Weekend in Indianapolis - What to do?

[Boorish Grobian]

Hi Werner,
Just curious what you thought of Indy, the Speedway & its museum?
Fax

[Canada Phil]

Hi Werner,
Just curious what you thought of Indy, the Speedway & its museum?
Fax

Hi Werner,
              Yeah Inquiring minds need to know     All the news fit to publish
PS are you coming to Toronto some time soon?
 Phil

[Werner]

Back in Germany now - my current project requires regular travel between Frankfurt and Detroit. Last weekend I went from Detroit to Indianapolis, a rather boring 300 mile drive by car, but it was well worth the effort. I couldn't get a Corvette do go there in style - so a Dodge Charger needed to do it.

@Fax: Thanks for the lead with the grounds tour at Indianapolis, it was excellent value at 25 USD . Seeing facilities like the winners press conference room, the paddock, the media centre for 600 journalists - most european race track owners would be glad to have those quality of facilities. And the track lap by bus was also very interesting. What a waste that all of this is just used for at present only 3 events per year. The Hall-of-Fame Museum was impressive - what a wonderful collection of cars .
Most interesting to watch I found:
- the 1968 Lotus 4-wheel-drive Gasturbine racer. Although it didn't win that year, this car was so much ahead of its time - Colin Chapman was a genius in his days!
- very first winner from 1911 - This race has history.
- and 2 former Le Mans overall winners are also there - the 1979 winning Kremer Porsche from my hometown-team in Cologne. It would be interesting to know the story how that one ended up in a museum in Indianapolis. And the 1965 winning Ferrari 250 LM driven by Jochen Rindt and Masten Gergory.
- and - and - and - so many wonderful cars. The only drawback is that all is so narrow, they should have more exhibition space allowing them to display the cars in a way one can watch them from all sides.

@Phil: Thanks for the adress of the Union Jack Pub - Cool place and tasty food! I'll probably come over next to Detroit the 2 weeks before christmas and will put Toronto on the agenda if there is a free weekend in there for me - let's stay in touch.

[Werner]

Some more pics

[Werner]

The last ones:

[Boorish Grobian]

Glad you enjoyed it Werner, agreed about the size of the museum, it would be great if they could expand it more, but I think they're pretty well locked in place, with the hospital directly behind it.  It looks from the photos that the two Clark cars are now gone, shame, they were sitting with the 1968 turbine.  Great news that you were able to do the entire grounds tour, look just like Dario sitting there facing the press
Next time your in Indy let me know and I'll try to get over for perhaps another trip to the speedway, can share some Fax memories of the place, been going to the 500 since 1972, and few cold beers.  Would love to have gone over when you were there, but was working on the Saturday, and Kirsten & I were handing out candy to the kiddies on Sunday (yes, we do make a big production of Halloween over here
 ) Fax

[Werner]

Hi Fax,

yes, next time I go there we'll need to get in touch. One of the Jim Clark cars is still there:

[chop456]

Well done.  I don't see one IRL sh*theap in any of those pics. :cheers:

Any Tony George slappings to report? 

[Canada Phil]

Hi Werner,
              Thanks for the pictures. Glad you enjoyed your visit to Union Jack Pub.
Yes do keep in touch.
Phil

[Boorish Grobian]

Nice pics Werner, glad to see one of Jimmy's cars is still there.  I suspect his 1965 winning 38 is back home at Hethel or Dearborn.  I know from a recent MotorSport article that it underwent a comprehensive restoration by Classic Team Lotus (many of whom are the guys who originally built it and prepared it at the Speedway).
You have a nice pic of Bobby Unser's '68 winning Eagle, I'm pretty sure that it, and Foyt's 1964 winning Watson Roadster are two of the 500 winners still in "victory lane condition", they went to the museum more or less straight from the post race ceremonies.  Mario's 1969 winning car in the museum is an exact replica, built up from a spare tub, the actual winner being in the Smithsonian Museum. (I originally thought it had been destroyed in a shunt, but a friend corrected me on this)
The 1972 Sunoco McLaren driven by Mark Donohue (in your photo of the winners, you can see its shiny rear wing end plates) was the winner my first 500.
You mention its a shame the facility is only used three times a year, there have been rumors for a few years now of some kind of endurance race using the road course configuration.  I have it from a pretty reliable source that its a done deal there will be a Rolex Grand-Am series race there soon, distance & date TBD.  Although I'm not a huge fan of the Grand-Am cars, the Speedway is a short two hour drive west of our home Cincinnati, and if the race happens I'll probably go check it out.
Fax

[chop456]

there will be a Rolex Grand-Am series race there soon, distance & date TBD.

Just because I wish failure upon everything they do, I hope it's a 45-minute race on a Tuesday night in February. 

Speedway management and Grand Am are birds of a feather.  Blech.  A nice ALMS 12-hour there would be great.  It'd be even better if it was at Elkhart Lake. 

That said - if you go, I hope you have fun. 

[Jules G]

Nice pics Werner, glad to see one of Jimmy's cars is still there.  I suspect his 1965 winning 38 is back home at Hethel or Dearborn.  I know from a recent MotorSport article that it underwent a comprehensive restoration by Classic Team Lotus (many of whom are the guys who originally built it and prepared it at the Speedway).
You have a nice pic of Bobby Unser's '68 winning Eagle, I'm pretty sure that it, and Foyt's 1964 winning Watson Roadster are two of the 500 winners still in "victory lane condition", they went to the museum more or less straight from the post race ceremonies.  Mario's 1969 winning car in the museum is an exact replica, built up from a spare tub, the actual winner being in the Smithsonian Museum. (I originally thought it had been destroyed in a shunt, but a friend corrected me on this)
The 1972 Sunoco McLaren driven by Mark Donohue (in your photo of the winners, you can see its shiny rear wing end plates) was the winner my first 500.
You mention its a shame the facility is only used three times a year, there have been rumors for a few years now of some kind of endurance race using the road course configuration.  I have it from a pretty reliable source that its a done deal there will be a Rolex Grand-Am series race there soon, distance & date TBD.  Although I'm not a huge fan of the Grand-Am cars, the Speedway is a short two hour drive west of our home Cincinnati, and if the race happens I'll probably go check it out.
Fax

Fax, there's short video on Piston heads of Dario taking Jimmy's 38 lotus out. Link below:

http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?f=23&t=935147&nmt=RE:%20Video:%20Franchitti%20Drives%20Lotus%20Indy%20Winner%20#topicTop

[Boorish Grobian]

Very nice find Jules,  Dario is a huge fan of the history of the sport, unlike a great many of the current drivers, so this must have been a real thrill for him.  A couple of years ago on race morning at Indy, Jimmy's winning Lotus was given a few demonstration laps, I think three-time 500 winner Johnny Rutherford was driving, and the sound of that four cam Ford was just incredible.
Fax