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N0KFQ > TODAY 30.05.16 15:33l 53 Lines 2519 Bytes #999 (0) @ WW
BID : 95125_N0KFQ
Read: GUEST
Subj: Today in History - May 30
Path: IW8PGT<CX2SA<N0KFQ
Sent: 160530/1416Z 95125@N0KFQ.#SWMO.MO.USA.NA BPQ1.4.65
1911
First Indianapolis 500 held
On this day in 1911, Ray Harroun drives his single-seater Marmon
Wasp to victory in the inaugural Indianapolis 500, now one of the
world's most famous motor racing competitions.
The Indiana automobile dealer Carl Fisher first proposed building
a private auto testing facility in 1906, in order to address car
manufacturers' inability to test potential top speeds of new cars
due to the poorly developed state of the public roadways. The
result was the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, built on 328 acres of
farmland five miles northwest of downtown Indianapolis. The idea
was that occasional races at the track would pit cars from
different manufacturers against each other in order to showcase
their full power and entice spectators to check out the new
models themselves. In 1911, Fisher and his partners decided to
focus on one long race per year, as opposed to numerous shorter
events, in order to attract more publicity. The purse for the
grueling 500-mile race would be the richest in racing.
On May 30, 1911, 40 cars lined up at the starting line for the
first Indy 500. A multi-car accident occurred 13 laps into the
race, and the ensuing chaos temporarily disrupted scoring,
throwing the finish into dispute when the eventual runner-up,
Ralph Mulford, argued that he was the rightful winner. It was Ray
Harroun, however, who took home the $14,250 purse, clocking an
average speed of 74.59 mph and a total time of 6 hours and 42
minutes. The Wasp was the first car with a rear-view mirror,
which Harroun had installed in order to compensate for not having
a mechanic in the seat next to him to warn of other cars passing.
Impressive as it was, Harroun's 1911 speed would have finished
him 10th in the 1922 Indy 500. Barely a decade later, nearly all
the cars that started in the race were smaller, lighter, more
efficient and far more expensive than consumer cars. Their
aerodynamic bodies featured narrow grills and teardrop-shaped
tails; knock-off wire wheels made for quick, efficient tire
changes; and the new straight-sided tires lasted much longer than
their early pneumatic counterparts. The best cars were equipped
with four-wheel hydraulic brakes and inline 3.0-liter V-8 engines
made of aluminum. By the mid-1920s, the Indy 500 had become what
it is today-a high-paying event for the world's most expensive
cars.
73 - K.O., n0kfq
N0KFQ @ N0KFQ.#SWMO.MO.USA.NA
E-Mail: kohiggs@gmail.com
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