Poignant finale

Author

admin

Browse pages
Current page

1

Current page

2

Current page

3

Current page

4

Current page

5

Current page

6

Current page

7

Current page

8

Current page

9

Current page

10

Current page

11

Current page

12

Current page

13

Current page

14

Current page

15

Current page

16

Current page

17

Current page

18

Current page

19

Current page

20

Current page

21

Current page

22

Current page

23

Current page

24

Current page

25

Current page

26

Current page

27

Current page

28

Current page

29

Current page

30

Current page

31

Current page

32

Current page

33

Current page

34

Current page

35

Current page

36

Current page

37

Current page

38

Current page

39

Current page

40

Current page

41

Current page

42

Current page

43

Current page

44

Current page

45

Current page

46

Current page

47

Current page

48

Current page

49

Current page

50

Current page

51

Current page

52

Current page

53

Current page

54

Current page

55

Current page

56

Current page

57

Current page

58

Current page

59

Current page

60

Current page

61

Current page

62

Current page

63

Current page

64

Current page

65

Current page

66

Current page

67

Current page

68

Current page

69

Current page

70

Current page

71

Current page

72

Current page

73

Current page

74

Current page

75

Current page

76

Current page

77

Current page

78

Current page

79

Current page

80

Current page

81

Current page

82

Current page

83

Current page

84

Current page

85

Current page

86

Current page

87

Current page

88

Current page

89

Current page

90

Current page

91

Current page

92

Current page

93

Current page

94

Current page

95

Current page

96

Current page

97

Current page

98

Current page

99

Current page

100

Current page

101

Current page

102

Current page

103

Current page

104

Current page

105

Current page

106

Current page

107

Current page

108

Current page

109

Current page

110

Current page

111

Current page

112

Current page

113

Current page

114

Current page

115

Current page

116

Current page

117

Current page

118

Current page

119

Current page

120

Current page

121

Current page

122

Current page

123

Current page

124

Current page

125

Current page

126

Current page

127

Current page

128

Current page

129

Current page

130

Current page

131

Current page

132

Current page

133

Current page

134

Current page

135

Current page

136

Current page

137

Current page

138

Current page

139

Current page

140

Current page

141

Current page

142

Current page

143

Current page

144

Current page

145

Current page

146

Current page

147

Current page

148

Current page

149

Current page

150

Current page

151

Current page

152

Current page

153

Current page

154

Current page

155

Current page

156

Current page

157

Current page

158

Current page

159

Current page

160

Current page

161

Current page

162

Twelve-year-old Leigh Dorrington got a rude awakening when his father took him to his first Imdy 500 in 1964. He arrived confident that a rear-engined car would win for the first time. . .

It was May when my father bought tickets for the Indianapolis 500 by way of a birthday present. It would be the First motor race for the both of us. My father was in his mid-60s and we had shared few interests. But this day created a bond between us that lasted his lifetime.

We had recently moved to Indiana and we drove from home, leaving before dawn. I was already a regular reader of Sports Car Graphic and Road & Track, and I talked non-stop about how we were going to see the first rear-engine car to win the 500. Jack Brabham had brought a Cooper-Climax to Indy in 1961; Mickey Thompson had built a rear-engine car in ’62, with a Buick V8, for Dan Gurney; and Gurney had returned in ’63 with Jim Clark and Team Lotus. Clark nearly won that year, finishing second to the Watson roadster of Parnelli Jones, which Colin Chapman vigorously protested should have been black-flagged for dropping oil.

It was only a matter of time, though. And 1964 would be the year. I knew it.

Clark and Gurney were the favourites, with new Ford quad-cam V8s powering their Lotuses. Jack Brabham returned with a Brabham-Offy. Walt Hansgen drove an MG Liquid Suspension Special that used the hydro-elastic suspension from the Mini. Dave MacDonald was entered in one of Mickey Thompson’s ‘roller skate’ cars. And even AJ Watson, doyen of roadster builders, had constructed a rear-engined car for 1959 and ’62 winner Rodger Ward. Yep, this had to be the year.

But as the cars came off the fourth turn to start the second lap, MacDonald’s car hit the inside wall directly across from our grandstand seat and exploded. Eddie Sachs, running another rear-engined job, smashed into MacDonald. An inferno erupted with a hollow ‘whump’. My father fell across me to protect me, but I could still feel the heat from the wall of flame. It was little wonder that both drivers died. The other cars stopped immediately, lining the front straight. I thought I could see the Novi of Bobby Unser and the Offy of Johnny Rutherford, but little else. The crowd was very quiet for a very long time. It was hard to imagine continuing after this horrific scene…

But the race did resume, and Bobby Marshman led most of its first 100 miles in a year-old Lotus before losing the drain plug from its oil tank. Clark, who had started on pole, took the lead and was driving away… Suddenly, my father shouted, “His wheel is broken!” Clark’s rear suspension had failed. He had led only eight laps.

The race was now between Jones in the same roadster that he had used to win in 1963, and ’61 winner Al Foyt, also in a Watson roadster. The matter was decided when Jones’ car caught fire during a lap 47 pitstop and was out. Brabham was soon out with a split fuel tank. Gurney’s Lotus was withdrawn for fear of the same failure as Clark. Hansgen continued, but! could see that he didn’t have the speed to win. So, as it turned out, the race had provided a last, not a first: the last win for a road ster at Indy. But 1965 would be the year. I was sure of it.