Question about the 2001 indy 500 and mark dismore?

[Wilma Blanton]

Hi i have a question about the 2001 indy 500 and mark dismore? I've heard some people say mark dismore had 1 of the fastest cars on the track is this true?

Also i heard that mark dismore was having gearbox troubles in the race and was stuck in 4th gear and i heard his crew asked him under caution if he could see if he could get the car into another gear and when he tried to shift it it broke the gearbox.

If he hadn't of shifted gears would the gearbox have held together all day i think he was in his 2nd highest of the gears he was in 4th gear and i think his crew wanted him to shift to 5th gear his top or fast gear.

If he had continued to stay in 4th gear could he have still won the race and beaten his competitors or would the other guys have been too fast for him.

If i remember right when he was stuck in 4th gear i think he was also hitting the rev limiter sometimes when he was trying hard to lap a car or get around someone.

[TxIndyFan]

Well, I know he was fast. He qualified 4th, and his teammate, Scott Sharp was on the pole. Mark Dismore led twice, for a total of 29 laps.

From the Trackside Report:

Lap 17: GREEN. Restart order: #41 Gordon, #2 Ray, #66 de Ferran, #28
Dismore, #5 Luyendyk, #35 Ward, #33 Stewart, #24 Buhl, #68 Castroneves, #44 Vasser.

Lap 22: GREEN. Restart order: #41 Gordon, #2 Ray, #66 de Ferran, #28
Dismore, #5 Luyendyk, #35 Ward, #33 Stewart.

Lap 53: #28 Dismore takes lead after pit stop by #39 Andretti. Ray second,
.7774 of a second behind. #4 Hornish to pits, four tires and fuel, 16 seconds. #39 Andretti to pits, four tires and fuel, 18 seconds.

Lap 60: Leaders -- #28 Dismore, #2 Ray, #66 de Ferran, #35 Ward, #68
Castroneves.

Lap 67: #28 Dismore leads #2 Ray by 4.4816 seconds

Lap 74: #28 Dismore to pits, four tires and fuel, 14 seconds. #2 Ray takes lead, #66 de Ferran second.

Lap 75: Leaders – #2 Ray, #66 de Ferran, #35 Ward, #68 Castroneves, #39
Andretti, #28 Dismore, #44 Vasser, #84 Beechler, #33 Stewart, #21 Giaffone.

Lap 83: #39 Andretti leads #28 Dismore by 17.9923 seconds. #39 Andretti
to pits, four tires and fuel, 14 seconds. #28 Dismore regains lead.

Lap 85: #28 Dismore leads #66 de Ferran by 7.7526 seconds.

Lap 90: YELLOW. Oil on track. (Manassian)

Lap 91: #28 Dismore to pits, four tires and fuel

Lap 93: #28 Dismore slowing on track during caution period, reporting
gearbox problems. Car stops on warm -up lane at entrance of Turn 3.

Lap 99: #28 Dismore returns to track.

There were eight lap leaders in today’s race, which ties the fourth-highest
total of all time.

He ended up in 16th place, 5 laps down.

MARK DISMORE (#28 Delphi Automotive Systems/Bryant Heating &
Cooling Dallara/Oldsmobile/Firestone): “We put together some of the fastest race laps. It was too easy. That’s the thing – it was too easy. I guess today in a lot of ways, we were lucky, but I don’t feel very lucky. I lift my hat to Roger Penske, but I think we could have done a lot for Tom Kelley. I think everyone is way past the CART/IRL thing. It’s a bunch of guys driving race cars.”

[SZautke]

I wish I had a dollar for every time a driver told me "I had one of the fastest cars on the track..."

Dick Simon swears he could've won the "500" in 1973. The list is endless.

Dismore was one of the quickest in the Toyota Atlantics, but lost a lot of time in his wild wreck at Indy in '91. Glad he got a second chance in the IRL. Nice fella, one of the nice guys in racing.

[Larrymgs]

Wilma;

I doubt if he could of lasted the rest of the day in 4th, but they should of tried. The Team Kelly guys should of never of had him try to shift out of fourth, with a bad gearbox.

Those gearboxes were like twigs. It knocked Vasser out and Rahal complained bitterly about the fragile nature of the gearboxes. Plus several other Chief Mechanics, drivers and teams complained about them throughout '01.

With the low gear Dismore was already pulling, he probably would of ripped the thing out the next stop, but at least they could of tried leaving it alone. It just reminds me how some of the "top teams" of the era, thought they were bullet proof and could get away with something like that, even though all they could of done was leave it alone and see what happens.

best,

Larry

[ndcrs]

i don't recall his car bumping on the rev limiter? was fourth their high gear? anyone?

[Wilma Blanton]

I think back than in 2001 4th gear was their 2nd highest gear and i think their top gear was 5th.

If you have a tape of the race during a couple of the board camera shots when they were riding with dismore you can hear the revlimiter go off or make the noise it makes.

1 of the times i think was when he was trying to lap jimmy vasser or 1 of the target chip ganassi cars.

[Wilma Blanton]

That's too bad dismore's car broke that day. I would've liked to have seen him win that race.