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| The line-up for the first Indy 500. |
A CAPACITY crowd was on hand when America’s favourite
form of racing turned 100 during the 2016 Indy 500.
Named after the distance of the race — 500 miles (805 km) that test
endurance and bravery along every centimetre of the track — the race takes place
at the end of May at the four-kilometre-long rounded rectangle that is the
Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The track is the oldest of its kind and the largest
sporting venue on Earth.
Last weekend, a capacity crowd of over 350 000 attended the race
and millions followed on various types of screens. Before a road course in the
track’s infield took away seating capacity, the track could host 400 000 fans
who went to watch drivers and mechanics combine their talents to make machines
that averaged over 385,052 km (May 10, 1996).
These days, only driving talent separates the 33 drivers in cars
that are all identical, apart from the sponsors’ logos. The various limits to
ensure safer racing have brought the average speeds down to “only” some 321 km/h
on the steeply banked track.
At this speed, the centrifugal force constantly tries to launch the
car to the moon, while the camber tries to force the car to the pits, causing
all kinds of contradictory over and understeering inputs that the driver has to
fight just to keep straight, all the while as 32 other drivers cause slipstreams
and perhaps rub bumpers as they jostle for position. All the cars are the same
and weigh in at 701 kg.
Honda provides the 2,2-litre turbo-charged V6s engines as well as
air intakes and spoilers that create much less downforce than for the heavier
Formula 1 cars.
The drivers have 410 kW in tap but can boost this to 429 kW up to
10 times during the race, pressing what they call the “push to pass” button.
Firestone sells the tyres, with the teams going through over 5 000
tyres in a season. To help counter the opposing forces on the track, each tyre
is made of a different compound.
Rally car drivers like to scoff at the predictability of the Indy
500 track, but they go very quiet very quickly when they hear about the prize
money.
The winners take home over $2 million, (last year’s winner Juan
Pablo Montoya won $2,449 million. He crashed out this year), while the total
purse is usually over $13 million, depending on, among others, ticket sales,
sponsorships and TV deals.
