Word: laps
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Dates: during 1960-1969
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...shrieked defiance at the wind. Yelling officials rushed wildly about, collaring reluctant mechanics and dragging them to the safety of the pits. The Tricolor flag fell. Gears crashed, tires squealed, and to a roar from 50,000 spectators, 17 Formula 1 racing cars hurtled off the starting grid for lap 1 of the French Grand Prix-oldest auto race in the world...
...After just one lap, Clark was already 2 sec.-or 100 yds. -ahead of his nearest pursuer. But for 39 more laps, he coolly, relentlessly poured it on until he had lapped all but three of his rivals, smashed the official lap record (82.39 m.p.h.) three times in succession and 15 times in all-even tually raising it to a fantastic 90.59 m.p.h. He did it on a course that he had never even seen until two days before the race, a course that ranks as one of the toughest in the world: 51 curves and 102 gear changes...
...Only a breakdown could beat the Scotsman now: his nearest competitor, Parnelli Jones, was H min. behind. On the 136th lap, Clark ducked into the pits for the last time waved away a new set of goggles and a glass of water, roared out again in 24.7 sec. His orders were "Take it easy"-and Clark did, throttling back to 150 m.p.h., then 145. At the end, he was 5 mi. ahead...
...Passed." The race itself was over almost as soon as it started when Clark tramped on his accelerator and darted in front of Foyt on the very first turn. Foyt grabbed back the lead on the second lap, but Clark later explained: "I let him go. I wanted to see how quick he was. I saw, and I passed him back." That was on the third lap, and except for a fleeting interlude after his first pit stop, Clark was in front all the rest...
...stop in Victory Lane, Winner Clark found himself confronted by blonde Suzanne Devine, the 500 Festival queen. Ordinarily, winners kiss the queen; coolly Clark shook her hand. He professed to be unimpressed by the extent of his winnings: $140,000 for finishing first, another $28,500 in lap money, a Plymouth automobile, a ring, a diamond-studded pin, $1,000 worth of clothes. "What will you do with it?" Clark was asked. "I don't know. Colin Chapman will decide that...