By Christian Overland, executive vice president, The Henry Ford
I had a phone conversation yesterday with my friend Clive Chapman, Managing Director of Classic Team Lotus, about his father Colin Chapman?s 1965 Indy 500 winning car - the Lotus-Ford 38/1 - which is now part of the collections of The Henry Ford and will be featured in the upcoming Racing in America exhibition.
Clive, who was in charge of the 38/1?s restoration, is unable to attend the Indy 500 this year to see the Lotus-Ford 38/1 run with four-time Indy 500 winner Al Unser Sr. driving it on the brickyard track minutes before the start of the Centennial Indy 500. Classic Team Lotus and Clive are supporting the Grand Prix Masters race this weekend at Brands Hatch motor racing circuit in Kent, England.
As we talked about Classic Team Lotus?s work in bringing back the most important Indy 500 winner to operating condition and conserving the car by retaining 90% of original materials as it was on race day in 1965, he was delighted to hear that Firestone and Coker Tires teamed up in creating exact replica tires and that the restoration was 100% complete.
I was relating to Clive that I ran into Al Speyer, executive director of Firestone Racing, at the Long Beach Grand Prix earlier this year and he had a surprise for me in that Firestone was working with Coker Tires to create a set of replica tires for the 38/1 to run on at Indy and be exhibited on in the Racing in America exhibition. What was extraordinary about the replica tires was that Coker and Firestone had to go back to their records to re-develop the tire, because the original molds did not exist.
Normally, tire development can take a year or two or, if you have the engineering, perhaps six months at best. However, Coker did the tire development in three months to be ready for the car?s first return to the Indy 500 race since it won in 1965, which was an outstanding achievement (you can see the video on Racing in America?s FaceBook and YouTube pages).
I wish my friend was here with me to see his father?s car run once again at Indy. Rest assured, Clive and Colin Chapman, along with the original Lotus-Ford team and the entire Classic Team Lotus organization are here in spirit and celebration.
First, KV Racing brought back Lotus into Indy racing and Tony Kanaan is driving with Jim Clark?s winning number 82 on his green and yellow car. ESPN writer John Oreovicz, wrote a terrific article Driving History in this year?s 100th Anniversary Indianapolis 500 Program about reigning Indy 500 Champion Dario Franchitti?s hero and fellow Scotsman Jim Clark and of course the Lotus-Ford 38/1 which Dario drove last year.
We also met up with an industrial designer whose all time favorite race car is the Lotus-Ford 38/1 as he was present in 1965 when Clark won the Indy 500. The designer was also inspired by Len Terry who ?got it right both visually and in performance? as the designer of the Lotus 38s. Terry left Lotus soon after the 1965 win to create another legendary design in Dan Gurney?s Eagle Indy Cars for All American Racers.
Four time Indy 500 winner Al Unser Sr. spoke to a large crowd yesterday at the speedway about what it means for him to drive the Lotus-Ford as he was Jim Clark?s teammate at Indy in 1966 (you can see the video on Racing in America?s FaceBook and YouTube pages).
We have heard many wonderful stories and tributes about the Lotus-Ford 38/1 this weekend and now it is our turn. Racing in America salutes Jim Clark, Colin and Clive Chapman, along with the entire Lotus and Ford racing families for outstanding achievement and contributions to Indy 500 history.
Indy 500 Tip: If you are at the track Sunday the Lotus-Ford 38/1 will be brought out of F1 garage #1 before it runs at 11:00 am.
No comments:
Post a Comment