The Indianapolis Star from Indianapolis, Indiana • Page 63

i i The Indianapolis Sta Sporl Sec. 4 SUNDAY, MAY 30, 1071 FAST THKX PBillT I QIKMi Alt i TToDflD MD Inn 5 Gearbox, Wreck 'CooV Penske crashing into Donohue's very up and down May or the Donohue was as could be ex-parked No. Hfi. Sunoco team. peeled.

Thus, the bitter end to a In the a a afterward, "IM It I BLY disap- 1 1 i 1 'Jill Ry RILL RKNNKR Outside Garage No. 76 yesterday following the 55th running of the Indianapolis 500, the battered hulks of two racing machines sat in ruins. Thpy were now little more than expensive junk, rem nants serving only as reminder of a very disappointing day in the racing lives of drivers Mark Donohue and David Hobbs and owner Roger Penske. Things had begun well enough. Donohue, the fastest man in Speedway history, beat pole-sitter Peter Revson, to the first turn at the start, and then promptly ran off and hid from the field.

DONOHUE LED THE first 50 laps until he pitted for fuel, then regained the lead on lap 65. But then a lap later the sleek blue and gold McLaren rolled to a stop in the fourth turn with a gearbox failure. Hobbs also was running well until he and Rick joined metal in the main straightaway on the leader's 112th circuit. Finally, minutes later on the 167th lap, Mike Mosley and Bobby Unser tangled in the fourth turn, with 1 's burning machine pointed," he said while refreshing himself with a beer and sandwich. "But I can't blame anybody for the gearbox failure.

We knew it was questionable." Donohue 1 a i the gears proved less than satisfactory IntheMagnaflux tests, but added that the team attempted to have the gears handpicked from the manufacturer. "I don't know what else we can do," he said. The Media (Pa.) speedster said that until the time of the gear failure, everything was going according to plan. "The temperature and the pressure was good and I wasn't using the brakes hardly at all. I was doing everything to preserve power.

It's a tremendous disappointment." WHEN ASKED IF he was surprised at the ease with which he gained ground on the field those first 50 laps, Donohue smiled slightly and shook his head "no." Hobbs was relatively calm 1 1 i his spectacular crash. "Coming out of the fourth turn the engine just went like that," the English rookie explained, snapping his fingers. "I was just trying to slow down and was on the other side of the road. I think Muth er must have spun trying to stop when I slowed down. "Anyway, he spun around me, hit the inside wall and came up and the front end of my car right off.

I wasn't about to get out of the car because I had fuel and oil all over me and I couldn't see a thing. I didn't want to get on the track until I could see where I was going not with all those cars coming up. "NOT A VERY auspicious beginning at Indy, is it?" Penske still managed to wear a smile and was philosophical about his team's hard luck. "I'm disappointed, but that's motor racing," the mas-tor owner of the master cars said. "I'm actually more disappointed in losing the car (Donohue's, which was a total loss; Hobb's No.

68 can be repaired). It's just one of those things." Penske was pleased with Donohue's performance while it lasted. "HE HAD a good pit stop and was driving within the limits of the car. But you have to finish before you can finish first. "We're gonna keep coming back until we win it." Was there ever any doubt, Roger? PETER REVSON in Early leader Mark Donohue Penske's other car went gear trouble.

(Star Photo POST MORTEM Car owner Roger Penske (middle) appears to be getting something off his chest in the. pits after rookie David Hobbs (right) tangled with Rick Muther yesterday on the main SIX RECORDS FALL IX 7 Ten Track Title Ue Retains Iowa City, Iowa (AP) Indiana's Iloosiers, amassing 19 points in the 220 dash, rallied to retain their team crown while six individual meet records were fashioned and one tied, in the 71st Big Ten outdoor track and field championships yesterday. Indiana wound up with 110 points, 20 ahead of indoor by Minnesota's Don Timm in the 3,000 meter stepplcchase. BJORKUND, who lapped the 3-mile field midway in the race, shaved almost 20 seconds off the former conference meet mark set by Tom Heinonen, also a Gopher, In 1967. Defending champion Herb Washington of Michigan State matched the oldest record in the conference meet record of 9.4 originally was set by Ohio Turn to Page 5, Column as favored Ohio State's quartet misfired on the third baton exchange while holding a substantial lead.

One of the day's notable records was a 7-1 high jump by Wisconsin's Pat Madzdorf who dethroned last year's winner, John Mann of Michigan. LaBadie stepped out in front from the start of the mile and set a fast pace through the first three quarters. But leading by more than 30 yards on the final quarter, lacked the pressure to I 1ST CLASSIC Iowa, tied for second with I Dixon Boughman of Indiana. Both cleared 15-6 and had the same number of misses. Wertman's record, I6-IV2, was under his season's best of 16-7, but was A of an inch higher than the old mark set by Michigan State's Roland Carter in 1967., Iowa's other points came on a fifth in the 440-yard relay, which Indiana won in :40.5, and a sixth by John Clark in the mile in 4:10.1.

LEE a A I of Illinois failed in an expected bid to shatter the four minute mile, but still ran away from an 18-man field to set a meet record of 4:01.5. This shaved 2.1 sec onds off the mark of 4:03.5 by Minnesota's Gary Bjorklund, who skipped a mile defense but set an impressive meet record in retaining his 3-mile crown. Indiana capturefl only two individual firsts compared with four by surprising Illinois. With 13 of the two-dav meet's 18 events remaining, the Hoos iers lagged behind the Illini. But the Hoosiers picked up 19 points with a one-two finish in the 220-spring won by defending champion Mike Goodrich and defending shot put champion Bob Winchell retained his ti tle as Indiana picked up 14 more points in that event.

Indiana's 410-yard relay team contributed another first straightaway. (left) in out earlier with by Jerry Clark) AL UNSER i ivf A. J. FOYT 1 JIM MALLOY BUD TINGELSTAD 4 DENNY ZIMMERMAN iiir iufcafrlmi mi ra champion Wisconsin, which collected Illinois was third with followed by Michigan State 73, and Michigan 51. Iowa, which last won a conference outdoor title when the meet was held here in 1967, scored in only three events.

Phil Wertman, a former prep state record holder from Vil-lisca, Iowa, and John Tefer picked up 17 points in the pole vault. TEFER, of Cedar Rapids, dence in the car and I decided to try and keep it going until my first pit stop. On the first stop they couldn't find anything drastically wrong so I pulled out and pressed on." Peter never did lead the race. He stayed between sec-Turn to Page 3, Column 1 Tire Marks On Helmet Spell Out Kenyon Luck come close to matching the 3:58.8 he raced in dual competition three weeks ago to become the Big Ten's first undergraduate to break the four-minute barrier. LaBradie, looking over his shoulder, finished about 25 yards ahead of indoor mile champion Don Vandrey of Wisconsin.

Other records included a 16-1 Va pole vault by Phil Work man; Bjorklund 's 13:20.9 three-mile victory; and an 8:43 amined his helmet later he found tire marks from Johncock's auto. Kenyon's most serious injuries were what he termed "hole in his legs when something from the i u-ment panel went through the skin. Also leaving the race from the mishap were former winner Mario Andretti who spun into the infield to avoid Kenyon and Johncock, and Steve i i 1 0 who apparently started the chain reaction when his engine began spilling oil on the track. NOT IIACY ENOUGH? Revson Critics Biting Tongues By ROBIN MILLER Really, deep down inside, most people close to racing didn't expect Peter Revson to win yesterday's Indianapolis 500. Mel Kenyon's quick reactions possibly saved his life yesterday as his car was demolished in a third-turn accident early in the 500-Mile Race.

Kenyon, who slammed into the wall after spinning on the slippery track, was climbing out of his car when he saw Gordon Johncock's car barreling toward him. THE QUICK-THINKING Kenyon "ducked back into the cockpit" just as Johncock's machine made contact. Johncock's car went up over the top and when Kenyon ex Asm''' in i i iii in 4 BILL VUKOVICH DONNIE ALLISON ROGER McCLUSKEY GARY BETTENHAUSEN Lines And Shots 11 Pit Pass 5 Shootin' The Stars 6 Speaking Of Speed 3 I LATER JOHNCOCK said, "if he (Kenyon) hadn't seen me coming I would have wiped him out. I thought I had him for sure God he was lucky. "All I could see was Mel about halfway out of his car and firemen on each side of him.

At the last second I guess they saw me and the firemen must have jumped for the wall. I wiped out the whole left side of my car when I hit and went over him I was going broadside at him at the time of impact." accident yesterduy. -3 Even though Revson was starting on the pole in one of those super-fast McLarens, the experts said he wasn't "racy" enough to capture the world's premier test of speed. WELL, PETER didn't win. But except for winner Al Unsr-r nobody was any better than the young man from New York City.

He finished second yesterday in only his third try at the Speedway. With a better start and a smoother handling machine he might have been able to pull into Victory Lane instead of his pit at the end of the three-hour grind. But Revson showed the racing world he belonged yesterday. He showed he could run as fast as his competition. The critics who said he was a strok-er had to bite their tongues.

"I ran as hard as I could all day," i the exhausted bachelor of 32. "I tried but I couldn't do it. I'm not jubilant but I'm fiot really disappointed either." WHAT DID bother Peter was the flying start in which he was "snookered" by Mark Donohue and Bobby Unser. "I was the first one across the finish line," cracked Revson, "but these two guys were right behind me going 20 MPH faster. They beat me fair and square and I just got snookered.

That's where experience comes in but it won't happen again." But the first lap was just the beginning of Revson's worries. He fell back little by little until his first pit stop on lap 50, "I dropped buck at the first because my car felt unsteady," explained the ex-Cornell student. "I figured something was wrong with my suspension. I was running pretty good in the straightaways but I was having a lot of difficulty through the corners. "I LOST SOME ot my confi- P5Sr r(tkr v'fe iLvi j.

JUL U-V Judex To Sports TWO NO-HITTERS-A 22-lnning game and a pair of no-hlttert feature Indiana High School Athletic Association sectional baseball tourney action yesterday Page 2 FIFTH IN SIX STARTS Bobby Bonds and Willie McCovey provide big hits as Giants win fifth In six starts, 8-3 Page 4 HOSPITAUZED-Driver Mike Mosely escapes with fractured arm and leg and burns while care Is called possibly worst wreck In Indianapolis Motor Speedway history Page 5 NAME ALL-STARS -Marion County coaches select All-Star baseball team Page 14 Baseball Chatter 12 Big Pish Contest 11 Bob Collins 2 I. after exiting his ear (7) following a (AP Wirephoto) PARTY Johncock Isn't trying to crash his way Into the 500-MiU Race over the fence (arrow), he's just trying to get out of the way of car driven by Johnny Rutherford (18) in third turn Hoosler Golf Scene 8 I 5 J-.