The Indy 500 counted toward the Formula 1 world championship from 1950 to 1960, yet the only notable attempt by a Grand Prix driver to win at Indy during that period was when the Ferrari team submitted an entry for Alberto Ascari in 1952; Ascari failed to finish, which proved to be the only race in the championship he and Ferrari didn't win.
Indy was dropped from the Formula 1 calendar after the 1960 season, which is when the Grand Prix circuit started taking the race seriously immediately afterward to demonstrate the superiority of their newly-developed mid-engined cars. Jack Brabham were the class of the field on race day in 1961, but fell out of contention because his Cooper team was unfamiliar with the concept of pit stops. Jim Clark won the race in his Lotus in 1965; like Alonso this year, he skipped the Monaco Grand Prix in order to compete.
Teams and drivers from the world of Formula 1 were a regular presence at Indy throughout the '60s and '70s; prior to this year, the last driver to start the 500 while also an active Formula 1 driver was Mario Andretti in 1981. By the 1980s, every Indy car originated from a chassis designed in the U.K. by a constructor which also built Formila 1 cars, and was usually powered by a Ford-Cosworth engine also derived from Formula 1.
9021amyers wrote: ↑Wed Apr 12, 2017 8:24 amTeams and drivers from the world of Formula 1 were a regular presence at Indy throughout the '60s and '70s; prior to this year, the last driver to start the 500 while also an active Formula 1 driver was Mario Andretti in 1981. By the 1980s, every Indy car originated from a chassis designed in the U.K. by a constructor which also built Formila 1 cars, and was usually powered by a Ford-Cosworth engine also derived from Formula 1.
And last year's winner, Alexander Rossi, was the reserve driver for the (now-defunct) Manor F1 team. Alonso is the best driver on the F1 grid, so I'll be interested in seeing how that translates over to the 500.
9021amyers wrote: ↑Wed Apr 12, 2017 8:24 amTeams and drivers from the world of Formula 1 were a regular presence at Indy throughout the '60s and '70s; prior to this year, the last driver to start the 500 while also an active Formula 1 driver was Mario Andretti in 1981. By the 1980s, every Indy car originated from a chassis designed in the U.K. by a constructor which also built Formila 1 cars, and was usually powered by a Ford-Cosworth engine also derived from Formula 1.
And last year's winner, Alexander Rossi, was the reserve driver for the (now-defunct) Manor F1 team. Alonso is the best driver on the F1 grid, so I'll be interested in seeing how that translates over to the 500.
Here's the backstory for anyone who doesn't follow auto racing:
Fernando Alonso drives for McLaren, which uses Honda engines. McLaren-Hondas dominated Formula 1 in the late '80s, and Honda's last F1 effort ultimately became today's all-powerful Mercedes team, but Honda just returned to the sport in 2015, at a time where technical rules put severe restrictions on engine development. As a result, the Honda engine is the slowest and most unreliable motor on the grid by a wide margin; it's a testament to Alonso's driving ability (and McLaren's ability to set up the car) that he can occasionally finish in the points at all.
Unlike in previous seasons, manufacturers will be allowed to release upgraded versions of their engines in 2017. Honda hopes their new engine will be capable of powering the McLaren to regular points finishes, but the rules window to introduce new equipment doesn't open until later this summer. The idea is that a drive for the Indy 500 (where Honda engines are competitive) will keep Alonso motivated until the new engine is ready.
Team USA won the International Ice Hockey Federation Women's World Championship, defeating Canada for the gold medal. The U.S. women's team threatened to boycott the tournament unless they received the same pay and benefits as men's hockey players. However, the women reached an agreement with USA Hockey, the sport's governing body, shortly before the tournament began.
Russell Westbrook of the Oklahoma City Thunder became the second player in NBA history (the first was Oscar Robertson) to compile a season triple-double. Westbrook averaged ten or more points, rebounds, and assists per game in 2016-17.
Deaths:
John Warren Geils Jr., age 71. He was the guitarist and founder of the J. Geils Band, whose singles include "Centerfold," "Love Stinks”, and "Freeze-Frame."
Dan Rooney, age 84. His father founded the NFL's Pittsburgh Steelers; he was the team's chairman of the board. Instituted the league’s “Rooney Rule”, which required teams to interview at least one member of a minority group when filling a vacancy at general manager or head coach. Side note: Actress Rooney Mara bears the name of two NFL families, the other being the Mara family (New York Giants).
Last edited by Blue Lion on Thu Apr 13, 2017 9:54 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Blue Lion wrote: ↑Wed Apr 12, 2017 4:43 pm
Team USA won the International Ice Hockey Federation Women's World Championship, defeating Canada for the gold medal. The U.S. women's team threatened to boycott the tournament unless they received the same pay and benefits as men's hockey players. However, the women reached an agreement with USA Hockey, the sport's governing body, shortly before the tournament began.
Cat Hammarskjold wrote: ↑Thu Apr 13, 2017 1:16 am
Back to the auto racing, what about Jacques Villeneuve? When he won an Indy 500 in the 90's, it seemed to be in the middle of his Formula 1 career.
He was the Indycar rookie of the year at the 1994 Indy 500 and for the season in IndyCar; in 1995 he won the Indy 500 and Indycar championship. He then left for F1.
Cat Hammarskjold wrote: ↑Thu Apr 13, 2017 1:16 am
Back to the auto racing, what about Jacques Villeneuve? When he won an Indy 500 in the 90's, it seemed to be in the middle of his Formula 1 career.
Jacques won the Indy 500 in 1995, which led to a him racing in F1 in 1996. Villeneuve, Andretti, Clark, Emerson Fittipaldi, and Graham Hill are the five drivers who have won both the F1 championship and the Indy 500.
Nigel Mansell won the F1 title in 1992, then the Indycar series title in 1993. After Ayrton Senna was killed during the 1994 F1 season, Mansell returned to his old team for races that didn't conflict with the Indycar schedule. Mansell, then is the most recent driver to race in the Indy 500 and F1 in the same year.
Last edited by 9021amyers on Wed Apr 19, 2017 9:27 am, edited 1 time in total.
Kathrine Switzer, first registered woman (slyly using her initials) to run the Boston Marathon in 1967, ran it again 50 years later using the same bib number: 261. That time, the race director even tried forcing her off the route.
The Boston Marathon also retired bib 261, only the second in the marathon's history. (Bib 61 was retired for Johnny Kelley's 61 starts)
British Prime Minister Theresa May has called a snap parliamentary election on June 8. Her call must be approved by two-thirds of the House of Commons; however, opposition parties are willing to go along with it. May's Conservative Party has a huge lead in the latest opinion polls.
Bill O’Reilly’s reign as the top-rated host in cable news came to an abrupt and embarrassing end on Wednesday as Fox News forced him out after the disclosure of a series of sexual harassment allegations against him and an internal investigation that turned up even more.
No way this comes up on J!, but former New England Patriots tight end Aaron Hernandez was found dead in his jail cell of an apparent suicide. Hernandez was serving a life sentence for the murder of acquaintance Odin Lloyd. Curiously, Hernandez's death came less than one week after he was acquitted of two additional counts of murder.
BigDaddyMatty wrote: ↑Thu Apr 20, 2017 1:41 am
No way this comes up on J!, but former New England Patriots tight end Aaron Hernandez was found dead in his jail cell of an apparent suicide. Hernandez was serving a life sentence for the murder of acquaintance Odin Lloyd. Curiously, Hernandez's death came less than one week after he was acquitted of two additional counts of murder.
BigDaddyMatty wrote: ↑Thu Apr 20, 2017 1:41 am
No way this comes up on J!, but former New England Patriots tight end Aaron Hernandez was found dead in his jail cell of an apparent suicide. Hernandez was serving a life sentence for the murder of acquaintance Odin Lloyd. Curiously, Hernandez's death came less than one week after he was acquitted of two additional counts of murder.
Radcliffe still holds the record for the fastest marathon ever run by a woman, having set a 2:15:25 time while paced by male runners at the 2003 London Marathon. After that performance, the governing body of athletics stipulated rhat future records in women's marathoning must be set in all-women's races.