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Indianapolis 500 - full throttle for a century

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Created on April 28, 2011

Reading time 15min

Written by:

Adriano Cimarosti

Photos:

Archiv / J. Froidevaux / Daniel Reinhard

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Impressionen Indy 500 - 40 Wagen starten 1911 auf einer sehr staubigen Piste

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Autobau Wall of Fame des Schweizerischen Rennsportes - Louis Chevrolet

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Autobau Wall of Fame des Schweizerischen Rennsportes - Gaston Chevrolet

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Autobau Wall of Fame des Schweizerischen Rennsportes - Gaston Chevrolet

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Maserati (1946) - Villoresi mit seiner Crew - sie werden gute Siebte im Indy 500 von 1946

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Cooper (1961) - Jack Brabham und sein Wink in Richtung modernes Chassiskonzept

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Lotus (1965) - Jim Clark feiert in Indianapolis 1965 einen grossen Sieg

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STP Turbinenfahrzeug (1967) - Parnelli Jones 1967 auf dem legendären Turbinenauto von Granatelli

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Mercedes (1923) - Lautenschlager mit Mechaniker 1923 in Indianapolis

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Ford Thunderbird von 1961 als offizielles Pacecar der 500 Meilen von Indianapolis von 1961

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Coyote Ford (1972) - Jim Hurtubise hat die Qual der Wahl mit drei zur Verfügung stehenden Rennwagen beim Indy 500 von 1972

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Coyote Ford (1972) - Der vom Konstrukteur A.J. Foyt gebaute Rennwagen schied nach 60 Runden beim Indy 500 1972 aus

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Parnelli Offenhauser (1972) - Mario Andretti auf der Geraden von Indianapolis im Jahre 1972, neben dem späteren Sieger Mark Donohue

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Viceroy Special (1972) - Mario Andreetti mit dem Offenhauser-angetriebenen Special bei der Qualifikation zum Indy 500 in 1972

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McLaren M16 Offenhauser (1972) - Mark Donohue, Sieger Indianapolis 1972

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Summary

100 years of the Indianapolis 500: The stronghold of US racing has been the scene of many dramas and great successes since 1911. Famous people and brands have made history. To date, 243 million dollars in prize money has been distributed and up to 400,000 people have watched the races. The first winner was Ray Harroun and drove a Marmon. According to legend, the rear-view mirror and the checkered flag were also introduced in Indianapolis. Some winners of the "Indy 500": Joe Dawson, National; Jules Goux (F), Peugeot; Ralph De Palma (I), Mercedes; Gaston Chevrolet (F), Frontenac; Jimmy Murphy, Duesenberg-Miller; Wilbur Shaw, Maserati 8CTF; Bill Vukovich, KK500A-Offenhauser; A. J. Foyt, Trevis-Offenhauser; Parnelli Jones, Watson-Offenhauser; Jim Clark (GB), Lotus-Ford; Graham Hill (GB), Lola-Ford; Bobby Unser, Eagle-Offenhauser; Mario Andretti, Hawk-Ford; Mark Donohue, McLaren-Offenhauser; Johnny Rutherford, McLaren-Offenhauser; Johnny Rutherford, Chaparral-Coswworth

This article contains the following chapters

The first Indy 500 race in 1911
Europe takes notice
Inspired by Peugeot and Henry
GP formulas too
Prominent duo
Start of the Offenhauser era
Generation change
Turbo and turbine
Change of power
Porsche without luck
Dallara invasion
Winners of the "Indy 500"
Indy 500" records

Estimated reading time: 15min

Preview (beginning of the article)

Everything is gigantic in Indianapolis. The prize money distributed so far has reached 243,441,847 dollars. There are 257,000 seats around the track, which, together with the spectators watching the race from the infield, adds up to around 400,000 people. When the fans leave the track after the race, they can already order their tickets for next year. Seats or entire blocks can even be rented for years to come. The first Indy 500 race in 1911 The first "Indy 500" on May 30, 1911 was attended by 80,000 spectators. With an average speed of 120 km/h, Ray Harroun went down in history as the first Indy winner in a Marmon with a 7.7 L six-cylinder engine. The Marmon "Wasp" had a rear-view mirror, with American reports repeatedly emphasizing that this was the very first car rear-view mirror in history.

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