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N0KFQ > TODAY 30.05.17 16:10l 49 Lines 2169 Bytes #999 (0) @ WW
BID : 34199_N0KFQ
Read: GUEST
Subj: Today in History - May 30
Path: IW8PGT<IZ3LSV<I0OJJ<LU4ECL<N0KFQ
Sent: 170530/1508Z 34199@N0KFQ.#SWMO.MO.USA.NA BPQ6.0.13
1911
First Indianapolis 500 is run
On May 30, 1911, the inaugural Indianapolis 500 is run at the
Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Indiana. The 200-lap,
two-and-a-half mile race has since become a Memorial Day weekend
tradition. With the exception of a break in 1917 and 1918 for
World War I and from 1942 to 1945 for World War II, it has been
run every year since, and is now the largest sporting event in
the world, attended by about 270,000 spectators annually.
When the Indianapolis Motor Speedway was designed, the track was
meant to have a crushed rock and tar surface. That surface was
abandoned after only a few races in 1909, due to fatal results
caused by unevenness. The rock and tar was replaced by over 3
million street-paving bricks that were filled in with sand and
then mortar for strength. The track has since been referred to as
"the brickyard," although subsequent resurfacing has covered all
but about three feet of the bricks.
At the first Indy 500 in 1911, 40 cars met the qualifications to
race. Track founder Carl Fisher felt the large number could lead
to danger, so he decided to lead the first lap around the track
at about 40 or 45 miles per hour, before pulling off to the side.
The "pace car" has since become standard practice at all auto
races.
In the 30th mile of the race, 80,000 spectators watched as a
driver from Chicago lost a front wheel, which caused his car to
turn over on the track. Both the driver and his mechanic, who
rode in the front seat with him, were thrown from the car. The
mechanic landed against a fence and was killed instantly, while
the driver escaped with a broken arm. The race continued, and the
crowd watched nervously as accidents piled up, knowing another
fatality could take place at any moment. None did, and Ray
Harroun, driving a Marmon, was declared the winner with a time of
06:41:08. Harroun was the only driver in the race who didn't ride
with a mechanic. Instead, he employed a rear-view mirror, his own
invention, to keep an eye on the other cars on the track.
73, K.O. n0kfq
N0KFQ @ N0KFQ.#SWMO.MO.USA.NA
E-mail: kohiggs@gmail.com
Winlink: n0kfq@winlink.org
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