Indianapolis 500

The Indianapolis 500 Mile Race, frequently shortened to Indianapolis 500 or Indy 500, is an American race for open-wheel automobiles held annually over the Memorial Day weekend at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana. Run for the first time in 1911, "The Greatest Spectacle in Racing" is one of the oldest and richest motorsport events in existence. This event lends its name to the "IndyCar" class of race cars.

World Series

After foreign cars became the norm, foreign drivers started showing up at the Indianapolis 500 on a regular basis, choosing the USA as their primary base for their motor racing activities. Brazilian Emerson Fittipaldi was one of American single-seater racing's most successful drivers in the 80s, but other names known from Formula One, such as Italian Teo Fabi and Colombian Roberto Guerrero, were able to obtain good outings as well. However, it wasn't until 1993 that reigning Formula One World Champion Nigel Mansell shocked the racing world by moving to the United States, winning the PPG CART IndyCar World Series title and only losing the 500 in his rookie year because of inexperience with green-flag restarts. European-born or, at least, -bred drivers became a regular fixture of Indianapolis in the years to follow.

Related Topics:
Emerson Fittipaldi - Formula One - Teo Fabi - Roberto Guerrero - Nigel Mansell - PPG - CART

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~