Each year the prestigious PPG
CART World Series-the pinnacle of open-wheel racing in North America-stages
17 events over four different countries. It is a multimillion-dollar business
and its stars are the best drivers and the most talented young racers from
around the world. Each race-weekend lasts four days and involves engineers,
mechanics and drivers in an intensely competitive effort, of which the grueling
two-hour-long race is the culminating event.
Ever since the first recorded road race in France in 1894, people have had an insatiable obsession with automotive speed. The race is the ultimate challenge. It requires harnessing the power of the modern machine within the limits demanded by the laws of physics and according to the capability of the individual driver.
For almost 100 years, Indy car drivers have been meeting this challenge. With the support of their highly skilled teams-specialized engineers, designers and mechanics-they have long attempted to surpass the limits of the machine to conquer the track.
The first American automobile race was staged in 1895. The sport's governing body, the American Automobile Association (AAA), began sanctioning major races in 1904. Injuries and fatalities were an all-too-common occurrence at early races. In a short-lived and unsuccessful effort to reduce casualties, the AAA required that Indy cars carry a riding mechanic to look after on-board maintenance. While the sport tried to maintain acceptable safety standards, Indy car teams used the rules and regulations as a springboard for pursuing innovative car design.
In its infancy, auto races were held solely on dirt horse-racing tracks. In 1911, Carl Fisher purchased 320 acres of land in Indianapolis, paved the track with three million bricks, and built what he dubbed the "World's Greatest Race Course." In its inaugural season, Ray Harroun averaged just under 75 miles per hour to win the first Indianapolis 500.
The "Golden Age" of racing, the 1920s, saw the 100- miles-per-hour barrier broken. During the Depression, many American tracks went bankrupt and engineers and race owners were forced to adapt to a climate of waning resources. This era saw the introduction of the more affordable and efficient stock-block engine.
Because virtually every track apart from the Indianapolis Motor Speedway was a dirt oval, drivers who dreamed of winning the season championship had to develop and employ different skills to meet the demands of the various tracks. Teams yearning for victory began experimenting with racers with front-wheel drive, which were lighter, and with the even lighter conventional rear-wheeled cars.
In 1956, the United States Auto Club (USAC) took over as the sanctioning body of Indy car racing. Mario Andretti made his entry into Indy car competition towards the end of the roadster era (between 1952 and 1966). The roadster, as compared to the then standard upright car, featured a low frontal profile and a wider chassis, which allowed the drive shaft to pass beside the driver instead of beneath him. The result was a car that could take corners at 10 to 15 miles per hour faster and turn out lap speeds topping 148 miles per hour.
he roadster, however, had its shortcomings. Compared to the newly introduced rear-engine cars, it suffered from having an overly high centre of gravity. High speeds combined with this and its aerodynamic makeup often resulted in cars flipping over. Fortunately, by the mid-sixties, a new revolutionary design of Indy car proved both safer and faster. When Mario Andretti finished the 1964 season driving his Dean Van Lines Special, the roadster era came to an end.
One year earlier, Dan Gurney had approached the British designer Colin Chapman with an idea. He wanted to implement Chapman's rear- engine design concept, which the designer had perfected in an Indy car, his Formula 1 Lotus 25. The model was an immediate success; its lower centre of gravity increased the car's cornering speed and its monocoque chassis added rigidity and greatly reduced the car's weight. The design proved successful in competition when Jim Clark became the first driver to average over 150 miles per hour at the Indy 500.
In 1965, Mario Andretti, in his first full year of Indy car competition, dethroned the reigning champion, A.J. Foyt. Andretti repeated this feat the next season and became the first driver to win with a rear- engine car. By the 1966 season, wholesale changes were being made to Indy car racing. Turbocharged and supercharged engines reappeared, tires were widened, and the wedge (a side radiator arrangement) and wings (which added stability to the car) made their first mark on racing.
The traditional dirt race tracks that had always distinguished Indy car racing were completely eliminated from the championship circuit in 1971. By then, race cars were so specialized to a particular surface that dirt track Indy cars hardly resembled the Indy racers meant for paved surfaces. It was simply too expensive for teams to field both types of cars.
In 1972, American Jerry Grant became the first driver to break the 200-miles-per-hour barrier at Indy. In the late seventies, Indy car owners, unhappy with their representation within the USAC board of directors, decided to create their own organization to sanction Indy car races. On November 25, 1978, they announced the formation of Championship Auto Racing Teams Inc. (CART), an organization exclusively dedicated to Indy car racing. Soon after, they signed PPG Industries as the title sponsor.
The year 1979 marked the introduction of ground effects to Indy car racing-a Colin Chapman design that used the bottom shape of the car and the ground beneath it to create a low-pressure area. Ground effects caused the car to be sucked to the pavement, thus improving its traction and stability. Jim Hall's Chaparral 2K was the first Indy car to make use of this innovation.
In the current era, Indy car racing's greatest challenge has been to combine a responsible approach to safety with the incredible power of the modern machine. In 1984, Mario Andretti won his fourth Indy Car National Championship driving for Carl Haas and Paul Newman. That year, CART implemented the creation of the Indy car safety team, a state-of-the-art safety, rescue and medical unit to service the PPG Indy Car World Series. In 1989, Michael Andretti joined his father on the Newman/Haas team and they became the first father-son Indy car teammates.
Today, races take place on four basic track types: superspeedways (ovals of more than one mile), short ovals, temporary road courses and permanent natural terrain road courses. With each track a different configuration of car is fielded and drivers are required to employ a variety of disciplines and skills.
Eighty-five years after maxing out at 75 miles per hour, Indy cars are today breaking the 240-miles-per-hour barrier. At the same time, officials and drivers continue to address the issue of safety by implementing rules to reduce speeds and by using methanol as fuel instead of gasoline. Race cars are fitted with automatic fire-extinguisher systems and drivers wear specially designed fire-resistant uniforms. Only six crew members are allowed over the pit wall to work on the car during the race, and they too must wear fire-resistant uniforms. Finally, in 1996, the Indy car safety team unveiled their new million-dollar medical centre, a mobile trauma and physical therapy facility.
During the last 10 years the competition has been amazingly fierce, with any number of different drivers capable of winning individual events and claiming the championship. In 1991, Michael Andretti won a then record eight races and eight pole positions on the way to capturing his first PPG Cup Championship.
The sport of Indy car racing continues to grow rapidly. The 1997 schedule features 17 CART-sanctioned races each broadcast internationally on television to record viewing audiences. With the circuit featuring many of the world's most famous driving stars, including Michael Andretti, Christian Fittipaldi, Bobby Rahal, Al Unser Jr. and Jimmy Vasser, spectator attendance and purse money have grown dramatically. As it prepares for the future, CART racing perpetuates its tradition of technical innovation and exhilarating driving, consistently generating thrills for millions of fans around the world.
