Glory’ (BBC TV)
‘Rapid Response; My inside story as a motor-racing life-saver’ (Dr. Stephen Olvey)
‘CART – Official History, 1979-1998’ (Rick Shaffer)
‘132 of the Most Unusual Cars that ever ran at Indianapolis’ (Lyle Kenyon Engol)
