Indianapolis Times, Indianapolis, Marion County, 29 May 1940 — Page 15

Race Car Motors Radically :

Different From

Those Used

In Average Automobil

Designers at Track Seek Maximum Speed, Power

And Acceleration

The race car engine is as different from the motor in your car as a destroyer power plant is from an outboard motor, and for much the same reasons. They had their differences when both were in the blueprint stage because the designers were secking different

results.

The builder of the passenger car engine is trying to develop a quiet, smoothly operating motor which will have a long life and run at a maximum economy. » None of these accomplishments worries the racing]

engine | designer, He seeks

acceleration. He can build engines to operate on any sort of fuel. His cars don’t run in unusual weather conditions. Noise isn’t a factor nor is economy of operation. At one time when cars were limited to the amount of gasoline they could burn during the race, engineers had to consider miles per gallon, That restriction has been lifted. Now the only limit is the amount off money a racing stable can spend. Builders of racers rarely consid-

er long life, If the engines break down they usually can be rebuilt.

‘Unusually High Compression

The rdce car motor designer's chief problem is to produce as much power as possible for the weight of the motor, This means turning up the number of revolutions the motor makes per minute to almost twice that of airplane engines.

He gets that speed, power and acceleration by high compression, greater piston displacement - and lighter motors. Piston displacement is the area of | the: cylinder multiplied by the length of the stroke. The greater the piston displacement the more wer an engine can generate. But as | the piston displacement, grows the minimum weight for the car allowed by the Speedway also increases This means that the designers, to compensate for that car weight increase, must keep down “the weight of the engine Thus a race engine uses excepHonally light materials such ‘as on Fage Eight)

maximum speed, power and

Putting Time Into Speed

Get out your watch, keep one eye on the second hand, the other on a car you want to time, and you can translate elapsed time iato™ miles an hour with this chart. min. sec. m.p.h. ; min. see,

ok Pk kk bk QFINRRD

* ei% oe 4 0

4 Som Wi

5 pet

® es 000 aca es.

* see

BRED 30 Di et 32 2 Te 20 D 15 0 30 00 m2

“Won

WOT RIN RIT CWI D Te WR

Eivioibivitisioidints PID 50 ie SAR aI 0 BD

Sed od fh Sd Js eh fd od nh fd fd fd dd dh Nd fd fd fd Sd fd od

WW 5

i ph dh pt bd pk nd oh bd ed nd md Bd Bd od fd nd fd fd fd

Nan anRRoRSRNXRSRkEakES

AAIRRDDSS~Nvnw

CD DDD DD mt hk ek ek pk ot i pk

dd fk ond dd fd dd dd dd dd dd fn od od

od ve

The Signal Flags - Tomorrow, these signals will be used: Green flag or ligit—Starting signal; course is Clear Black flag—Stop for consultation. Red flag—Stop; 1a .e is halted. Yellow flag or light—Drive with caution and maintain position. Vivid blue with diagonal yellow stripe—Car attempiing to pass you. " White—You are starting your last an, : "oh eokered flag— fou

ro finished,

ESRI:

EEO ORCS CBS DOR CAC

THE LINEUP

FIRST ROW

No. 33—=Rex Mays Bowes Special

No. 1—=Wilbur Shaw Boyle Special

No. 7==Mauri Rose Elgin Piston Special 4

SECOND ROW |

No. 3—=Ted Horn Boyle Special

No. 31—Mel Hansen Hartz Special

No. 5=Cliff Bergere Noc-Out Hose Special

> fo THIRD ROW

No. 9—Frank Wearne Boyle Special

No. 16—Frank Brisko No. Brisko Special

27—T. Hinnershitz Marks Special

FOURTH ROW

No. 8—Joel Thorne

Thorfe-Donnelly Spl. FI

No. 35==Kelly Petillo No. 2

Indiana Fur Special

No. 19—R. Snowberger Snowberger Special H ROW

Sam Hanks No. 41=Harry MeQuinn Duray Special

No. 24—Wm. Cantion Surber Special

Hollywood Payday Spl.

SIXTH ROW

No. 6=~Geo. Barringer No. 1

Hollywood Payday Spl.

Geo, Connor Lencki Special

No. 26—Louls Tomel Falstaff Special

SEVENTH ROW ’

No. 36=Doc Williams Quillen Bros. Special

No. 32—Bob Swanson No. 54—Ralph Hepburn Sampson Special

Bowes Special

" EIGHTH ROW. :

No. 25—Emil Andres Andres Special

No. 21=—Duke Nalon Marks Special

No. 44—Al Puinam ' Refinoil Special

No. 17+—George Robson No. 29—Raul Riganti Keller Special

Maserati Special

No. 58—Al Miller Alfa-Romeo Special

ELEVENTH ROW

No. 49—Rene Le Begue No. 1 Schell Special

Billy DeVore Holabird Special

No. 61— Floyd Davis Lencki Special

ALTERNATES

No. 36-—Tony Willman No. 2 Leader Card Special

WHAT'S ONE mistake in race driving? ig It might be just a twist of fate and, if all else. is. well, it can be overlooked. But two mistakes? fe A smart driver knows the |answers. only too well. And: that’s why Louis Meyer won't be at|the wheel of one of those 33 cars| out at the Speedway tomorrow.

2 ® =n

IT ALL ‘HAPPENED in last year’s race when Meyer, the only three-time winner of the 500, was

one of the favorites. At 175 miles

he ‘had jockeyed his black-and-white Bowes Special into first place. Seconds behind him roared Wilbur Shaw and Jimmy: Snyder. At 200 ‘miles, Jimmy: Slipped by

Rene Dreyfus Schell Special

EYER DECIDED TO RETIRE FROM RACING -

No. 12—Louis Durant Schoof Special

Meyer overhauled him and passed him again’ by the time they had reached 275 miles. On they battled, mile after desperate mile, They flashed by 300, 350, 400. There were other thoughts now bgsides just hanging on fo a steering. wheel and controlling two tons of hurtling power. There was the problem of pit stops. sive pit stop. It might even cost a driver '$20,000. Or $10,000.

8 8 =

ERROR NO. 1: ONE OF LOU'S >

tires was starting to. wear badly. There was a streak of’ white where black should be. Lo Meyer made his decisionin a spit second. Instead of going. into the pits right: then, be. chose. to- tal the chance,

It might be an expen-

SER

ce Sa oo

rR SE

eR SE a Re

With the Best Guess Putting the Winner's Pro able

Speed at Some Place Close to 120 Miles

THE ODDS

Favorite at 6-1

THERE'S PROBABLY LESS gambling on the “500” than on a spring street corner marble game. Too many things can happen in too shert a time when wheels spinning at speeds up to 140 miles an hour. There is usually a railbird favorite at starting time but little money “on the nose.” Drivers consider it bad luck to wager even on finishing with the first 10. About the middle of May, though, a group of face experts made up a “future book” on the drivers. Here it is: - Wilbur Shaw .. 6tol Rex Mays ..... 10to 1 ‘Kelly Petillo ... .o 10t01 Ted Horn ..... 12to1 Raul Riganti .. .12t01 Chet Miller ..ccoc0e.012t01 Cliff Bergere ......... 14tol Bob Swanson ........ 15tol George Barringer .. 20 to'l Billy DeVore ......... 20tol Harry McQuinn ...... 20to1 Joig Chitwood ....... 20t01 The fleld .....e0000r.. 30101

Two Japs later in the north turn

the car twisted badly, burning the

badly worn tire. Savagely, Lou Meyer fought to keep it under control, miraculously managed to keep it within the guard rails, brought it to a virtual halt and then limped into the pits, gritiing his teeth over his major error in judgment in all his years of jrac-

ing. : Back in the pits he ordered his

crew to work at top speed. All

four tires needed changing. But he: changed only one. Time was too valuable. He climbed back in ‘and set out. He had forgotten his goggles, but ‘he. couldn’t stop for those now. ‘Shaw and Snyder, fT #8 =

He had to catch:

{Up After Race

After tomorrow's race all ene trants will divide a $100,000 melon. * The Indianapolis Motor Speedway Corp. offers capital prizes totaling $63,100, accessory prizes from’ companies whose equipment is carried on the winning cars total some $22,000, and lap prizes come. to another $20,000. The = Speedway’s prizes divided: First prize . eeses.$20,000 Second’ prize ... ." 10,000 Third prize .... 5,000 Fourth prize 3,500 Fifth prize ...cvseS eses 3,000 Sixth prize ....ieseesees 2,200 Seventh prize .. 1,800 Eighth prize cececcecsees 1,600 Ninth prize ...ee.ce0e0000 1,500 Tenth prize 1,400 The consolation: “prize of $13,-_ ‘100 is divided among all other entries. -

Hotels Are. Full

There’s one thing which can’t be bought, borrowed or stolen in Indiapapolis tonight—a hotel room. They've been gone for weeks,

are

something seemed to be wrong with his’ back wheels. ‘Meyer looked back. In a flash the car was in its second spin. His turning had twisted the steering wheel and, too late, he realized that he had committed his second’ major blunder. Never pull ‘on the wheel in a turn! But nothing: could halt the broadside plunge and the car smashed into the inner guard railing and Lou climbed out, ‘tears rolling down his face.

'' &'n ua Fog BACK IN THE GARAGES, Lou Meyer, three-time champion of the Speedway, wiped his hands ona grease rag. i “It's all over,” he sald quietly. "When you ‘make IDigtales its’

iff, | Jimmy, Snyder, Lo

an Hour

Mays, Shaw, Swanson, Horn, Petillo and French Drivers All Listed as Possible Pace Setters.

By DAVID Barring a major acci

ARSHALL

nt, tomgrrow’s “500” winner will

have to barrel around th oval at an Rysrage speed of. 124

to 123 miles an hour.

That's the opinion. not only, of the rabid, but of drivers, mechanics |and timers. | That means that the all-time record of 117.20 set in 1938 by Floyd Roberts will be cracked wide open. And: the

boys that have the best change

Rex Mays, Wilbur Shaw, Bob tillo and the foreign competiti

and Rene LeBegue. ‘This year’s speed predic}

to rack up a new mark ara wanson, Ted Horn, Kelly Pe. , Raul Riganti, Rene Dreyfuy

Yin is. made that high despite

the fact that the 1940 ss ing times were unusually slow, But the drivers have an explanation for this. ‘High winds on almost every qualifying. day kept them from running for

any new records. |Another factor was Several. days of main

during practice and qualifyin : Rain Slows Tr

week. ck; Says Kelly po

Drivers like Kelly Petillo, the ’35 winner, say that rain

slows* down the track. consi

excess oil which. cars slip around the curves

made on a dry, clan track, Many drivers| this year during trials because getting: ally means getting into the than chasing new records an out their motors. gory. Another consideration speeds was the nymber of. n drivers, none: track before.

i 1 I Ii Ii

ccumulates| on the, turns.

| Petillo an

erably because it washes off

higher speeds than could be {elly contends. : : also were running cautiously to the race (which automatic. oney) meant more to them perhaps’ crashing. or burning Mays were two in’ this cate=

olding. down the qualifying w drivers and several foreign had experience on ‘this type

“less one mile nhoar for = five. mimtes the course. 3

under the yellow flag” | Last year, for the first

speed dropped below that of the previous year

ouis Meyer

time. since: 1980, the: ava | For 110 i and Shaw cking

Oil spots help ,

= rnc ot

A EB DSA RIM EH BR tiie»

a A AIRES SO. A LNA GN CB PRIA LS AES er Hs

————