The Indianapolis Star from Indianapolis, Indiana • Page 69

NDIANAPOLIS STAR SPORTS Section 4 SUNDAY, MAY 16, 19G3 fWt Flashes To Record 161 For Pole Tom Rolfe Wins Over Dapper Ban By Neck nn 500-Mile Race Qualifiers Preakness Claim Of Foul Nixed Joined By Clark, Gurney At Front; 19 Cars Qualify DAN GURNEY No. 17 Yamaha Front-Row Scats A. J. FOYT No. I Sheraton-Thompson Time Speed 45.57 1C1J5S :55.7 1CU1I :55.M 1I1.N1 1M.C28 Totals 3:43.28 11.233 A MARIO ANDRETTI No.

12 Dean Van Lines Time Speed :56.54 159.17 :56.74 158.618 :56.89 158.200 :56.4 159.405 Totals 3:46.83 158.849 AL MILLER No. 74 Jerry Alderman 'ilme Speed :56.79 158.479 'V :56.79 158.479 I :57.55 156.385 :57.M 157.895 ROOKIE ALL SMILES Mario Andretti had good reason to smile following record 158.849 qualification run his first year at 500-mile track even though the record was short-lived. Nineteen cars qualified opening day and Mario wound up on the inside of the second row. (Star Photo) FOYTSVILLK. U.S.A.

Pole Sitter A.J. One Texan Who A A 3:4813 FIRST ROW JIMMY CLARK No. 81 Lotus-Ford Time Speed :55.M 160.772 .45.91 160.973 :56.M 169.714 :56.09 160.456 ToUls 3:43.98 160.729 SECOND ROW PARNELU JONES No. 96 Agajanian-Hurst Time Speed :56.65 158.870 ltd All :57.00 157.895 :56.70 158.730 Totals 159 625 THIRD ROW BOBBY UNSER No. 9 STP Gas.

Treatment Time Speed :57.29 157.095 :56.98 157.950 :57.27 157.150 :57.08 157.673 ToUls 3:48.62 137.467 FOURTH ROW JOHNNY RUTHERFORD No. 24 Racing Associates 1 i Time Soeed :S7.65 156.114 :57.60 156.250 47.41 156.767 47.68 156.033 Totals 3:50.34 156.291 FIFTH ROW GORDON JOHNCOCK No. 76 Weinberger Homes Time Speed 155.253 154.110 155.226 155.467 47.97 :58.40 47.98 47.89 ToUls 3:52.24 155.012 SIXTH ROW JERRY GRANT No. 48 Bardahl MG Time Speed 47.61 48.19 48.53 48:50 156.223 154.668 151715 153.847 Totals 342.83 154.606 fU Si 1 1 hi if I Everyth Time Speed :5172 158.674 :56.59 159.039 :56.62 158.954 46.63 158.926 Totals iX'tJi 8:46,37 158,898 BILLY FOSTER No. 66 Autotron Electronics Time Speed :56.62 158.954 :56.86 158.2S4 I :9.09 10.7M bm mm Mima I99.lt 139.04 Totals 47.25 158.416 LLOYD RUBY No.

7 DuPont Golden 7 Time Speed :57.I3 157.535 :57.04 157.784 :57.27 157.150 :57.50 156.522 Totals 3:48.94 157.246 LEN SUTTON No. 16 Bryant Sweet 16 Time Speed 47.48 156.576 47.48 156.576 47.42 156.740 48.21 154.613 Totals 3:50.59 156.121 MICKEY RUPP No. 81 Central Excavating Time Speed 48.17 48.53 48.02 47.78 154.719 153.767 155.119 155.763 ToUls 3:52.50 154.839 BOB CHRISTIE No. 21 Kemeriy Time Speed 48.66 153.427 48.78 153.113 48.74 153.218 136 capabilities of the English chassis. First step in the operation was.

to build jigs from the old Lotus. Then the crew started with the center section of the automobile and built an entirely-new cockpit section. Luiji said after this was finished, the forward section was fabricated, reUining the original Lotus cross member and suspension points. The tame work wu carried on with the rear section. But, a bit of redesigning cropped up as they Increased the cross seotkmal area of the body by making it a little wider and higher.

The Lotus design, of course, utilizes monocoque construction in which the body i the frame. As a consequence, Le-sovski's fabrication called for heavier sheet meal, which was heat treated, and the skin and chassis was riveted according to aircraft standards. The rear section's engine mounting points were modified so as to carry the load Turn to Page 2, Column 1 IS: tZ f.WVv' 48.39 154. 3:54.87 153.472 Baltimore (AP) Tom Rolfe, from Raymond Guest's Powhatan Stables, came sweeping out of the pack on the final turn, took the lead one-eighth of a mile from home and survived a foul claim for a neck victory over Dapper Dan in the $180,600 Preakness at Pimlico yesterday. Lucky Debonair, winner of the Kentucky Derby, wound up seventh in the nine-horse field after challenging for the lead until they hit the home stretch one-quarter of a mile from thb firish line.

With Canadian Ronnie Turcotte pounding away with his whip, Tom Rolfe assumed command about halfway down the stretch and opened up daylight advantage. Dapper Dan, carrying the silks of Ogden Phipps, came charging up along the rail to make the finish close just as he did two weeks ago in the Derby when he came in a neck back of Lucky Debonair with Tom Rolfe third. Mrs. Ben Cohen's Hail to All, came in third about four lengths back of the leaders. Then came Native Charger, Swift Ruler, Selarl, Lucky Debonair, Needles' Count and Flag Raiser, who again faded after setting a burning early pace.

THERE WAS only one-six teenth left in the 1 3-16 mile race when Tom Ro)fe bore over slightly toward the rail as Milo Valenzuela brought Dapper Dan charging from behind. Valenzuela immediately lodged a claim of foul but after viewing the pictures and conferring for some 15 minutes, the stewards said Tom Rolfe, was the winner. In scoring his first major triumph for his fifth victory in seven starts this year, the son of Ribot Pocahontas, earned $128,100 and ran his career bankroll to $251,605. THE WINNER returned $9.20, $5 and $3.80 after stepping the distance on the lightning fast track in 1:5614 This compared to the Preakness record of 1:54 set by Nashua in 1955. Dapper Dan, who lost some of his support after a slow workout early in the week, paid $7.20 and $4.60.

Hail to All returned $5.60 to show. Tom Rolfe's victory made certain there will be no triple crown winner this year. The three-race series for 3- year-olds, is made up of the Derby, Preakness and Belmont SUkes, to be run June 5 at Aqueduct. Firestone Tops Goodyear, 12-7, In Qualifications Firestone won the numerical decision in the battle for tire supremacy yesterday in the first day of qualifying for the 1965 500-Mile Race, 12-7, but Goodyear placed two of its cars in the front row. Pole winner A.

J. Foyt and Dan Gurney, on the outside of the front row, put Goodyear in the race for the first time since 1922. Jimmy Clark the flying Scotsman who sat on the pole in 1964, was traveling on Firestones as he earned the middle slot in the front line. OTHER DRIVERS who qualified on Firestones are: Bobby Unser, Len Sutton, Jim McElreath, Bob Christie, Mickey Rupp, George Snider, Parnelli Jones, Al Miller, Gor don Johncock, Mario Andretti and Norm Hall. Bob Veith was, the first Goodyear pilot to qualify after six Firestone cars took the checkered flag.

He was fol lowed by Lloyd Ruby, Johnny Rutherford, Foyt, Gurney, Billy Foster and Jerry Grant. The latter went out on Fire' stones for his first qualifying attempt, then switched after he was flagged by his crew Concluded From Page 1 Hurst Lotus Ford with a 158.625 average Foster's effort was the best of the day for an Offenhauser as Fords took seven of the first ten starting spots. Al Miller, the bald-headed Mr. Clean of Gasoline Alley gave the Lotus variety of Ford five of the first seven posi. tions by garnering the pole of the third row with a 157.805 mph run in the Jerry Alderman Special.

Bobby Unser, still stiff and sore after smashing one STP Novl in a tangle with Ebb Rose and the retaining wall Friday, gave late-staying fans something to cheer about at 5:40 p.m. when he put his team's second 4-wheel-drive car, the STP Gasoline Treatment Special, in the middle of the third row. The car had never been on the track before yesterday and Unser had less than 30 laps in the car before battling a stiff south wind to wheel it through its time test at 157.467. Outside him is Lloyd Ruby in the DuPont Golden 7 Hali-brand-Ford at 157.246 mph. Bob Veith is inside the fourth row in the MG.

Liquid Suspension rear engine Offenhauser with 156.427. Next comes Rutherford, who came right back out' after his spin to put the Racing Associates Halibrand-Ford in the field with a 156.291 effort. On the outside of the row is Len Sutton, the day's first qualifier, in the Bryant Sweet Sixteen Vollstedt-Ford at 121 mph. Jim McElreath leads the fifth row in the rear -engine Offy Zink-Urschel-Slick Track- burner with a 155.878 aver age. Next to him is rookie Gordon Johncock who put the first roadster in the field.

He went the 10 miles in the Weinberger Homes Special at mph. ANOTHER ROOKIE, Mickey Rupp, in the Central Exca vating rear engine. Offy grabbed the outside spot at 154.839. George Snider in the Ger-hardt twin to Rupp's car went 154.825 mph for the pole in the sixth row. In the middle is another rookie, Jer ry Grant, in the Bardahl MG rear engine Offy.

Grant made it on his second attempt with a 154.606 average after a first lap of 156.223. Outside of row six is Bob Christie who put the Kemeriy roadster into the race on the first day he had been on the track this year. He stepped into the car during yesterday's morning's practice session and promptly worked it up to a 153.472 qualifying performance. Hall also gained the field on his second try. The crew on his Pope-Hall roadster called him in the first time after one lap at 151 mph and two at 152 before he finally made the grade with a 153.407 run good for the inside spot on the seventh row.

Hall also came back from a spin. He slid over 400 feet in the third turn just at the close of the morning practice period. While the day was bringing Joy to many it was also bringing disaster and frustration to others. Gritty Jim Hurtubise was uninjured when he demolished his brand new rear-engine Halibrand-Ford Tombstone Life Special by slamming into the outside wall in the fourth turn during the morning practice period. Hurtubise said his throttle stuck when he went into the turn.

The impact of his collision with the wall ripped off both wheels on the right side and badly damaged the car's monocoque chassis. Hurtubise, who is making a comeback after being horribly burned in an accident at Milwaukee last summer, probably missed a similar fiery fate because of USAC's new ruling Has By RAY MARQUETTE The state of Texas just increased its borders by 3 miles an hour and the newly-acquired territory might be named Foytsville in honor of the heavy-footed Texan who gleefully wiped out all Speedway qualification records yesterday. A. J. Foyt, who already had won every type of race there is and had "nothing" left to aim for but the pole position for the 500 -mile Race, is one Texan who now has everything.

HE TOOK A huge, sweeping stroke at the 500 qualifying records and almost disdainfully erased Jimmy Clark's year-old and minutes- Sports Editor Bob Collins Column Page 2 Pit Pass Page 2 old standards with an electrifying 10 -mile sprint of 161.233 miles an hour. His run brought a torrent of vocal approval from the who came to see and stayed to see the speed last summer. "I wanted to bring the honors back to the United States," said A. J. with his usual flashing smile.

That he did and in the short span of 3 minutes, 43 and 28100ths seconds moved the record from Clark's native Scotland across the Atlantic Ocean and smack-dab into Speedway, Ind. He wiped out the one -lap mark on his first official lap of four qualify- ing runs, going 161.958 and almost sending his crew members into orbit as they broke a piece of chalk trying to get the magic figure onto the board. It mattered not that his next three turns were slower they still were faster than anyone in history has ever officially run back-to-back at the grandaddy of all championship race tracks. THOSE LAPS of 161.319, 161.031 and 160.628 were faster than any driver has put together at Indianapolis except for the late Bobby Marshman in unofficial clockings during tire tests last summer. In typical Foyt manner, A.

J. eased over his accomplishments with a forced air of lackadaisical demeanor. "I would have liked to go faster and I don't feel safely on the pole he tongue-in cheeked after his early-afternoon run. "There are still a lot of pretty good drivers wanting to go." There weren't that many if any and A.J. knew it as well as the man in the stands who had seen Parnelli Jones, Mario Andretti and Clark bid for their moment of glory only to be ingloriously swept aside in the vacuum created by Foyt's rapid run.

Andretti had set up a new one-lap mark with 159.405 MPH on his final lap of a qualification attempt to become only the second rookie ever to "sit on the pole" for a 500-Mile His four-lap figure of 158.849 was a Turn to Page 2, Column 7 A. J. FOYT 9W it 1 HSWMIiW JIMMY CLARK DAN GURNEY requiring bladders in fuel tanks. The tank on Hurtubise's car was badly smashed in the wreck but did not lose a drop of fuel. GEORGE DEEB, Hurtubise's car owner, said it would be impossible to repair the car for this year's race.

Also disappointed was two-time 500 winner Rodger Ward, who is up against the wall in his Moog St. Louis rear engine Watson Ford after using up two of his three qualification attempts. On his first try Rodger got in one lap at 155.989 mph but almost lost it in the first turn of his second lap and came in. He went out again and posted laps of 155.575 and 154.110 but his crew wasn't satisfied and called him in. The veteran of 13 straight 500's now is in a position where he must take whatever he can get the next time he accepts the green flag.

Three other drivers also made one attempt each but weren't satisfied with their speeds and pulled In. Jud Larson had two laps at 153 in the Wynn's rear engine Offy but then dropped down to 151 and was flagged in. Eddie Johnson in the Chapman roadster had one lap at 152 and another at 191 before giving up for the day, and Mel Kenyon, National midget champion, in the Federal Engineering roadster, didn't care for two 153 laps and another 152. The average for the first 19 cars in the field is 156.819 mph. Last year's field had a record 152.540 median a fig.

ure no one would take yesterday. i TIM 157.805 BOB VEITH No. 54 MG Liquid Suspension Time Speed :57.45 156.658 :57.3J 157.018 :57.48 156.576 :57.89 155.467 Totals 3:50.14 156.427 JIM McELREATH 52 Zink-Urschel-SIick Time Speed 47.81 47.79 47.66 47.69 155.682 155.736 156.087 156.006 Totals 3:50.93 155.878 GEORGE SNIDER No. 94 Gerhardt Time Speed 48.19 154.666 48.39 154.138 47.86 151.548 48.08 154.959 Totals 15425 'SEVENTH ROW NORM HALL No. 8 Pope-Hall Time Speed 153.400 153.244 153.505 153.477 Totals' 3:54.67 153.407 Rep Tracksler, ltdns 3-58 MUe -eiehita, Kan.

(UPT) Cpten Jim Ryun, wick. ft High School sensaUon, eracked the fournlnuU mile barrier yesterday with a ktazfag 3484, for the fastest aoSe trer run by a Ugh school athlete. 1 It was the fastest mil run by an Amerleaa this year and, wu the flrst time a prepster had eracked the asate foaMnmnta mark to school competition. Rjma, however, tamed the feat with a 349J last year at Compton, Ck.1f in qua If-fyiat for the U.S. Olympic The 18-year-old speedster cUnched the feat by turning la fantastic 464 final lap after he was clocked at 241 for the half.

i 1 No. 48.67 -t' :58.73 SPEAKING OF SPEED Foyt's Pole Car Not A True Lotus-Ford A's Dismiss McGaha; Sullivan Given Job By GEORGE MOORE The record book may say the front row is occupied by three Lotus Fords. But, it would be more correct to say 214, or maybe a little less than that. Pole' winner" A. J.

Foyt's Sheraton-Thompson Special sUrted out life as a product of English car manufacturer Colin Chapman's artistry. However, as it sUnds today, it would be much more realistic to call it a Lesovski-Lotus. LUIJI LESOVSKI is one of those behlnd-the-scene personalities who almost seems relegated to the position of "often a bridesmaid, but never a bride." Luiji is not a chief mechanic as mechanics go. But, his particular engineering talents often spell the difference between go and no go. Lesovski, who was the prime figure in rebuilding the Foyt car chassis, is the first to point out that the car still is of Lotus design.

What he, chief mechanic George Big-notti, and assisunt Andy Miller attempted to do was to improve the already excellent the Cleveland Indians and had been a coach and front office executive for the A's before taking over management of the club. Sullivan becomes the fifth manager In the reign of con troversial club owner Charles O. Finley since he bought the club at the end of the 1M4 season. Three months into the 1M1 season, Finley made his flrst move, letting Joe Gordon go and hiring Hank Bauer. Bauer made It through the 1M2 season before Lopat took over.

McGaha followed Lopat, taking over last June. In all, the A's have had eight managers since the club moved to Kansas City In ItSS after leaving Kansas City (AP) Mel McGaha, manager of the Kansas City Athletics, was fired yesterday and Haywood Sullivan, manager of the Vancouver club In the Pacific Coast League, was appointed to succeed him. Sullivan was a catcher with the A's before being named to manage the club's Triple A farm club at Vancouver. Announcement of the switch came from Hank Peters, general manager of the Athletics, following the club's 21st loss against only five victories. The A's are last in the American League standing.

McGaha succeeded Ed Lopat during the 1N4 season. He formerly managed for going too slow. A A A.