1991 Indy siren song of the turbo V8s

Thanks for posting. I remember that race and how those guys passed each other on the outside in turn one. Indy at it's best in that era.
 
Thanks guys. I've attended several races during the CART era, it is impossible for me to adequately describe the experience as these machines driven by fearless drivers rip past. Incredible. Here is a duel between Michael Andretti and Juan Pablo Montoya at the Michigan 500.
 
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1996 was the virtual death of the open wheel era when they split apart. Was sad to see.
August 23rd is the new Indy 500 date, for now...........having been there for the 2003 race, I cannot fathom sitting in those stands in late August.
 
That M-B funded pushrod race engine program was the straw that broke Indy's back and caused the split into Indy Racing League (IRL) and Championship Auto Racing Teams (CART).

Roger Penske developed a pushrod engine in house with a huge budget in secret in order to utiluze higher boost levrls allowed for stock block production based engines such as the Buick V6.
 
Originally Posted by IMSA_Racing_Fan
That M-B funded pushrod race engine program was the straw that broke Indy's back and caused the split into Indy Racing League (IRL) and Championship Auto Racing Teams (CART).

Roger Penske developed a pushrod engine in house with a huge budget in secret in order to utiluze higher boost levrls allowed for stock block production based engines such as the Buick V6.


That was USAC's own fault for taking out "stock block" and replacing it with "pushrod" in the rule book. There was another engine built based on the Buick but not a Menard one that was woefully underpowered. Its been a while since I have read Beast to remember the specifics.
 
I am guessing the change in wording was to allow specially cast reinforced blocks based upon the stock design due to reliability issues over 500 miles but was inadequacy worded. Penske is a political animal so maybe he leveraged the rulebook text idk just speculating
 
Originally Posted by IMSA_Racing_Fan
I am guessing the change in wording was to allow specially cast reinforced blocks based upon the stock design due to reliability issues over 500 miles but was inadequacy worded. Penske is a political animal so maybe he leveraged the rulebook text idk just speculating


That was probably the intent, but Penske did the 'ol Chad Knaus ploy of "there is no rule against it, so therefore it is legal".
 
In the distant past, stock block rule essentially meant stock heads, too.
When unlimited amounts of money get involved, the heads end up racing heads, and the stock block has more displacement, more boost, and thereby higher power.

Shame about Mansell.....
 
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