Word: pit
(lookup in dictionary)
(lookup stats)
Dates: all
Sort By: most recent first
(reverse)
...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...
...pit stops were crucial. To encourage drivers to carry lighter fuel loads, thereby reducing the risk of crash or fire, officials required all cars to stop at least twice. Sloppy work by Lotus mechanics had hurt Clark's chances in 1963 (he finished second to Parnelli Jones), and Designer Colin Chapman was determined not to let this happen again. Carefully calculating Clark's rate of fuel consumption (3 mi. per gal. of alcohol), he scheduled a stop every 162 mi. He redesigned the Lotus' gas tank to speed up the refueling process. Finally, he hired a crew...
Clark's first pit stop-he took on 58 gal. of alcohol-lasted exactly 19.8 sec. "After that," said Jim, "I knew we had it won." Foyt's pit stop cost him 44.3 sec.-and by the halfway point he was 58 sec. behind Clark. Soon after, pressing to close the gap, Foyt stripped his transmission and coasted helplessly back to the pits. Clark's pit crew flashed the word: FOYT OUT! Grinned Jim: "I was glad that A.J. was through, of course. But I could have licked him anyway...
...anybody forgets last year's flaming, seven-car crash that killed Eddie Sachs and Dave MacDonald. All sorts of new safety rules are in effect. Cars must be equipped with rubber sealers in their gas tanks, and drivers must make at least two stops for fuel-to keep pit crews from filling tanks to the brim, thereby increasing the danger of collision or fire. But as speeds soar at Indy, so do the risks. The sturdy old Offen-hauser-powered roadsters that once dominated the 500 have been largely replaced by light, rear-engined racers with massive Ford engines...
...both Foyt and Gurney faced the choice of making repeated pit stops for tire changes-or risking blowouts and accidents. For Foyt, there was no choice at all. "Racing comes before my wife and family," he said, and a friend added: "A. J. would run with one wheel on top of the wall if he had to-to beat Jimmy Clark." Scotland's Clark, naturally, was unaffected by the fuss. There he was, smack-dab in the middle of the front row-with Firestones...