1.
Indianapolis Motor Speedway
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The Indianapolis Motor Speedway is an automobile racing circuit located in Speedway, Indiana, in the United States. It is the home of the Indianapolis 500 and the Brickyard 400 and it is located on the corner of 16th Street and Georgetown Road, approximately six miles west of Downtown Indianapolis. Constructed in 1909, it is the original speedway, the first racing facility so named and it has a permanent seating capacity estimated at 235,000 with infield seating raising capacity to an approximate 400,000. It is the highest-capacity sports venue in the world, considered relatively flat by American standards, the track is a 2. 5-mile-long rectangular oval with dimensions that have remained essentially unchanged since its construction. A modern infield road course was completed in 2000, incorporating part of the oval, including the mainstretch, in 2008, and again in 2014, the road course layout was modified to accommodate motorcycle racing, as well as to improve competition. Altogether, the current grounds have expanded from an original 320 acres on which the speedway was first built to cover an area of over 559 acres. Placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1975 and designated a National Historic Landmark in 1987, in addition to the Indianapolis 500, the speedway also hosts NASCARs Brickyard 400 and Lilly Diabetes 250. From 2000 to 2007, the hosted the Formula One United States Grand Prix. On the grounds of the speedway is the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum, which opened in 1956, the museum moved into its current building located in the infield in 1976. Also on the grounds is the Brickyard Crossing Golf Resort, which opened as the Speedway Golf Course in 1929. The golf course has 14 holes outside of the track, along the backstretch, the speedway also served as the venue for the opening ceremonies for the 1987 Pan American Games. Fisher began thinking of a means of testing cars before delivering them to consumers. At the time, racing was just getting started on horse tracks, Fisher noticed how dangerous and ill-suited the makeshift courses were for racing and testing. He also argued that spectators did not get their moneys worth, Fisher proposed building a circular track 3 to 5 miles long with smooth 100–150-foot-wide surfaces. Such a track would give manufacturers a chance to test cars at sustained speeds, Fisher predicted speeds could reach up to 120 mph on a 5-mile course. He visited the Brooklands circuit outside London in 1907, and after viewing the banked layout, in December 1908, he convinced James A. Allison, Arthur Newby, and Frank W. Wheeler to join him in purchasing the property for $72,000. Construction of the started in March 1909. Fisher had to downsize his planned 3-mile oval with a 2-mile road course to a 2. 5-mile oval to leave room for the grandstands
2.
Indianapolis 500
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The Indianapolis 500 is an automobile race held annually at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana, an enclave suburb of Indianapolis, Indiana. The event is held over Memorial Day weekend, which is typically the last weekend in May and it is contested as part of the Verizon IndyCar Series, the top level of American Championship Car racing, an open-wheel formula colloquially known as Indy Car Racing. The name of the race is often shortened to Indy 500, the event, billed as The Greatest Spectacle in Racing, is considered part of the Triple Crown of Motorsport, which comprises three of the most prestigious motorsports events in the world. The official attendance is not disclosed by Speedway management, but the permanent seating capacity is upwards of 250,000, the inaugural running was won by Ray Harroun in 1911. The race celebrated its 100th anniversary in 2011, and the 100th running was held in 2016, alexander Rossi is the defending champion. The most successful drivers are A. J. Foyt, Al Unser, the active driver with the most victories is Hélio Castroneves, with three. Rick Mears holds the record for most career pole positions with six, the most successful car owner is Roger Penske, owner of Team Penske, which has 16 total wins and 17 poles. For a list of races and winners, see List of Indianapolis 500 winners, the Indianapolis 500 is held annually at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, a 2.5 mile oval circuit. Drivers race 200 laps, counterclockwise around the circuit, for a distance of 500 miles, since its inception in 1911, the race has always been scheduled on or around Memorial Day. Since 1974, the race has been scheduled for the Sunday of Memorial Day weekend, practice and time trials are held in the two weeks leading up to the race. Traditionally, the field consists of 33 starters, aligned in a grid of eleven rows of three cars apiece. The event is contested by Indy cars, a formula of professional-level, single-seat, open cockpit, open-wheel, as of 2015, all entrants utilize 2.2 L V6, twin-turbocharged engines, tuned to produce a range of 550–700 horsepower. Chevrolet and Honda are the current engine manufacturers involved in the sport, firestone, which has a deep history in the sport, dating back to the first 500, is the exclusive tire provider. The race is the most prestigious event of the IndyCar calendar and it has been avouched to be the largest single-day sporting event in the entire world. Likewise, the Indianapolis Motor Speedway itself is regarded as the worlds largest sporting facility in terms of capacity, the total purse exceeded $13 million in 2011, with over $2.5 million awarded to the winner, making it one of the richest cash prize funds in sports. Due to safety issues, the race is not held in wet conditions, in the event of a rain delay, the race will be postponed until rain showers cease, and the track is sufficiently dried. If rain falls during the race, officials can end the race, the Indianapolis Motor Speedway complex was built in 1909 as a gravel-and-tar track and hosted a smattering of small events, including ones for motorcycles. The first long distance event, in conditions, was the 100-lap Prest-O-Lite Trophy in 1909
3.
American open wheel car racing
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American Championship car racing, also known as Indy Car racing, is a category of professional-level automobile racing in the United States and North America. As of 2016, the top-level American open wheel racing championship is sanctioned by IndyCar, competitive events for professional-level, single-seat open-wheel race cars have been conducted under the auspices of several different sanctioning bodies since 1902. A season-long, points-based, National Championship of drivers has been recognized in 1905,1916. The Indianapolis 500, which debuted in 1911, is the marquee event of Indy Car racing. The open-wheeled, winged, single-seater cars have generally similar to those in Formula One. The fame of the Indianapolis 500 leads many to refer to the cars that compete on the American Championship circuit as Indy cars. This form of racing has experienced high levels of popularity over the years, the golden era of the 1950s was followed by a decade of transition and innovation in the 1960s, which included increased international participation. The sport experienced considerable growth and exposure during the popularity of the CART PPG Indy Car World Series in the 1980s. Two organizational disputes in 1979 and 1996, respectively, led to a split that divided the participants among two separate sanctioning bodies, however, an official unification took place in 2008 that brought the sport back together under one single sanctioning body. The national championship was sanctioned by the Contest Board of the American Automobile Association, the AAA first sanctioned automobile motorsports events in 1902. At first it used the rules of the Automobile Club of America and it introduced the first track season championship for racing cars in 1905. Barney Oldfield was the first champion, no official season championship was recognized from 1906-1915, however, single races were held. Official records regard 1916 as the next contested championship season, years later, retroactive titles were named back to 1902. These post-factum seasons are considered unofficial and revisionist history by accredited historians, Racing did not cease in the United States during WWI, but the official national championship was suspended. The Indianapolis 500 itself was suspended for 1917–1918 due to the war. In 1920, the championship resumed, and despite the difficult economic climate that would later follow. Shortly after Pearl Harbor, all auto racing was suspended during World War II, from 1942 to 1945 no events were contested, banned by the U. S. government primarily on account of rationing. Racing resumed in full in 1946, the 1946 season is unique, in that it included six Champ Car events, and 71 Big Car races, as organizers were initially unsure about the availability of cars and participation
4.
Indianapolis 500 traditions
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Due to the longevity of the Indianapolis 500, numerous traditions surrounding the race have developed over the years. Traditions include procedures for the running of the race, scheduling, for many fans, these traditions are an important aspect of the race, and they have often reacted quite negatively when the traditions are changed or broken. As part of the Memorial Day holiday weekend, the ceremonies of the Indianapolis 500 feature several patriotic songs. The most noteworthy and most popular traditions are the singing of Back Home Again in Indiana. The race has always been scheduled in conjunction with Memorial Day, through 1970, the race was held on Memorial Day proper, regardless of the day of the week, unless it fell on Sunday. In those cases it was scheduled for Monday May 31, after the Uniform Monday Holiday Act took effect in 1971, the race was scheduled as part of the three-day Memorial Day weekend instead, either the Saturday, the Sunday, or the Monday. Since 1974, the race has been scheduled for the Sunday of Memorial Day weekend, Sundays were avoided for scheduling race activity dating all the way back to pre-500 races in 1909 and 1910. In early decades, Sundays were occasionally used for practice and/or qualifying, in some early years, practice may have been permitted on Sundays, but the gates might not be open to the public. When Tony Hulman bought the Speedway after World War II, Speedway management continued to refuse to schedule the race on a Sunday, qualifying and practice, however, were regularly held on Sundays during those years, with no days closed to spectators. From 1971-1972, the race was scheduled for the Saturday of Memorial Day weekend, in 1973, the race was scheduled for Memorial Day Monday. However, rain delayed it until Wednesday, since 1974, the race has been scheduled for the Sunday of Memorial Day weekend. The 1986 race was held the weekend after the federal holiday because of two rainouts. The race was held the following Saturday, May 31, the date of the race if May 30 was a Sunday. The 1997 race was similar to 1973 in having two rain delays, nearly as unique as 1986 and it was scheduled for Sunday, May 25, but heavy rain washed out the day. The race began the day, on Memorial Day. The race was halted after 15 laps, and could not be restarted, short of the 101 laps needed for an official race, track officials elected to resume the race on the following day. The race was run to completion, as laps 16-200 were completed on Tuesday, armed Forces Day also falls during the month of May, and usually coincides with one of the weekends of time trials. Since 1978 at the Speedway, that weekend is filled with activities honoring the U. S. military
5.
Indianapolis 500 pace cars
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The Indianapolis 500 auto race has used a pace car every year since 1911. The pace car is utilized for two primary purposes, at the start of the race, the pace car leads the assembled starting grid around the track for a predetermined number of unscored warm-up laps. Then if the officials deem appropriate, it releases the field at a speed to start the race. In addition, during yellow flag caution periods, the car enters the track and picks up the leader. Prior to the first 500 in 1911, in the interest of safety, nearly all races at the time, as well as all Formula One races even to the present, utilize a standing start. In almost every year since 1936, it has been a tradition that the winner of the Indianapolis 500 be presented one of that years pace cars. In most years since 1911, the driver of the car at the start of the race has been an invited celebrity. Historically, the honor of supplying the pace car was, and continues to be, an honor by the respective automobile manufactures. The pace car was used to take the field on one unscored lap. The invited driver was given the honor of pacemaker, and manufacturers used the honor of providing the car as marketing exposure, during his tenure as Speedway president, Tony Hulman rode in the pace car nearly every year, immediately after giving the command to start engines. His primary duty was to marshal the start and in some years, dating back to the very early years, the pace cars were often painted with special liveries complete with logos, lettering, pinstriping, and other decorative markings. In addition, sometimes flagpoles, lights, and other motoring paraphernalia were installed to further identify the pace car, most manufacturers used the opportunity to showcase their higher end or luxury models. Since in the years, the pace car was only used for one lap at the start. In many years, the car was a convertible, which along with increasing the luxury status of the vehicle. In most years through the early 1950s, the car led the field around the track for one warm up lap. The pace lap concept was popular with fans, as many drivers commonly waved at the fans, by 1957, the procedure was changed so the pace car led the field for two warm up laps. This also allowed the fans on the mainstretch to see the entire field parade by one time before the start, previously only fans on other parts of the track got to actually see the grid go by for photographs and waving. For the 1957–1958 races, the grid was lined up and exited single-file from the newly constructed pit lane, the two laps allowed the field to properly form up, however, in practice it turned out to be difficult and both races saw incidents at the start
6.
Cord (automobile)
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Cord was the brand name of an American automobile company from Connersville, Indiana, manufactured by the Auburn Automobile Company from 1929 to 1932 and again in 1936 and 1937. The Cord Corporation was founded and run by E. L. Cord as a company for his many transportation interests. Cord was noted for its technology and streamlined designs. Cord had a philosophy to build truly different, innovative cars, believing they would sell well. This did not always work well in practice, Cord innovations include front-wheel drive on the L-29 and hidden headlamps on the 810 and 812. Hidden headlamps did not become common as a feature until the 1960s. The early Oldsmobile Toronados, whose GM stylists later stated they were trying to capture the feel of the Cords design, servo shifting was accomplished through a bendix electro-vacuum pre-selector mechanism. This was the first American front-wheel drive car to be offered to the public, beating the Ruxton automobile by several months, in 1929. The brainchild of former Miller engineer Carl Van Ranst, its drive system borrowed from the Indianapolis 500-dominating racers, using the same de Dion layout and this allowed it to be much lower than competing cars. Both stock cars and special bodies built on the Cord chassis by American and European coachbuilders won prizes in contests worldwide, still, the styling was lovely, and despite the 137.5 in wheelbase and steering demanding fully four turns lock-to-lock, handling was reportedly superb. Priced around US$3,000, it was competitive with Cadillac, Marmon, Lincoln, Packard, Franklin, and Stutz and it could not outrun the Great Depression, and by 1932, it was discontinued, with just 4,400 sold. Wheelbase was 137.5 and the height of the sedan was 61, the Model 810/812 are probably the best-known of the companys products. Styled by Gordon M. Buehrig, they featured front-wheel drive and independent front suspension, powered by a 4,739 cc Lycoming V8 of the same 125 hp horsepower as the L-29, the 810 had a four-speed electrically-selected semi-automatic transmission, among other innovative features. The car caused a sensation at the New York Auto Show in November 1935, orders were taken at the show with Cord promising Christmas delivery, expecting production of 1,000 per month. Production delays pushed the delivery date to February 1936. This proved optimistic, the first production vehicles were not delivered until April, in all, Cord managed to sell only 1,174 of the new 810 in its first model year. The car is known for the flat front nose with a louvered grille design. The front was so similar in look to a coffin, the car was often called Coffin Nose, early reliability problems, including slipping out of gear and vapor lock, cooled initial enthusiasm, and the dealer base shrank rapidly
7.
Racing flags
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Racing flags are traditionally used in auto racing and similar motorsports to indicate track condition and to communicate important messages to drivers. Typically, the starter, sometimes the grand marshal of a race, track marshals are also stationed at observation posts along the race track in order to communicate both local and course-wide conditions to drivers. Alternatively, some race tracks employ lights to supplement the primary flag at the start/finish line, while there is no universal system of racing flags across all of motorsports, most series have standardized them, with some flags carrying over between series. For example, the flag is commonly used across all of motorsport to signify the end of a session. Status flags are used to all drivers of the general status of the course during a race. In addition, the green, yellow, and red flags described below may be augmented or replaced by lights at various points around the circuit, the solid green flag is usually displayed by the starter to indicate the start of a race. During a race, it is displayed at the end of a period or a temporary delay to indicate that the race is restarting. The waving of a flag is almost universally supplemented with the illumination of green lights at various intervals around the course. If the race is not under caution or delayed, it is said to be under green-flag conditions, however, the flag itself is typically not continuously waved by the starter. No flag displayed at the starters stand implies safe, green-flag conditions, at all times, however, the green lights remain lit. When shown at a marshalling post, a green flag may indicate the end of a local yellow-flag zone, a separate green flag displayed at the entrance to the pit area indicate that the pits are open. In NASCAR, a green and yellow flag waved at the time indicates that the race is being started or restarted under caution. This is sometimes called a yellow and usually occurs when a track is drying after a rain delay. In 1980, USAC flagman Duane Sweeney started a tradition at the Indianapolis 500 of waving twin green flags for added visual effect at the start of the race, green flags waved at restarts were single. Since roughly the 1990s, some races on occasion invite celebrity guests to wave the flag at the start of the race. The solid yellow flag, or caution flag, universally requires drivers to slow due to a hazard on the track, typically an accident. However, the procedures for displaying the yellow flag vary for different racing styles, in Formula One racing, a yellow flag displayed at the starters stand or a marshal station indicates that there is a hazard downstream of the station. This informs the driver that there may be marshals on the track and to prepare to stop, when shown at a station, drivers are prohibited from passing until either the hazard or the next flag station displaying a green flag is passed
8.
1929 Indianapolis 500
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The 17th International 500-Mile Sweepstakes was held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Thursday, May 30,1929. Ray Keech, who finished fourth a year earlier, took the lead for the time on lap 158. Keech won for car owner Maude A. Yagle, the first and to-date, only two weeks after winning the race, Ray Keech was fatally injured in a crash at Altoona Speedway on June 15,1929. The race was part of the 1929 AAA Championship Car season, the 1929 edition was the last contested with the supercharged 91 1⁄2 cu. in. The supercharged front-wheel drive Miller 8s dominated qualifying, sweeping the front row, a total of twelve front-wheel drive machines made the field, but Keechs rear-wheel-drive Simplex Piston Ring Special took the victory. All three cars of the front row, as well as the first two cars of the row, dropped out before the halfway point. Pole-sitter Cliff Woodbury crashed on lap 4, and become the first pole position winner in Indy history to finish last. Defending race winner Louis Meyer was leading in the second half and he finished second just over six minutes behind Keech, with the lengthy pit stop the deciding margin. The hard luck story of the race belonged to Lou Moore, after finishing second in 1928, Moore was on his way to back-to-back runner-up finishes. With two laps to go, however, his engine threw a rod, due to the rules at the time, since Moore was not running at the finish, he was scored behind all finishers. He fell all the way back to 13th position, behind four cars that actually had fewer laps than he had and it was the final race of the Roaring Twenties and the final race before the Stock Market Crash and Great Depression. The facility was expanded in 1929 to include a golf course, dubbed the Speedway Golf Course, it featured nine holes outside the track, and nine holes inside the track, and was designed by Bill Diddel. Also during the month, scenes for the movie Speedway were being filmed, the 1929 race would be the final year contested with the supercharged 91 1⁄2 cu. in. Rickenbackers desire was to move away from the supercharged, specialized racing machines that had taken over the Speedway through the 1920s, contrary to popular belief, the proposed rules changes were not made in response to the stock market crash of 1929 and the subsequent Great Depression. The rule changes for 1930 were in fact being laid out as early as 1928, in addition, the 1929 race would be the final for the foreseeable future to be without riding mechanics. From 1930 and beyond, the rules were once again going to mandate two-man cars. With the 91 1⁄2 c. i. d engines on their way out, qualifying speeds were expected to be fast. For 1929, riding mechanics were optional, however, no teams utilized them, jimmy Gleasons car carried #53, the first number over 50 in the history of the race
9.
Pete DePaolo
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Pete DePaolo was the American race car driver who won the 1925 Indianapolis 500. He was born on April 6,1898 in Roseland, New Jersey, pete saw his first race in 1919, where he watched his uncle Ralph DePalma win as his riding mechanic. He drove in the 1922 Indianapolis 500 finishing 4th, DePaolo had his worst career injury at the Kansas City board track, his car rolled four times. He ended up spending three weeks in the hospital after losing two teeth and his face was cut up. His riding mechanic Cotton Henning spent several months in the hospital with broken ribs and he pulled out to a huge lead in the 1925 Indianapolis 500. DePaolos strategy in the race was to run the left side tires in the oil slick on the middle the track for two laps then runs his right tires in the oil slick for two laps. His fingers became badly blistered around the midpoint of the race, DePaolo had his hands repaired in the infield care center, and returned in the car after missing 21 laps. He raced his way to the win on his way to the drivers championship. The race was the first Indianapolis 500 to average over 100 miles per hour, pete did not consider this to be his greatest win. Pete becomes the first driver to average more than 100 mph at the Indianapolis 500 and he began his only team in 1927. He finished second in the 1927 Indianapolis 500, and added two wins on his way to the drivers championship. In 1934, DePaolo drove the Harry Miller four wheel drive car in races throughout Europe. At the Avus course, near Berlin, while leading the race in a down pour and he decided to retire after he was in a coma for 11 days after crashing in Spain in 1934. He sang Back Home Again In Indiana in 1971, as of 2014 and he died on November 26,1980 at age 82. He was car owner and team manager for Kelly Petillos 1935 Indianapolis 500 victory and he was a successful NASCAR team owner from 1955 to 1957. His drivers finished second, third, and second in the points standings. The drivers accumulated 21 wins and 109 Top 10 finishes in 178 starts, the team later became Holman Moody. He was inducted in the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America in 1995 and he was inducted in the National Sprint Car Hall of Fame in 1995
10.
Cubic inch
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The cubic inch is a unit of measurement for volume in the Imperial units and United States customary units systems. It is the volume of a cube with each of its three dimensions being one inch long, one cubic foot is equal to exactly 1,728 cubic inches because 123 =1,728. The following symbols have been used to denote the cubic inch, cubic in cu inch, cu in inch^3, in^3 inch³, because of the extensive export of electrical equipment to other countries, some usage of the non-SI unit can be found outside North America. The cubic inch is used for this purpose in classic car collecting. The auto industry now uses liters for this purpose, while reciprocating engines used in commercial aircraft often have model numbers based on the cubic inch displacement. The fifth generation Ford Mustang has a Boss 302 version that reflects this heritage - with an engine similar to the original Boss. Chevrolet has also revived this usage on its 427 Corvette, in the UK, engine displacement is now denoted in litres. However, cubic inches were used in the past to denote model numbers. Conversion of units Cubic centimeter Cubic foot Orders of magnitude Square inch
11.
Litre
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The litre or liter is an SI accepted metric system unit of volume equal to 1 cubic decimetre,1,000 cubic centimetres or 1/1,000 cubic metre. A cubic decimetre occupies a volume of 10×10×10 centimetres and is equal to one-thousandth of a cubic metre. The original French metric system used the litre as a base unit. The word litre is derived from an older French unit, the litron, whose name came from Greek — where it was a unit of weight, not volume — via Latin, and which equalled approximately 0.831 litres. The litre was also used in subsequent versions of the metric system and is accepted for use with the SI. The spelling used by the International Bureau of Weights and Measures is litre, the less common spelling of liter is more predominantly used in American English. One litre of water has a mass of almost exactly one kilogram. Subsequent redefinitions of the metre and kilogram mean that this relationship is no longer exact, a litre is defined as a special name for a cubic decimetre or 10 centimetres ×10 centimetres ×10 centimetres. Hence 1 L ≡0.001 m3 ≡1000 cm3, from 1901 to 1964, the litre was defined as the volume of one kilogram of pure water at maximum density and standard pressure. The kilogram was in turn specified as the mass of a platinum/iridium cylinder held at Sèvres in France and was intended to be of the mass as the 1 litre of water referred to above. It was subsequently discovered that the cylinder was around 28 parts per million too large and thus, during this time, additionally, the mass-volume relationship of water depends on temperature, pressure, purity and isotopic uniformity. In 1964, the definition relating the litre to mass was abandoned in favour of the current one, although the litre is not an official SI unit, it is accepted by the CGPM for use with the SI. CGPM defines the litre and its acceptable symbols, a litre is equal in volume to the millistere, an obsolete non-SI metric unit customarily used for dry measure. The litre is often used in some calculated measurements, such as density. One litre of water has a mass of almost exactly one kilogram when measured at its maximal density, similarly,1 millilitre of water has a mass of about 1 g,1,000 litres of water has a mass of about 1,000 kg. It is now known that density of water depends on the isotopic ratios of the oxygen and hydrogen atoms in a particular sample. The litre, though not an official SI unit, may be used with SI prefixes, the most commonly used derived unit is the millilitre, defined as one-thousandth of a litre, and also often referred to by the SI derived unit name cubic centimetre. It is a commonly used measure, especially in medicine and cooking, Other units may be found in the table below, where the more often used terms are in bold
12.
Supercharger
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A supercharger is an air compressor that increases the pressure or density of air supplied to an internal combustion engine. This gives each intake cycle of the more oxygen, letting it burn more fuel and do more work. Power for the supercharger can be provided mechanically by means of a belt, gear, shaft, when power is provided by a turbine powered by exhaust gas, a supercharger is known as a turbosupercharger – typically referred to simply as a turbocharger or just turbo. Common usage restricts the term supercharger to mechanically driven units, in 1848 or 1849 G. Jones of Birmingham, England brought out a Roots-style compressor. The worlds first functional, actually tested engine supercharger was made by Dugald Clerk, gottlieb Daimler received a German patent for supercharging an internal combustion engine in 1885. Louis Renault patented a centrifugal supercharger in France in 1902, an early supercharged race car was built by Lee Chadwick of Pottstown, Pennsylvania in 1908 which reportedly reached a speed of 100 mph. The worlds first series-produced cars with superchargers were Mercedes 6/25/40 hp, both models were introduced in 1921 and had Roots superchargers. They were distinguished as Kompressor models, the origin of the Mercedes-Benz badging which continues today, on March 24,1878 Heinrich Krigar of Germany obtained patent #4121, patenting the first ever screw-type compressor. Later that same year on August 16 he obtained patent #7116 after modifying and improving his original designs and his designs show a two-lobe rotor assembly with each rotor having the same shape as the other. Although the design resembled the Roots style compressor, the screws were clearly shown with 180 degrees of twist along their length, unfortunately, the technology of the time was not sufficient to produce such a unit, and Heinrich made no further progress with the screw compressor. Nearly half a century later, in 1935, Alf Lysholm and he also patented the method for machining the compressor rotors. There are two types of superchargers defined according to the method of gas transfer, positive displacement. Positive displacement blowers and compressors deliver an almost constant level of pressure increase at all engine speeds, dynamic compressors do not deliver pressure at low speeds, above a threshold speed, pressure increases with engine speed. Positive-displacement pumps deliver a nearly fixed volume of air per revolution at all speeds, Roots superchargers are external compression only. External compression refers to pumps that transfer air at ambient pressure into the engine, if the engine is running under boost conditions, the pressure in the intake manifold is higher than that coming from the supercharger. That causes a backflow from the engine into the supercharger until the two reach equilibrium and it is the backflow that actually compresses the incoming gas. This is an inefficient process and the factor in the lack of efficiency of Roots superchargers when used at high boost levels. The lower the boost level the smaller is this loss, and Roots blowers are very efficient at moving air at low pressure differentials, all the other types have some degree of internal compression
13.
Two-stroke engine
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A two-stroke, or two-cycle, engine is a type of internal combustion engine which completes a power cycle with two strokes of the piston during only one crankshaft revolution. This is in contrast to an engine, which requires four strokes of the piston to complete a power cycle. In a two-stroke engine, the end of the combustion stroke, two-stroke engines often have a high power-to-weight ratio, power being available in a narrow range of rotational speeds called the power band. Compared to four-stroke engines, two-stroke engines have a reduced number of moving parts. The first commercial two-stroke engine involving in-cylinder compression is attributed to Scottish engineer Dugald Clerk, however, unlike most later two-stroke engines, his had a separate charging cylinder. The crankcase-scavenged engine, employing the area below the piston as a pump, is generally credited to Englishman Joseph Day. The first truly practical two-stroke engine is attributed to Yorkshireman Alfred Angas Scott, gasoline versions are particularly useful in lightweight or portable applications such as chainsaws and motorcycles. In a two-stroke engine, the transfer from the engine to the cooling system is less than in a four-stroke. Two-stroke petrol engines are preferred when mechanical simplicity, light weight, the Japanese manufacturer Suzuki did the same in the 1970s. Production of two-stroke cars ended in the 1980s in the West, eastern Bloc countries continued until around 1991, with the Trabant and Wartburg in East Germany. They are also common in power tools used outdoors, such as lawnmowers, chainsaws, with direct fuel injection and a sump-based lubrication system, a two-stroke engine produces air pollution no worse than a four-stroke, and it can achieve higher thermodynamic efficiency. Therefore, the cycle has also been used in large diesel engines, most notably large industrial and marine engines, as well as some trucks. Although the principles remain the same, the details of various two-stroke engines differ depending on the type. The design types vary according to the method of introducing the charge to the cylinder, the method of scavenging the cylinder, piston port is the simplest of the designs and the most common in small two-stroke engines. All functions are controlled solely by the covering and uncovering the ports as it moves up. In the 1970s, Yamaha worked out some principles for this system. They found that, in general, widening an exhaust port increases the power by the amount as raising the port. However, there is a limit to the width of a single exhaust port
14.
Riding mechanic
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A riding mechanic was a mechanic that rode along with a race car during races, and who was tasked with maintaining, monitoring, and repairing the car during the race. The various duties included manually pumping oil and fuel, checking tire wear, observing gauges and they also communicated with the pits and spotted from inside the car. If the car ran out of fuel, or otherwise broke down, riding mechanics were also referred to by the term mechanician. The position is associated with the early years of Championship car racing. Riding mechanics were used by most cars in the Indianapolis 500 from 1911 to 1922, in the first 500, driver Ray Harroun notably drove solo, the only car in the field without a riding mechanic. He famously affixed a rear-view mirror to the car, in order to see cars behind him. Harroun is famously regarded as the first driver to utilize a rear view mirror, however, starting in 1912, the AAA Contest Board declared that riding mechanics were made mandatory for all races of 100 miles or longer. In 1923 riding mechanics were optional, and only one team utilized them. They were brought back from 1930 to 1937 and made mandatory once again, from 1938 on, they were again deemed optional, but no teams in the starting field used one ever again. In the years immediately following WWII, nearly all cars had been parked. Riding mechanics were written out of the rule book in 1964. The mechanics sat in a seat, typically to the outside of the driver. Some cars, however, did have the reversed, with the riding mechanic on the inside. Due to the quarters, many were of short stature. Some notable riding mechanics are Harry Holcomb, Robert Bandini, the last living Indy 500 riding mechanic Joseph F. Kennelly died in September 2011. A small handful of riding mechanics were also drivers of their own right, two-time Indianapolis 500 winner Jimmy Murphy started his racing career as a riding mechanic. Pete DePaolo and Kelly Petillo also served as mechanicians, while accurate records are incomplete and spotty overall, the identification of riding mechanics from the history of the Indianapolis 500 is mostly complete and fairly reliable. Riding mechanics were required in the classic era of grand prix
15.
Wall Street Crash of 1929
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The crash, which followed the London Stock Exchanges crash of September, signaled the beginning of the 12-year Great Depression that affected all Western industrialized countries. The Roaring Twenties, the decade that followed World War I and led to the crash, was a time of wealth, while the American cities prospered, the overproduction of agricultural produce created widespread financial despair among American farmers throughout the decade. This would later be blamed as one of the key factors that led to the 1929 stock market crash, despite the dangers of speculation, many believed that the stock market would continue to rise forever. On March 25,1929, after the Federal Reserve warned of excessive speculation, two days later, banker Charles E. Mitchell announced his company the National City Bank would provide $25 million in credit to stop the markets slide. Mitchells move brought a halt to the financial crisis and call money declined from 20 to 8 percent. Despite all these economic trouble signs and the breaks in March and May 1929, stocks resumed their advance in June. The market had been on a run that saw the Dow Jones Industrial Average increase in value tenfold. Shortly before the crash, economist Irving Fisher famously proclaimed, Stock prices have reached what looks like a high plateau. The optimism and financial gains of the bull market were shaken after a well publicized early September prediction from financial expert Roger Babson that a crash was coming. The initial September decline was thus called the Babson Break in the press and this was the start of the Great Crash, although until the severe phase of the crash in October, many investors regarded the September Babson Break as a healthy correction and buying opportunity. On September 20, the London Stock Exchange crashed when top British investor Clarence Hatry and many of his associates were jailed for fraud, the London crash greatly weakened the optimism of American investment in markets overseas. In the days leading up to the crash, the market was severely unstable, periods of selling and high volumes were interspersed with brief periods of rising prices and recovery. On October 24, the market lost 11 percent of its value at the bell on very heavy trading. Several leading Wall Street bankers met to find a solution to the panic and chaos on the trading floor. The meeting included Thomas W. Lamont, acting head of Morgan Bank, Albert Wiggin, head of the Chase National Bank and they chose Richard Whitney, vice president of the Exchange, to act on their behalf. With the bankers financial resources behind him, Whitney placed a bid to purchase a block of shares in U. S. Steel at a price well above the current market. As traders watched, Whitney then placed similar bids on other blue chip stocks and this tactic was similar to one that ended the Panic of 1907. It succeeded in halting the slide, the Dow Jones Industrial Average recovered, closing with it down only 6.38 points for the day
16.
Great Depression
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The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression that took place during the 1930s. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, in most countries it started in 1929 and it was the longest, deepest, and most widespread depression of the 20th century. In the 21st century, the Great Depression is commonly used as an example of how far the economy can decline. The depression originated in the United States, after a fall in stock prices that began around September 4,1929. Between 1929 and 1932, worldwide GDP fell by an estimated 15%, by comparison, worldwide GDP fell by less than 1% from 2008 to 2009 during the Great Recession. Some economies started to recover by the mid-1930s, however, in many countries, the negative effects of the Great Depression lasted until the beginning of World War II. The Great Depression had devastating effects in both rich and poor. Personal income, tax revenue, profits and prices dropped, while international trade plunged by more than 50%, unemployment in the U. S. rose to 25% and in some countries rose as high as 33%. Cities all around the world were hit hard, especially dependent on heavy industry. Construction was virtually halted in many countries, farming communities and rural areas suffered as crop prices fell by about 60%. Facing plummeting demand with few sources of jobs, areas dependent on primary sector industries such as mining and logging suffered the most. Even after the Wall Street Crash of 1929 optimism persisted for some time, john D. Rockefeller said These are days when many are discouraged. In the 93 years of my life, depressions have come, prosperity has always returned and will again. The stock market turned upward in early 1930, returning to early 1929 levels by April and this was still almost 30% below the peak of September 1929. Together, government and business spent more in the first half of 1930 than in the period of the previous year. On the other hand, consumers, many of whom had suffered losses in the stock market the previous year. In addition, beginning in the mid-1930s, a severe drought ravaged the agricultural heartland of the U. S, by mid-1930, interest rates had dropped to low levels, but expected deflation and the continuing reluctance of people to borrow meant that consumer spending and investment were depressed. By May 1930, automobile sales had declined to below the levels of 1928, prices in general began to decline, although wages held steady in 1930
17.
Eddie Rickenbacker
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Edward Vernon Rickenbacker was an American fighter ace in World War I and Medal of Honor recipient. With 26 aerial victories, he was Americas most successful ace in the war. He was also considered to have won the most awards for valor by American during the war according to the April 2017 VFW magazine in their special World War I edition. He was also a car driver and automotive designer, a government consultant in military matters. Edward Rickenbacker was born in Columbus, Ohio, to Swiss German-speaking immigrants, from childhood, he loved machines and experimented with them, encouraged by his fathers words, A machine has to have a purpose. His first life-threatening experience occurred when he was in the Horsehead Gang and he lived near a mine, and they decided to ride a cart down the slope. It tipped over and almost crushed them, according to Rickenbackers autobiography, at age thirteen, his schooling ended in grade seven after the accidental death of his father on August 26,1904. However, according to Eddie Rickenbacker, An American Hero in the Twentieth Century and he aggressively pursued any chance of involvement with automobiles. Rickenbacker went to work at the Columbus Buggy Company, eventually becoming a salesman, Rickenbacker was also an avid golfer, often playing at the Siwanoy Country Club course near his home. He is one of a select few Club members who were granted honorary lifetime membership at Siwanoy. Rickenbacker became well known as a car driver, competing in the Indianapolis 500 four times before World War I. Rickenbacker joined the Maxwell Race Team in 1915 after leaving Peugeot, after the Maxwell team disbanded that same year, he joined the Prest-O-Lite team as manager and continued to race improved Maxwells for Prest-O-Lite. Rickenbacker wanted to join the Allied troops in World War I, but the U. S. had not yet entered the war. During World War I, with its atmosphere, he — like many other German Americans — changed his surname. As he was well known at the time, the change received wide publicity. From then on, as he wrote in his autobiography, most Rickenbachers were practically forced to spell their name in the way I had and he believed his given name looked a little plain. He signed his name 26 times, with a different middle initial each time, after settling upon V, he selected Vernon as a middle name. In 1916, Rickenbacker traveled to London, with the aim of developing an English car for American races, because of an erroneous press story and Rickenbackers known Swiss heritage, he was suspected of being a spy
18.
Roaring Twenties
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The Roaring Twenties is a term for Western society and Western culture during the 1920s. In the French Third Republic, the decade was known as the années folles, emphasizing the social, artistic. Jazz music blossomed, the flapper redefined the modern look for British and American women, not everything roared, in the wake of the hyper-emotional patriotism of World War I, Warren G. Harding brought back normalcy to the politics of the United States. This era saw the use of automobiles, telephones, motion pictures, radio. The economies saw rapid growth, accelerated consumer demand, plus significant changes in lifestyle. The media focused on celebrities, especially sports heroes and movie stars, as cities rooted for their teams and filled the new palatial cinemas. In most major states, women won the right to vote. The social and cultural features known as the Roaring Twenties began in leading metropolitan centers, the United States gained dominance in world finance. Thus, when Weimar Republic Germany could no longer afford to pay World War I reparations to the United Kingdom, France and other Allies, the Americans came up with the Dawes Plan. Wall Street invested heavily in Germany, which repaid its reparations to nations that, in turn, by the middle of the decade, prosperity was widespread, with the second half of the decade known, especially in Germany, as the Golden Twenties. The spirit of the Roaring Twenties was marked by a feeling of novelty associated with modernity. Everything seemed to be feasible through modern technology, New technologies, especially automobiles, moving pictures, and radio, brought modernity to a large part of the population. Formal decorative frills were shed in favor of practicality in both life and architecture. At the same time, Jazz and dancing rose in popularity, as such, the period is also often referred to as the Jazz Age. The Wall Street Crash of 1929 ended the era, as the Great Depression brought years of worldwide gloom, the economy of the United States, which had successfully transitioned from a wartime economy to a peacetime economy, boomed and provided loans for a European boom as well. However, some sectors were stagnant, especially farming and coal mining, the United States since the late 19th century was the richest country in the world per capita and in terms of total GDP. Its industry was based on production, and its society acculturated into consumerism. European economies, by contrast, had a more difficult postwar readjustment, at first, the end of wartime production caused a brief but deep recession, the post–World War I recession of 1919–20
19.
Sampson (automobile)
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The Sampson was an early automobile manufactured by the Alden Sampson Manufacturing Company of Pittsfield, Massachusetts in 1904. It was based on the 1903 Moyea automobile for which the Alden Sampson Company had built the chassis, the Sampson was built again in 1911 by United States Motors, Alden Sampson Division, in Detroit, Michigan. The 1904 Sampson had a 4-cylinder 18 hp engine with a 4-speed sliding-gear transmission with two chains to drive the rear wheels, the 1911 Sampson, called the Sampson 35, had a 4-cylinder 35 hp engine. This model was a four-door, five-seater that was advertised as having 17 coats of paint and it actually had only 3 doors, the fourth was just an outline, and blocked by the gear shift and brake. Aluminum was used for the transaxle and crankcase, the car was sold for $1,250.00. It was manufactured in Detroit, on Oakland Blvd, in a brand new city-block-long factory, there are only three survivors known to exist, and maybe a fourth in Australia. Five were registered in 1919 in the Australian state of Queensland, the New Encyclopedia of Automobiles,1885 To The Present Restored Cars Australia Number 169, Mat-Apr 2005
20.
Louis Meyer
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Louis Meyer was an American Hall of Fame race car driver who was a three-time winner of the Indianapolis 500. Born in lower Manhattan, New York on July 21,1904, he was the son of French immigrants, Meyer was raised in Los Angeles, where he began automobile racing at various California tracks. He went on to become the driver to win the Indianapolis 500 three times, capturing the prestigious race as a rookie starter in 1928, then again in 1933 and 1936. Meyer started the tradition of drinking milk in victory lane at the 1933 Indianapolis 500 race, following his 1936 Indianapolis 500 victory, he drank from a glass milk bottle instead, as most race winners have done since. Following the suggestion of former winner, Tommy Milton, that year he became the first driver to receive the Pace Car as part of the race winnings. Meyer won the United States National Driving Championship in 1928,1929 and 1933, meyers wife June did not even know he was racing in the 1928 Indianapolis 500. Earlier in the day she was in Pennsylvania picking up a wrecked car and she found out about her husbands victory after the track announcer in Reading asked the crowd to give a big hand to Eddie Meyer, the brother of the Indianapolis 500 winner. Meyer died on November 7,1995 in Searchlight, Nevada, aged 91 and he was interred at Inglewood Park Cemetery in Inglewood, California. Meyers son Louis Meyer, Jr. assisted him in work at his race shops. He was not related to fellow driver Zeke Meyer, don Garrison Collection, oral history interview with Louis Meyer - Ball State University Archives and Special Collections Research Center - External link The Greatest 33 Louis Meyer at Find a Grave
21.
Ralph Hepburn
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Ralph R. Hepburn was a pioneer American motorcycle racing champion and an Indianapolis 500 racecar driver. Born in Somerville, Massachusetts, Hepburns family moved to Los Angeles and he began riding motorcycles as a teen and his skills led to him signing on with a cycle performing group in 1914 that toured the West Coast and parts of the American Midwest. He then began competing in on board tracks, then on dirt and his racing career was interrupted during 1917 and 1918 due to World War I. In June 1919, Hepburn came to prominence when he won the 200 mi National Championship at Ascot Park in Los Angeles riding for the Harley-Davidson factory. He began winning consistently thereafter and in 1921 won the Dodge City 300 National Championship while breaking all existing 300 mi records, in 1922 he dominated professional track racing for the Indian Motocycle company. That year, he rode to his victory in the 300 mi National Championship motorcycle race. At the end of the 1924 American racing season, and after competing in events in Australia. In 1925, he competed in a car built by Harry Miller in the first of fifteen appearances at the Indianapolis 500, later that year, during practice for the AMA 100-mile championship race at Altoona Speedway, he crashed his Harley-Davidson racing motorcycle and damaged his hand. Hepburn then lent the motorcycle to Indian rider Joe Petrali, who won the race and this began Petralis association with Harley-Davidson. In 1929 he qualified third at Indianapolis, but gear problems resulted in him having to drop out only fourteen laps. For a time, Hepburn served as president of the American Society of Professional Automobile Racers, in 1946, at the age of fifty, Hepburn qualified Novi Governor Special at of 134.449 mph. He led forty-four laps in the race before the car stalled on Lap 121, in 1947, Hepburn joined Preston Tucker and Tucker Corporation and drove the prototype Tucker onstage when it was unveiled to the public on June 19,1947. He served as West Coast Regional Manager for Tucker Corporation, Hepburn died practicing for the 1948 Indianapolis 500 while driving a Novi Special for Tucker Corporation. He was survived by his wife Ida Mae Hepburn and one daughter Joanne Hepburn and he is buried at Forest Lawn Memorial Park Cemetery in Glendale, California. In 1998, Hepburn was inducted into the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame
22.
Lora L. Corum
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Lora Lawrence Corum was co-winner of the 1924 Indianapolis 500. L. L. Corum was born on January 8,1899 in Jonesville, Indiana to Margaret Hannah Marquette and William Cecil Corum. During the 1924 Indianapolis 500 Corum, in place, was replaced by the more well-known Joe Boyer on lap 109 on orders of the head of the team after Boyers car developed trouble. While Corum received the money and was credited with the victory. Corum qualified for the 1928 Indianapolis 500, but suffered a crash during a run on the morning of the race. Corum left racing in 1933, but returned in 1938 as a mechanic and he died on March 7,1949 at age 50
23.
Gear train
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A transmission is a machine in a power transmission system, which provides controlled application of the power. Often the term refers simply to the gearbox that uses gears and gear trains to provide speed. In British English, the term refers to the whole drivetrain, including clutch, gearbox, prop shaft, differential. In American English, however, the term more specifically to the gearbox alone. The most common use is in vehicles, where the transmission adapts the output of the internal combustion engine to the drive wheels. Such engines need to operate at a high rotational speed, which is inappropriate for starting, stopping. The transmission reduces the engine speed to the slower wheel speed. Transmissions are also used on bicycles, fixed machines. Often, a transmission has multiple gear ratios with the ability to switch between them as speed varies and this switching may be done manually or automatically. Directional control may also be provided, single-ratio transmissions also exist, which simply change the speed and torque of motor output. The output of the transmission is transmitted via the driveshaft to one or more differentials, while a differential may also provide gear reduction, its primary purpose is to permit the wheels at either end of an axle to rotate at different speeds as it changes the direction of rotation. Conventional gear/belt transmissions are not the mechanism for speed/torque adaptation. Alternative mechanisms include torque converters and power transformation, automatic transmissions use a valve body to shift gears using fluid pressures in conjunction with an ecm. Early transmissions included the right-angle drives and other gearing in windmills, horse-powered devices, and steam engines, in support of pumping, milling, most modern gearboxes are used to increase torque while reducing the speed of a prime mover output shaft. This means that the shaft of a gearbox rotates at a slower rate than the input shaft. A gearbox can be set up to do the opposite and provide an increase in speed with a reduction of torque. Some of the simplest gearboxes merely change the rotational direction of power transmission. Many typical automobile transmissions include the ability to select one of several gear ratios, in this case, most of the gear ratios are used to slow down the output speed of the engine and increase torque
24.
United States
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Forty-eight of the fifty states and the federal district are contiguous and located in North America between Canada and Mexico. The state of Alaska is in the northwest corner of North America, bordered by Canada to the east, the state of Hawaii is an archipelago in the mid-Pacific Ocean. The U. S. territories are scattered about the Pacific Ocean, the geography, climate and wildlife of the country are extremely diverse. At 3.8 million square miles and with over 324 million people, the United States is the worlds third- or fourth-largest country by area, third-largest by land area. It is one of the worlds most ethnically diverse and multicultural nations, paleo-Indians migrated from Asia to the North American mainland at least 15,000 years ago. European colonization began in the 16th century, the United States emerged from 13 British colonies along the East Coast. Numerous disputes between Great Britain and the following the Seven Years War led to the American Revolution. On July 4,1776, during the course of the American Revolutionary War, the war ended in 1783 with recognition of the independence of the United States by Great Britain, representing the first successful war of independence against a European power. The current constitution was adopted in 1788, after the Articles of Confederation, the first ten amendments, collectively named the Bill of Rights, were ratified in 1791 and designed to guarantee many fundamental civil liberties. During the second half of the 19th century, the American Civil War led to the end of slavery in the country. By the end of century, the United States extended into the Pacific Ocean. The Spanish–American War and World War I confirmed the status as a global military power. The end of the Cold War and the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991 left the United States as the sole superpower. The U. S. is a member of the United Nations, World Bank, International Monetary Fund, Organization of American States. The United States is a developed country, with the worlds largest economy by nominal GDP. It ranks highly in several measures of performance, including average wage, human development, per capita GDP. While the U. S. economy is considered post-industrial, characterized by the dominance of services and knowledge economy, the United States is a prominent political and cultural force internationally, and a leader in scientific research and technological innovations. In 1507, the German cartographer Martin Waldseemüller produced a map on which he named the lands of the Western Hemisphere America after the Italian explorer and cartographer Amerigo Vespucci
25.
Phil Shafer
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Phil Red Shafer was an American racecar driver. He made 30 AAA Championship Car starts from 1923 to 1952 and he captured one win in 1924 at the New York State Fairgrounds Raceway in Syracuse, New York. That year he finished a career best 9th in the National Championship and his last oval or road course Championship Car start came in 1936 - afterwards the only Championship starts he made were in the Pikes Peak Auto Hillclimb. He later built his own racing chassis
Billy Arnold
Baconin Borzacchini (R)
