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It’s time once again for arguably the greatest motor race of the year, anywhere in the world. It’s the 103rd running of …
The Indianapolis 500
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Every May the “greatest spectacle in racing” takes place on the 2.5-mile Indianapolis Motor Speedway oval. The Memorial Day tradition, now well over 100 years old, has made the careers of many drivers, putting them in a very storied and exclusive club - WINNERS of the Indy 500. It’s the one that everyone wants.
The oval’s four corners are alike - banked at 9 degrees, 12 minutes - and each end of the track is separated by two straights of 5/8ths of a mile each - long enough to give drivers a breather each lap over the 200 laps they will do. Unlike the Grand Prix of Indianapolis, which is run on the infield road course, the Indy 500 is run in a counter-clockwise direction.
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Because of the speeds on the track, the entrance to pit lane has to be all the way back at Turn 3, allowing cars to slow significantly without intefering with the racing. The exit from pit lane runs around the insides of Turn 1 and Turn 2 and blends just past Turn 2, allowing cars to get up to speed without interfering with the racing.
The race is scheduled for Sunday at 11:00am EASTERN time, but rain may put off the start, or even cancel the race until the next day without rain. IF ALL GOES according to plan, there will actually be four races on the weekend schedule - two at IMS and two at .688-mile Lucas Oil Raceway, just a few miles away from IMS. They are:
- The Feedom 75 USF2000 race at Lucas Oil Raceway on Friday (Carb Day)
- The Freedom 90 Indy Pro 2000 race at Lucas Oil Raceway on Friday (Carb Day)
- The Freedom 100 Indy Lights race at IMS on Friday (Carb Day)
and, of course, the IndyCars will do the Indy 500 at IMS on Sunday. The IndyCars have been practicing for the 500 for more than a week and the cars are already qualified for the race. The reports on all that practice and qualifying can be found in the Off-Season thread, though we will repost the starting grid in this thread.
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Let’s look at that support racing:
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USF2000 - The bottom rung on the ladder training system known as the Road to Indy, USF2000 uses the all-carbon Tatuus USF-17 car, powered by a 2.0 liter engine made by Elite Engines, with about 175 hp. The cars have racing slicks and adjustable wings. They are often the first such equipped cars the drivers will have driven. The transmissions are a six-speed sequential gearbox, with steering-wheel paddle shifters. The brakes are 4-piston monobloc caliper sets, front and rear.
The drivers are often entering formula cars for the first time, often right out of karting. They will range from 14-years-old to any age above, but youth is prevalent. Some will be rookies and some will be returning veterans and / or champions from other series. The fields are usually very large and competitive. They race hard. For most of them, this weekend will be their first oval racing experience. The current points leader in the series is Braden Eves for Cape Motorsports. Braden has WON all four of the races run so far.
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Braden Eves - unbeaten this year, so far.
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continued…
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