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At least, according to Brock Yates it is. Brock has written a thoughtful article on the Indianapolis 500 in the latest "Car and Driver" magazine. His old articles are posted on the magazine’s website but this issue is just hitting the newstands. I’ll post a link when it is available online.
Here’s a (very) short summary of Brock’s points:
Brock says that the glory days of the Indianapolis 500 were from the ‘50s through the ‘80s when it truly was the greatest spectacle in racing. Each May the greatest drivers in the world (both domestic and foreign) would show up to play the fastest and most dangerous game on earth in a wide variety of race cars. Each year thousands of people would show up to watch practice, qualifying, and the race. This year tickets were available race morning and last minute deals had to be made to insure a 33-car starting field. He said that he agreed with Tony George’s decision to break the ties with CART but says that his strategy so far is showing only limited success. And he unloads on Chevrolet and GM, too. He says that it is a major black eye for GM (and the domestic industry) that Toyota and Honda came to Indianapolis for their first year and just humiliated them. According to Yates, “Japanese domination at Indy only reinforces the impression that they operate on a higher technological plane than the Detroiters.” He also devotes a paragraph to the fact that the latest generation of American open wheel stars (Jeff Gordon, Tony Stewart, Ryan Newman, etc.) have wisely gone to NASCAR.
According to Yates radical change is needed:
1. No spec chassis. If you can build it to the rules you can race it.
2. Stock block push-rod engines (400 c.i.) allowed to run with the factory racing engines. (edited 8-8-03)
3. Allow front engine cars with a 200 pound weight advantage over the rear engined cars
4. Allow diesels
5. Encourage alternative fuel engines
6. Limited the current aerodynamic rules to put more driver input into the equation.
Brock states that he’s not Tony George so it’s up to Tony George to fix the race.
Whether you like it or not this is one of the best articles that Brock has written in a long time. Yates has always been something of an outlaw but he has also always been a racer at heart. And he has always been passionate about the Indianapolis 500. Get your hands on the September issue of “Car and Driver” and read the entire article.
Here’s a (very) short summary of Brock’s points:
Brock says that the glory days of the Indianapolis 500 were from the ‘50s through the ‘80s when it truly was the greatest spectacle in racing. Each May the greatest drivers in the world (both domestic and foreign) would show up to play the fastest and most dangerous game on earth in a wide variety of race cars. Each year thousands of people would show up to watch practice, qualifying, and the race. This year tickets were available race morning and last minute deals had to be made to insure a 33-car starting field. He said that he agreed with Tony George’s decision to break the ties with CART but says that his strategy so far is showing only limited success. And he unloads on Chevrolet and GM, too. He says that it is a major black eye for GM (and the domestic industry) that Toyota and Honda came to Indianapolis for their first year and just humiliated them. According to Yates, “Japanese domination at Indy only reinforces the impression that they operate on a higher technological plane than the Detroiters.” He also devotes a paragraph to the fact that the latest generation of American open wheel stars (Jeff Gordon, Tony Stewart, Ryan Newman, etc.) have wisely gone to NASCAR.
According to Yates radical change is needed:
1. No spec chassis. If you can build it to the rules you can race it.
2. Stock block push-rod engines (400 c.i.) allowed to run with the factory racing engines. (edited 8-8-03)
3. Allow front engine cars with a 200 pound weight advantage over the rear engined cars
4. Allow diesels
5. Encourage alternative fuel engines
6. Limited the current aerodynamic rules to put more driver input into the equation.
Brock states that he’s not Tony George so it’s up to Tony George to fix the race.
Whether you like it or not this is one of the best articles that Brock has written in a long time. Yates has always been something of an outlaw but he has also always been a racer at heart. And he has always been passionate about the Indianapolis 500. Get your hands on the September issue of “Car and Driver” and read the entire article.
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