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.
Pole position
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In motorsport the pole position is the position at the inside of the front row at the start of a racing event. This position is given to the vehicle and driver with the best qualifying time in the trials before the race. This number-one qualifying driver is referred to as the pole sitter, historically, the fastest qualifier was not necessarily the designated pole-sitter. Different sanctioning bodies in motor sport employ different qualifying formats in designating who starts from pole position, often, a starting grid is derived either by current rank in the championship, or based on finishing position of a previous race. In contrast to contemporary motorsport, where only a participant is designated pole-sitter, prior to World War II. The term has its origins in horse racing, in which the fastest qualifying horse would be placed on the part of the course. Originally in Grand Prix racing, grid positions, including pole, were determined by lottery among the drivers, prior to the inception of the Formula 1 World Championship, the first instance of grid positions being determined by qualifying times was at the 1933 Monaco Grand Prix. Since then, the FIA have introduced many different qualifying systems to F1, between 1996 and 2006, the FIA made 6 significant changes to the qualifying procedure, each with the intention of making the battle for pole more interesting to an F1 viewer at home. Traditionally, pole was always occupied by the fastest driver due to low-fuel qualifying, the race-fuel qualifying era between 2003 and 2009 briefly changed this. Despite the changing formats, drivers attempting pole were required between 2003 and 2009 to do qualifying laps with the fuel they would use to start the race the next day. An underfuelled slower car and driver would therefore be able to take pole ahead of a better, in this situation, pole was not always advantageous to have in the race as the under-fueled driver would have to pit for more fuel before their rivals. With the race refueling ban introduced, low-fuel qualifying returned and these decisions are no longer in play. Since the reintroduction of the rule in 2011, this applies to the quickest first session time. Since 2014, the FIA has awarded a trophy to the driver who wins the most pole positions in the season, indicates that the driver won the World Championship in the same season. IndyCar uses four formats for qualifying, one for most oval tracks, one for Iowa Speedway, one for the Indianapolis 500, and another for road and street circuits. Oval qualifying is almost like the Indianapolis 500, with two laps, instead of four, averaged together with one attempt, although with just one session. At Iowa, each car takes one qualifying lap, and the top six cars advance to the race for the pole position. The result of the race determines positions 1–10
3.
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
4.
Cummins
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Dongfeng Motor Corporation is a Chinese state-owned automobile manufacturer headquartered in Wuhan, China. Traditionally one of the Big Three Chinese automakers, Dongfeng is currently in the top four in terms of output along with Changan Motors, FAW Group, in addition to commercial and consumer vehicles, it also manufactures parts and cooperates with foreign companies. Counting six global automakers as partners, it has more Sino-foreign joint ventures than any other Chinese carmaker and these partnerships allow it to produce and sell a variety of foreign-brand products in China including those of Citroën, Honda, Kia, Nissan, Peugeot, and Renault. Other brand names associated with Dongfeng include Fengshen, Infiniti, Luxgen, heavy-duty commercial vehicles and buses are sold under the eponymous Dongfeng brand although c.2015 the Dual Sparrows logo started appearing on consumer products as well. The company was the second-largest Chinese vehicle maker in 2014 by production volume manufacturing over 3.5 million whole vehicles that year, commercial vehicle production that year was higher than all other domestic manufacturers at nearly 450,000. Dongfeng has two listed subsidiaries—Dongfeng Motor Group Co and Dongfeng Automobile Co Ltd. Some sources may refer to the company as Dong Feng, use an acronym like DFM, or use the name in conjunction with others when referring to a subsidiary, joint venture, or other associated enterprise. Known as Second Automobile Works until 1992, Dongfeng, or East Wind in Chinese, was founded in 1969. Its origins lie in a dictate of Chairman Mao Zedong, as part of his Third Front strategy, traditionally manufacturing commercial vehicles, by 2001 these made up about 73% of Dongfengs production. By 2012, that figure had reversed, and 73% of manufactures were passenger cars, however, the percentage of consumer offerings was likely lower as passenger car counts may include microvans, tiny commercial vehicles that are popular in China. Post-1985, further reforms took place that allowed Dongfeng greater autonomy, by the mid-1980s, its assets had tripled from those initially given to it by the state in 1981, and management was desirous of even greater production capacity. But in 1995, the company was experiencing financial difficulties as was the case with many Chinese automobile manufacturers at this time, the situation was still dire in 1998 precipitating a 1999 restructuring of the company. This state owned enterprise has come into conflict with authority at both the national and provincial levels, the Chinese partner in many Sino-foreign joint venture companies, Dongfeng initiated most of these cooperative efforts with foreign firms in the early 2000s. But its first was established in 1992 with French PSA Group, known as Dongfeng Citroën Automobile Company, it was the forerunner to the current Dongfeng Peugeot-Citroën Automobile Limited. By 2003, Dongfeng had established joint ventures with Kia Motors, Honda, as of 2011, it had more Sino-foreign joint ventures than any other Chinese automaker, and the 2013 creation of a partnership with French Renault means it retains this title today. In 2009, it sold 1.9 million vehicles ranking second among domestic automakers, at the 2010 Beijing Auto Show, Dongfeng displayed an electric vehicle concept car, a physical representation of its vow to bring an electric car to market by 2015. In 2010, the company sold 2.72 million units and it reported 1.72 million sales of passenger vehicles that same year. 2011 production figures put the company in place, in terms of production volume, in its home market
5.
Podium
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A podium is a platform used to raise something to a short distance above its surroundings. It derives from the Greek πόδι, in architecture a building can rest on a large podium. Podia can also be used to people, for instance the conductor of an orchestra stands on a podium as do many public speakers. Common parlance has shown a use of podium in American English to describe a lectern. In sports, a type of podium is used to honor the top three competitors in such as the Olympics. In the Olympics a three-level podium is used, traditionally, the highest level in the center holds the gold medalist. To their right is a lower platform for the silver medalist. At the 2016 Summer Games in Rio, however, the Silver, in many sports, results in the top three of a competition are often referred to as podiums or podium finishes. In some individual sports, podiums is a statistic, referring to the number of top three results an athlete has achieved over the course of a season or career. The word may also be used, chiefly in the United States, as a verb, to podium, meaning to attain a podium place. Podia were first used at the 1930 British Empire Games in Hamilton, Ontario and subsequently during the 1932 Summer Olympic Games in Los Angeles, the winner stands in the middle, with the second placed driver to his right and the third place driver to his left. Also present are the selected by the race organisers who will present the trophies. In many forms of motorsport, the three top-placed drivers in a stand on a podium for the trophy ceremony. The recordings are versions of the national anthems, ensuring the podium ceremony does not exceeded its allocated time. Should a driver experience problems with his car on a lap in Formula One. The drivers will generally refrain from spraying if a fatality or major accident occurs during the event. Also, in countries where alcohol sponsorship or drinking is prohibited, alcoholic beverages may be replaced by other drinks, the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, the highest level of stock car racing in the United States, does not use a podium in post-game events or statistics. Instead, the team celebrates in victory lane, and top-five
6.
Jim Rathmann
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Jim Rathmann, born Royal Richard Rathmann, was an American race car driver who won the Indianapolis 500 in 1960. He drove in the AAA and USAC Championship Car series in the 1949–1950 and 1952–1963 seasons with 42 starts, Rathmann also participated in the two runnings of the Race of Two Worlds at Monza, Italy, winning the 1958 event. He had 6 victories in addition to his Indy 500 win and he also drove in 3 races in the NASCAR series from 1949 to 1951. Rathmann and his older brother notably swapped names while teenagers, as a 16-year-old going by the name of Dick Rathmann, he wanted to start racing. In order to enter races, he borrowed his older brothers I. D. the name change stuck for life in public circles. On August 15,2007, Rathmann was inducted into the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America, the ceremony took place in Detroit. He died in 2011 after a seizure, Rathmann drove in 3 NASCAR Strictly Stock/Grand National races from 1949 to 1951, competing in one race in each of those years. He debuted in 1949 at Langhorne, starting 13th in the race, Rathmann slid to 32nd by the end of the race. In 1950, Rathmann raced at the prestigious Daytona Beach Road Course, starting 17th in this event, Rathmann finished a career-best 12th, two laps down. In his final race in 1951, Rathmann started a career-best 9th at Detroit and he finished 52nd in this race. Started first row centered, Rathmann ran in the front the entire race, from the midway point on, Rathmann and fellow driver Rodger Ward were locked in a neck and neck duel for first. Tire wear became an issue as the race wore on and Rathmann was able to keep his wheels fresh long enough to outrace Ward to the finish, the race featured the most recorded lead changes in the Indy 500 history. The Indianapolis 500 was part of the FIA World Championship from 1950 through 1960, drivers competing at Indy during those years were credited with World Championship points and participation. Jim Rathmann participated in 10 World Championship races and he won 1 race, set 2 fastest lead laps, and finished on the podium 4 times. He accumulated a total of 29 championship points and this total is the largest number of World Championship points earned by a driver in the Indianapolis 500. Rathmann later owned a Chevrolet-Cadillac dealership in Melbourne, Florida, where he befriended astronauts Alan Shepard, Gus Grissom, Rathmann convinced GM President Ed Cole to set up a program which supplied each astronaut with a pair of new cars each year. Most chose a car for their wives and a Corvette for themselves. After retiring from the car business, Rathmann lived with his wife, Mary Kay, in Indialantic, over the decades after his victory, Rathmann was a regular visitor to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway during the month of May each year
7.
1952 Formula One season
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The 1952 Formula One season was the sixth season of FIA Formula One motor racing. The 3rd FIA World Championship of Drivers, which commenced on 18 May and ended on 7 September after eight races, was won by Alberto Ascari, driving for Scuderia Ferrari. In addition to the Formula One races and the World Championship Formula Two races, numerous other Formula Two races, which did not count towards the Championship, were also held during the year. Ascari won the six Grands Prix he entered, missing the Swiss race because he was at Indianapolis qualifying for the Indianapolis 500 – the first European to do so in the World Championship era. Maserati and Gordini offered little challenge, but Mike Hawthorns drives in his Cooper would earn him a works Ferrari drive in 1953. Reigning champion Fangio, badly injured in an early crash at Monza, took no part in the championship. The 1952 World Championship of Drivers was contested over an eight race series, all 1952 World Championship Grand Prix events were restricted to Formula Two cars and the Indianapolis 500-Mile Race was contested by AAA National Championship cars. There was originally supposed to be a Spanish Grand Prix at the Pedralbes Circuit in Barcelona on October 26, the following teams and drivers competed in the 1952 FIA World Championship of Drivers. The list does not include those that only the Indianapolis 500 event. * Car entered only in the Indianapolis 500 race Points were awarded to top five finishers in each race on an 8,6,4,3,2 basis, One point was awarded for fastest lap. Points for shared drives were divided equally between the drivers, regardless of who had driven more laps, Only the best four of eight scores counted towards the World Championship. Italics indicate fastest lap Bold indicates pole position † Position shared between more drivers of the same car Only the best four results counted towards the Championship, numbers without parentheses are Championship points, numbers in parentheses are total points scored. Other Formula One/Formula Two races, which did not count towards the World Championship of Drivers, were held in 1952
8.
2003 Hungarian Grand Prix
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The 2003 Hungarian Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on 24 August 2003 at the Hungaroring, Budapest, Hungary. It was the round of the 2003 Formula One season. The 70-lap race was won by Renaults Fernando Alonso after starting from pole position, becoming at the time the youngest ever driver to win a Grand Prix, beating the previous record of Bruce McLaren. This record lasted for five years until it was beaten by Sebastian Vettel on 14 September 2008 in the 2008 Italian Grand Prix. He was replaced by local driver Zsolt Baumgartner making his Formula One debut at his home Grand Prix, the McLaren-Mercedes of Kimi Räikkönen managed to climb to third on the opening lap from his grid position of seventh. With Mark Webber struggling in second place, Alonso managed to gain 7s in the first three laps and 21s in the first 13 laps before being forced to pit for fuel, Webber, who had also light-fueled to a high qualifying position, also pitted. Alonso reentered the track in place, just behind Räikkönen. At the end of the 16th lap, Räikkönen, Barrichello and Montoya all pitted, allowing Alonso to resume his lead. On the following lap, David Coulthard, the last of the front-runners, on lap 19, the Ferrari of Rubens Barrichello suffered a left rear suspension failure, sending him straight on at the first corner hairpin, into the wall. The race stewards decided against deploying the safety car, preserving Alonsos 24s lead over Räikkönen, Alonsos teammate Jarno Trulli led a train of Montoya, Michael and Ralf Schumacher in a train of cars battling for fourth place, when Ralf overtook his brother on the 28th lap. Ralf Schumacher immediately pitted on the lap and rejoined ahead of Trulli. On lap 38 Michael Schumacher was in place, with Coulthard in fourth, followed by Montoya, Webber, Ralf Schumacher. Michael Schumacher then pitted, rejoining close behind Trulli, while Webber attempted to hold off Ralf Schumacher, on lap 46, Ralf Schumacher finally passed Webber for fourth place, but was too far behind third-placed Montoya who had not been held up by Webber. The third round of pit stops saw no change in the order, Alonso eventually lapped Schumacher, while Montoya spun in the latter stages of the race and had to fend off his teammate in the final laps. Alonso ended with a comfortable 16. 8s lead over the second-placed Räikkönen, in the process, reigning world champion and the championship leader Michael Schumacher was lapped by the Spaniard, and only managed to salvage one point for an eighth-place finish. The second and third-place finishers Räikkönen and Montoya respectively cut his lead over his two rivals to just two and one point respectively. After the race, Alonso described the win as. a dream come true, I am 22 years old and I have my first victory. I hope I have a career with lots more victories
9.
Fernando Alonso
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Fernando Alonso Díaz audio is a Spanish Formula One racing driver and a double World Champion who is currently racing for McLaren-Honda. He is often regarded as one of the greatest Formula One drivers, born in Oviedo, the capital of the autonomous region of Asturias, Alonso started in karting from the age of 3. He won three consecutive karting championships in Spain from 1994 to 1997, and he became world karting champion in 1996 and he made his Formula One debut in the 2001 season with Minardi, and then moved to the Renault team as a test driver the next year. Starting in 2003 Alonso then became one of the drivers of the team. On 25 September 2005, he won the Formula One World Drivers Championship title at the age of 24 years and 58 days, after retaining the title the following year, Alonso also became the youngest double Champion at the time. He joined McLaren in 2007, before returning to Renault for two seasons in 2008 and 2009, for the 2010 season, he joined Scuderia Ferrari. His strongest title challenges were in 2010 and 2012, finishing both seasons just adrift of title winner Sebastian Vettel and he left Ferrari at the end of the 2014 season, two years prior to the original expiry of his contract. Nicknamed El Nano, a pseudonym for Fernando in Asturias, his place of birth. With his fourth-place finish in the 2013 Japanese Grand Prix, scoring his 1, 571st career point, however, the record has once again been broken by Sebastian Vettel at the 2015 Italian Grand Prix. As of January 2016, Alonso is the only Spanish driver to have won a Formula One Grand Prix and is the driver with the sixth highest number of Grand Prix wins, Fernando Alonso was born in Oviedo, Asturias in northern Spain. His mother worked in a department store and his father was employed as a mechanic in a factory near Oviedo. Alonso has a sister, Lorena. Alonsos father José Luis, a kart racer, wanted to pass on his passion to his children. He built a kart, originally meant for eight-year-old Lorena, but unlike her three-year-old brother, Alonso attended the Holy Guardian Angel Primary School in Oviedo until he was 14 when he later attended the Institute Leopoldo Alas Clarín of San Lazaro. He dropped out in 2000 as his commitment to motor racing prevented him from further studying, Alonso lived in Oxford, England until he moved his residence to Switzerland in 2006. Alonso owned a house in Mont-sur-Rolle, near Lake Geneva from 2006 to 2010 and it is highly common for Formula One stars to take up residence in Switzerland to reduce their tax bills. In the winter of 2010–11, Alonso moved back to Oviedo in order to be closer to friends and family, Alonso married Raquel del Rosario, lead singer of Spanish pop band El Sueño de Morfeo, on 17 November 2006. They announced their intention to divorce in December 2011, in mid-2012, Alonso started dating Russian model Dasha Kapustina
10.
Bill Vukovich
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William John Bill Vukovich, Sr. was a Serbian American automobile racing driver. He won the 1953 and 1954 Indianapolis 500 plus two more American Automobile Association National Championship races, several drivers of his generation have referred to Vukovich as the greatest ever encountered in American motorsport. He was known variously as Vuky and The Mad Russian for his driving style. He was also referred to as the Fresno Flash in Floyd Clymers Indy yearbooks, before he began Indy racing, Vukovich drove midget cars for the Edelbrock dirt track racing team. He raced on the West Coast of the United States in the URA, Vukovich won the 1948 Turkey Night Grand Prix at Gilmore Stadium, and six of the last eight races at the stadium track before it was closed for good. He won the 1950 AAA National Midget championship, Vukovich was known for racing midgets powered by Drake engines. The Drake was a Harley V-twin with specially built Drake water cooled heads and his last Drake powered midget was a Kurtis-Kraft that was built by Ed and Zeke Justice, the Justice Brothers, in their shop in Glendale from a Kurtis kit. Previous to this car Vukovich drove a Frame Rail midget that was powered by a Drake engine. He returned to win the race in years,1953 and 1954. He led an astounding 71. 7% of laps that he drove in competition at the track, Vukovich was killed in a chain-reaction crash while holding a 17-second lead on the 57th lap of the 1955 Indianapolis 500. He was exiting the turn, trailing three slower cars—driven by Rodger Ward, Al Keller, and Johnny Boyd—when Wards car swerved as the result of a gust of wind. Keller, swerving into the infield to avoid Ward, lost control and slid back onto the track, striking Boyds car, Vukovichs car struck Boyds, became airborne, and landed upside down after going over the outside backstretch retaining wall and somersaulting four-and-a-half times, bursting into flames. As the car burned Ed Elisian stopped his car and raced towards Vukovich in an attempt to save him. It did not matter, Vukovich had perished instantly, Vukovich was the second defending Indy 500 champion to die during the race, following Floyd Roberts in 1939, and the only former winner to have been killed while leading. Roberts car was thrown over the backstretch fence after exiting the second turn in his fatal accident. Since the 1955 race was counted as part of the Formula One World Championship, Vukovich was inducted into the International Motorsports Hall of Fame in 1991. He was inducted in the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America in 1992 and he was inducted in the National Midget Auto Racing Hall of Fame in 1990. His son, Bill Vukovich II, and his grandson, Bill Vukovich III, also competed in the Indianapolis 500, with Vukovich II taking second in 1973, the Indianapolis 500 was part of the World Drivers Championship from 1950 through 1960
11.
Scuderia Ferrari
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Scuderia Ferrari S. p. A. competing as Scuderia Ferrari is the official name of the racing division of luxury Italian auto manufacturer, Ferrari, and competes in Formula One racing. It is the oldest surviving and most successful Formula One team, the team was founded by Enzo Ferrari, initially to race cars produced by Alfa Romeo, though by 1947 Ferrari had begun building its own cars. As a constructor, Ferrari has a record 16 Constructors Championships, Alberto Ascari, Juan Manuel Fangio, Mike Hawthorn, Phil Hill, John Surtees, Niki Lauda, Jody Scheckter, Michael Schumacher and Kimi Räikkönen have won a record 15 Drivers Championships for the team. Since Räikkönens title in 2007 the team narrowly lost out on the 2008 drivers title with Felipe Massa, Schumacher is the teams most successful driver. Joining the team in 1996 and departing in 2006 he won five titles and 72 Grands Prix for the team. His titles came consecutively between 2000 and 2004, including the constructors title of 1999 consecutively being won until the end of 2004, this was the teams most successful period. Currently, World Champions Kimi Räikkönen and Sebastian Vettel are the two race drivers. The team is known for its passionate support base known as the tifosi. The Italian Grand Prix at Monza is regarded as the home race. The Scuderia Ferrari team was founded by Enzo Ferrari on 16 November 1929 and became the team of Alfa Romeo. In 1938, Alfa Romeo management made the decision to enter racing under its own name, establishing the Alfa Corse organisation, Enzo Ferrari disagreed with this change in policy and was finally dismissed by Alfa in 1939. The terms of his leaving forbade him from motorsport under his own name, in 1939 Ferrari started work on a racecar of his own, the Tipo 815. The 815s, designed by Alberto Massimino, were thus the first Ferrari cars, World War II put a temporary end to racing, and Ferrari concentrated on an alternative use for his factory during the war years, doing machine tool work. After the war, Ferrari recruited several of his former Alfa colleagues and established a new Scuderia Ferrari, the team owns and operates a test track on the same site, the Fiorano Circuit built in 1972, which is used for testing road and race cars. The team is named after its founder, Enzo Ferrari, Scuderia is Italian for a stable reserved for racing horses and is also commonly applied to Italian motor racing teams. In 1947 Ferrari constructed the 12-cylinder,1.5 L Tipo 125, a Formula One version of the Tipo 125, the Ferrari 125 F1 was developed in 1948 and entered in several Grand Prix, at the time a World Championship had not yet been established. In 1950, the Formula One World Championship was established, and it is the only team to have competed in every season of the World Championship, from its inception to the current day. The company later switched to the large-displacement naturally aspirated formula for the 275,340, after the 1951 Formula One season the Alfa team withdrew from F1, causing the authorities to adopt the Formula Two regulations due to the lack of suitable F1 cars
12.
Alberto Ascari
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Alberto Ascari was an Italian racing driver and twice Formula One World Champion. He was a racer who completed in motorcycle racing before switching to cars. Back to back World titles in 1952 and 1953 sandwiched an appearance in the Indianapolis 500 in 1952, Ascari also won the legendary Mille Miglia in 1954. When Alberto was a child, his father, Antonio, who was also a racing driver. Alberto once admitted that he warned his children not to become close to him because of the risk involved in his profession. So this proved when he was killed during a test session for Scuderia Ferrari at the Autodromo Nazionale Monza and he was preparing for the Supercortemaggiore 1000 kilometre race that he was to have run with his protégé Eugenio Castellotti on the weekend that followed the accident. The son of one of Italys great pre-war drivers, Alberto Ascari went on to one of Formula One racings most dominant. His unexplained fatal accident – at the age as his fathers, on the same day of the month. Born in Milan, Ascari was the son of Antonio Ascari, such was his passion to become a racing driver like his father, twice he ran away from school. He raced motorcycles in his earlier years, at the age of just 19, Ascari was signed to ride for the Bianchi team. He also married a girl the same year. When Italy entered World War II, the garage, now run by Alberto, was conscripted to service. It was during this period, he established a transport business. His partner in the enterprise was a racing driver, Luigi Villoresi. The pair did survive being capsized in Tripoli harbour along with a shipment of lorries, as their business supported the Italian war effort, it made them exempt from being called up during the war. Following the end of World War II Alberto Ascari began racing in Grands Prix with Maserati 4CLT and his teammate was Villoresi, who would become a mentor, teammate and friend to Ascari. The pair were successful on the circuits in the North of Italy, soon he was bestowed with the nickname Ciccio, meaning Tubby. Formula One regulations were introduced by the FIA in 1946, with the aim of replacing the pre-war Grand Prix structure
13.
Indianapolis 500 Rookie of the Year
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Winners of the Indianapolis 500 Rookie of the Year Award, first awarded in 1952. No official award was given from 1911–1951, even though at least one rookie starter has been present in every running of the Indianapolis 500. The award is voted on by members of the media the night of the race, noteworthy accomplishments during qualifying, regardless of the respective race result, have frequently been a factor in voting. Other contributing attributes can include personal attitude, sportsmanship, professionalism, and interaction with driver coaches, fans, years in which two drivers are listed indicate co-winners, due to a tie in the final voting. The current award is $25,000 cash and a plaque, in the early years, when Stark & Wetzel sponsored the award, the prize package included $500 in cash, and a years supply of meat. The term rookie at the Indianapolis 500 can at times be misleading, according to race rules, a rookie is defined as any driver who has never qualified for the race and/or has never been on the track during the pace lap, and officially credited with a start. Several unique situations have created confusion, among the many include, In 1911, however,23 of the 40 starters had previously participated in early events at the Speedway in 1909–1910. Therefore, in the first 500, there were only seventeen complete newcomers to the Speedway. In addition, four drivers who raced in the 500 in subsequent years, had previous experience at the Speedway in 1909–1910. Inaugural 500 winner Ray Harroun had actually won a total of 7 races at the IMS through 1909 and 1910, in 1927, Louis Meyer did not qualify for the race, but served as a relief driver. He first qualified on his own in 1928, and was considered a rookie when he won that race, bill Puterbaugh had a notable streak of failing to qualify for the race six times from 1968–1974, before finally making the race for the first time in 1975. He was still scored a rookie for the 1975 race, jacques Villeneuve qualified for the 1984 race, but crashed in practice. He was not cleared to drive, and was forced to withdraw and he returned in 1985, but a crash early in the month prevented him from making a qualifying attempt. In 1986, he qualified and started the race, where he was considered a rookie, members of the media lightheartedly referred to him as the veteran rookie. Affonso Giaffone was a rookie when he first qualified for the 1997 race. As the safety car entered pit lane to start the race, the entire Row 5 where he was starting was involved in an incident in Turn 4 headed to the start, and never saw the green flag to take the start. All three drivers were credited with 0 laps, having taken the track for the pace lap, had he returned in a subsequent year, despite never actually starting the race, he would not have been considered a rookie again. The term rookie can also confuse spectators, as it suggests a young, in reality, it can be a mis-nomer, since several experienced champions of other forms of motorsports have come to Indy and been ruled a rookie because of their first start in the 500 only
14.
Offenhauser
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The Offy or Offenhauser Racing Engine is a racing engine design that dominated American open wheel racing for more than 50 years and is still popular among vintage sprint and midget car racers. The Offenhauser engine, familiarly known as the Offy, was developed by Fred Offenhauser, originally, it was sold as a marine engine. In 1930, a four-cylinder 151 cu in Miller engine installed in a car set a new international land speed record of 144.895 mph. Miller developed this engine into an overhead cam, four-cylinder, four-valve-per-cylinder 220 cu in racing engine. Variations of this design would be used in midgets and sprints into the 1960s and they and former Miller employee, draftsman Leo Goossen, further developed the Miller engines into the Offenhauser engines. Then in 1946 the name and engine designs were sold to Louis Meyer, Meyer was bought out by Drake, his wife Eve and their son John in 1965. From then until Drakes son John sold the shop to Stewart Van Dyne and it was under Meyer and Drake that the engine dominated the Indy 500 and midget racing in the United States. One of the keys to the Offenhauser engines success and popularity was its power. A251.92 cubic inch DOHC four-cylinder racing Offy with a 15,1 compression ratio, other variants of the engine produced even higher outputs of 3 hp per cubic inch. Another reason for the success was its reliability, its monobloc construction meant it was not vulnerable to head gasket or cylinder stud problems. From 1934, through the 1970s, the Offenhauser engine dominated American open wheel racing, winning the Indianapolis 50027 times, by then, the company had already been sold, right after World War II, to Meyer and Drake, who continued to build the engines. From 1950 through 1960, Offenhauser-powered cars won the Indy 500, outputs over 1,000 bhp could be attained, using around 44.3 psi of boost pressure. The final 2. 65-litre four-cylindar Offy, restricted to 24.6 psi boost, the Offys final victory came at Trenton in 1978, in Gordon Johncocks Wildcat. The Offenhauser shop began to do work for Lockheed in 1940. The last prewar engine was shipped on July 17,1941, after the Pear Harbor attack, the plant worked overtime on hydraulic systems, getting Fred Offenhauser the money and the fatigue to retire. In 1944, Leo Goossen finally became a full time Offenhauser employee, Offenhauser produced engine blocks in several sizes. These blocks could be bored out or sleeved to vary the cylinder bore, Offenhauser frequently made blocks, pistons, rods, and crankshafts to specific customer requests. In their 11 world championship years, the Meyer-Drake Offenhauser engine partnered for at least one race with the following 35 constructors
15.
Kurtis Kraft
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Kurtis Kraft was an American designer and builder of race cars. The company built cars, quartermidgets, sports cars, sprint cars, Bonneville cars. It was founded by Frank Kurtis when he built his own midget car chassis in the late 1930s, Kurtis built some very low fiberglass bodied two-seaters sports cars under his own name in Glendale, California between 1949 and 1955. About 36 cars had made when the licence was sold to Madman Muntz who built the Muntz Jet. In 1954 and 1955, road versions of their Indianapolis racers were offered, Kurtis Kraft created over 550 ready-to-run midget cars, and 600 kits. The Kurtis Kraft chassis midget car featured a version of the Offenhauser motor. The National Midget Auto Racing Hall of Fame describes the combination as virtually unbeatable for over twenty years, Kurtis Kraft also created 120 Indianapolis 500 cars, including five winners. Kurtis sold the midget car portion of the business to Johnny Pawl in the late 1950s, Frank Kurtis was the first non-driver inducted in the National Midget Auto Racing Hall of Fame. Zeke Justice and Ed Justice of the Justice Brothers both worked at Kurtis-Kraft after World War II, zeke Justice was the first employee at Kurtis-Kraft. The FIA World Drivers Championship included the Indianapolis 500 between 1950 and 1960, so many Kurtis Kraft cars are credited with competing in that championship, One Kurtis midget car was also entered in the 1959 Formula One United States Grand Prix driven by Rodger Ward. It was not designed for European-style road racing and with an engine it circulated at the back of the field for 20 laps before retiring with clutch problems. From 1950 to 1960, the Indianapolis 500 was part of the FIA World Championship
16.
Jimmy Bryan
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James Ernest Bryan was an American racecar driver who won the 1958 Indianapolis 500. Born in Phoenix, Arizona, Bryan died as a result of injuries sustained in a car race at Langhorne Speedway. He drove in the AAA and USAC Championship Car series, racing in the 1952–1960 seasons with 72 starts and he finished in the top ten 54 times, with 23 victories. Bryan won the 1958 Indianapolis 500 and the 1954 AAA and 1956 and 1957 USAC National Championship, during his 1957 championship season, Bryan also won the inaugural running of the Race of Two Worlds at Autodromo Nazionale Monza, Italy. For many years one of the two races at the Phoenix International Raceway was a memorial race dedicated to Bryan. Bryan is buried in Phoenixs Greenwood/Memory Lawn Mortuary & Cemetery and he was inducted in the National Sprint Car Hall of Fame in 1994. He was inducted in the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America in 1999 and he was inducted in the International Motorsports Hall of Fame in 2001. Race of Two Worlds 1958 Indianapolis 500 Grand Prix History, Jimmy Bryan AAA and USAC Championship Car Statistics - Jimmy Bryan
17.
Johnnie Parsons
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Johnnie Woodrow Parsons was an American race car driver from Los Angeles, California who won the Indianapolis 500 in 1950. Parsons had the distinction of being the only Indianapolis 500 winner to have his name misspelled on the Borg-Warner Trophy. Silversmiths carved Johnny instead of Johnnie and he had a son named Johnny who competed at Indy a dozen times. Parsons first raced in open cars on the West Coast of the United States in a midget car. He won the 1942 season championship in the United Midget Association and he won 18 feature events in the abbreviated season. Parsons began racing in the AAA after World War II and he captured the third feature in the 1948 Night Before the 500 midget race at the 16th Street Speedway. Parsons finished second in his first Indy 500 in 1949 and he won the season championship that season. He also won the 1950 Indianapolis 500 and he won the 1955 Turkey Night Grand Prix midget car race. After he retired, he became the Chief Steward for the USAC Midget division on the West Coast in the 1970s and he was inducted in the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America in 2004. He was inducted in the National Midget Auto Racing Hall of Fame in 1984, Parsons died before receiving notification that he was selected to the hall of fame. The Indianapolis 500 was part of the FIA World Championship from 1950 through 1960, drivers competing at Indy during those years were credited with World Championship points and participation. Johnnie Parsons participated in 9 World Championship races and he won 1 race, set 1 fastest leading lap, and finished on the podium once. He accumulated a total of 12 championship points, Parsons is one of only three drivers to win on his world championship début. The other two are Giuseppe Farina, who won the first world championship grand prix, the 1950 British Grand Prix, and Giancarlo Baghetti, who won the 1961 French Grand Prix
18.
A. J. Watson
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A. J. Watson was a car builder and chief mechanic from 1949 through 1984 in the Indianapolis 500, winning the race six times as a car builder. His first win as a car came in 1956 when Pat Flaherty drove the John Zink entry to victory in that years Indy 500. Watson had won the year as a crew chief for Bob Sweikert. A native of southern California, Watson came to Indianapolis in 1948 and he returned the following year with a home-built car that failed to qualify. For the next 11 years, his cars not only qualified but were leaders in many years, from 1955 to 1958 he was associated with the John Zink team, and from 1959 on with Bob Wilke. His cars dominated the race through 1964, although he continued entering cars for another two decades, he was never able to regain the commanding position of his heyday. In 1964, with many teams following Lotuss example and moving to rear-engined funny cars and these worked reasonably well but could not reproduce the success he had with his front-engined roadsters. He built monocoque rear-engined cars in 1966 and 1967 with ever-decreasing success, from 1969 until 1977, Watson ran Eagles and then built a small series of highly derivative new Watson cars in 1977,1978 and again in 1982 based on Lightning and March designs before retiring. He is frequently listed on the Indy 500 entry sheet as the race strategist for PDM Racing and he died on May 12,2014 at the age of 90. He was inducted in the National Sprint Car Hall of Fame in 1993 and he was inducted in the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America in 1996. Legendary Mechanic Celebrating 50th Year at Indy
Troy Ruttman
Alberto Ascari (R)
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Troy Ruttman
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Rudi Fischer
Jean Behra
