Indianapolis Motor Speedway has made the reputation of racing greats: A.J. Foyt, Rick Mears, the Unser family.
It’s been a testing ground for safety features such as rearview mirrors and seat belts, well before they became commonplace in Americans’ everyday lives. It’s been a movie set, and the place where Janet Guthrie struck a blow for female athletes by becoming the first woman racer at the Indy 500 in 1977.
And, as of this year, Indy has been part of American driving and racing for a century.
“Not only is this the same joint, the (first) surface is still there … the crushed rock and tar is still there,†speedway historian Donald Davidson said.
The common perception that bricks were used first as the first track surface is …Â Details
FIA president Max Mosley believes Formula One can go on without Ferrari, if necessary.
The head of motor sports’ governing body rebuked criticism from the Italian team – which has been involved in F1 since its start in 1950 – over claims that a proposed voluntary budget cap for 2010 will damage the sport by giving an unfair advantage to the teams that sign up for it.
“The sport could survive without Ferrari,†Mosley said in Saturday editions of Financial Times. “It would be very, very sad to lose Ferrari. It is the Italian national team.  Details
Teams signing up to Formula 1’s new budget cap from next season onwards will benefit from twice as much power from the KERS (Kinetic Energy Recovery Systems) technology, the FIA has revealed.
That comes in addition to movable front and rear wings, an engine that is not subject to a rev limit, unlimited out-of-season track testing and no restrictions on the scale and speed of wind tunnel testing. KERS has been much maligned since its introduction this year, with the Formula One Teams’ Association (FOTA) calling for a standardised system from 2010, and some suggesting it should be ditched altogether due to its excessive weight and costly development nature – anathema in an age of increasing belt-tightening, they contend… DetailsÂ
Actor Josh Duhamel has a new role for himself in May: pace car driver for the Indianapolis 500.
Duhamel stars in the upcoming action movie “Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen.†He also had roles in the soap opera “All My Children†and the primetime drama “Las Vegas.†The 36-year-old North Dakota native is married to singer-songwriter and actress Fergie.
Duhamel will drive a …Â Details