The Indianapolis Star from Indianapolis, Indiana • Page 72

SUNDAY, MAY 38, 1971 PAGE 2 SEC. 4 THE INDIANAPOLIS STAR AL VNSER, LEOIVAIUI, ANDRETTI IN TOP 10 Bob Collins Sports Over Lightly Viceroy Team Needed More Time MMHMMatt VOU HAVE TO CALL IT A GOOD day. There was a 1 semi-successful start; the pace car didn't cut a new entrance to the pits or knock down the scoring tower. Of course, most of the high-strung people who were driving those powerful critters were totally unprepared for the start of the 1972 500-Mile Race. But that's a minor item.

Anybody who has been around for a while will tell you there is no way to adequately prepare for the start of an Indianapolis ,,500." Peter Revson is boiling because he nearly became the hot-dog in the middle of a 900-horsepower bun. Mario Andretti Li LTnLS rim iiiiiMiMMiii I. ii mmmmms0immmmM i i im mun By MICHAEL P. TARPEY An unhappy Viceroy Racing Team headed by Al Unser, who was seeking his third consecutive 500-Mile Race victory, yesterday bemoaned the lack of time they had to put their three cars in order. Two cars finished third and fourth while the other finished seventh.

The three cars had run April 23 in the 200-Mile Trenton race and only one finished the race. Parnelli Jones, owner of the team cars that included Joe Leonard and Mario Andretti, said his mechanical crew "just ran out of time" to get the cars prepared for the race. "We knew something wasn't right, sort of kooky before we started the race, but we couldn't figure it out. Now we have to find out just what the hell was wrong in the race and fix it before Milwaukee next weekend," Jones said. Al Unser, who started in 19th position and swiftly moved up through the pack to finish the race in third position, described his finish rather tersely: "It's better than being fourth," Al mused.

Leonard, who finished in fourth position after starting sixth, spent a brief period after the race in his Gasoline Alley garage talking with teammate Andretti before he rushed off, speaking to no others. Andretti, who ran out of fuel on his 196th lap, after Mark Donohue had already won the race, didn't have anything to say either. George Bignotti, chief mechanic for the Viceroy cars, said he didn't know what the problem was. yesterday but he said he'll find out before Milwaukee next weekend. is miffed, but not completely unhappy.

UKe wnue nis sense of orderliness was violated by the sloppy start, his reflexes helped him roll out of the second row and he came ever so close to beating Bobby Unser into the second turn. But there were good things that happened. For instance, nobody got arrested for arson in the STP pit. Jim Hurtibise, the idol of the $5 customers, ran a creditable race before his car took the last rites. Sam Sessions, who never has made a nickel around this place, found a car that would go the distance and finished up there with the big spenders fifth place.

Al Unser, wrestling a machine that never really got with it, gave it a splendid ride in his futile pursuit of an unprecedented third straight 500 title. He finished third. Two wins and a show in three years at any track ain't a bit shaggy. Mark Donohue came back to pick up the trophy that had his name on it last year. The rookies, who were on the minds of everybody close to the scene, in the age of Alice-in-Vonderland sDeeds, stayed out of the way and drove professionally.

Three of them finished in the first 10. Sam Posey, who was taking a good run at it early in the show, was sixth. Mike Hiss closed in ninth and Jimmy Caruthers was 10th. And the great, unspoken fear that had been nagging at the innards of racing people for a month was replaced by smiles at the end of the race. There were no catastrophics not even a small disaster.

Racing, Indianapolis style, has taken that one step beyond in the last year. During the past month the drivers moved right to the brink of the unknown. They were driving a new-race track. Nobody had any idea what would happen once 33 cars began competing at the unbelievable speeds of 1972. But there only was one serious injury.

Mike Mosley, a young man who is going to win this race some day, had his second straight tangle with the wall in the fourth turn. He sustained painful burns on his hands, face and legs. It's a strange, tough place. Around the Speedway objectivity is something nobody feels and few can spell. You can laugh and dance with Roger Penskes and Mark Donohues who put so much of themselves into this effort and finally turned over the Big Casino.

And at the same time you can hurt for the Mosleys and the Dan Gurneys and the Bobby Unsers and the Jerry Grants. Gurney. a great race driver who now is a suner car builder, has stalked that checkered flag. The winning of the 500 has become his greatest desire; he'll either win it or die believing despite all of his other great racing accomplishmentshe was an almost guy. Yesterday he had it in his back pocket twice and ended up with two broken eggs in his hand.

Bobby, a super driver in a super car, was cruising away from the field; man. the guy was on a Sunday drive. By the 27th lap, he was working on a 21-second lead over second place. By the 30th, he was in the pits and out of the race. Then Jerry Grant, who never has won a USAC championship race, took up the hunt and pushed into the lead.

It looked like a clear case of "that's the old Kismet, buddy." But he ran over something on the track, cut a tire' and was forced to make a fifth and most unfortunate pit stop. Donohue, who looked good to lead for at least three days last year, went ahead for the first time and, casually, pitching the fickle finger of fate onto another doorstep, raced to his $200,000 prize. Yes sir, it's a strange place a very strange place. A test of men and machines, they say. But I have a sneaky suspicion the machines are there just so the men can find a new way to get ulcers.

car into position in the pits and there was a 30-second stop, the first for Andretti. (Star Photo by James C. Ramsey) Viceroy Special driven by Mario Andretti lap yesterday. A crew member pushes the OUT OF FUEL The No. 9 ran out of fuel on the 43d "We'll go over the chassis completely and overhaul the engine.

That should tell us something. We found out a lot of things yesterday mostly that our work is not cut out for us and that whatever our problem is, it won't be easy to find," Bignotti said. Bignotti United and Jones blamed States Auto Cub The frustration of knowing before a race that not all is well combined with the fact that the cars did not perform as desired, perhaps explained the bleak attitude of the team following the race. Al Unser sat in a corner of his garage for nearly 30 minutes, flanked by his two daughters, and exchanged niceties with well-wishers. noxoiitJE i hwvest Reviews On Yellow Light System But it wasn't at all, obviously, like being No.

1 anrJ that perhaps explained Al's reticence. "I don't know what was wrong. I didn't have any fuel problems. There must be something wrong with the chassis," he mumbled before leaving to change from his perspiration-soaked racing uniform to street clothes. Teammate Sam Sessions had no such problems.

"I thought the system was all right," he said. "It was fair for everybody. They let us know in plenty of time what the speed was going to be and we geared for it." The one thing Mel Kenyon didn't like was how quickly the green flag came out after a couple of yellows to take parts off the track. One lasted less than a full lap. "I got caught between gear shifts one time," said Kenyon.

"When they bring out the yellow, they should leave it out for a lap anyway." Nobody seemed to have too much trouble getting down to the 80 mph. Most said they could get down by the third number station they passed without using the Mixed The "Electro Pacer" system for controlling speeds under the yellow light got mixed reviews during its debut in yesterday's 500-Mile Race. It had its enthusiastic supporters and its detractors. Supporters seemed to outnumber detractors but with some reservations. LEADING THE LIST of supporters were winner Mark Donohue and Chief Steward Harlan Fengler.

"I thought it was great," said Donohue. "I must admit I had some reservations about the system before the PRO BASEBALL Most of the complaints on the system came because of the speed. Eighty miles an hour was too slow was the most frequently heard complaint. Many drivers wanted 120 mph. "With the pace that slow you could get caught running in low gear when the green came out," said second-place finisher Jerry Grant.

"So you'd accellerate and the turbocharger would come in and you'd start sashaying. "The idea of the system is to make the race safer. But his only made it more dangerous." A YARBOROUGH found himself caught in between at 80 mph. "Our third gear was too high," he said, "but if I went to second I had to run the engine too hard." Mario Runs Dry; Mechanic Says Storage Limit Too Low (USAC) rules governing the amount of fuel allowed in cars for putting Andretti out of the race. Al Unser and Leonard each made five pit stops, taking on fuel each time and changing a tire when necessary, while Andretti stopped for fuel six times.

Jones, who won the 1963 500-M i 1 Race, said he suppoiitehs going too fast. Some people gained a few seconds but we were able to control it. "BIT ANOTHER factor was involved in this decision (to use the "Electro Pacer" system). You notice how quickly the crews got out on the track to clean up an accident? They knew they didn't have to worry about the race cars. We were able to clean up Mike Mosley's accident in 6 minutes." Fengler is a steadfast opponent of using a pace car in the "500" because "it helps the people who shouldn't be helped.

Every 300 gallons storage," McGee said. "It wouldn't make any change in the safetv of the place." The limitations on the fuel supply sort of hark back to the days of the 1930s when gasoline was used and there was a limit to the amount carried by the car. In the 1934 500-Mile Race, the amount of fuel permitted was 45 gallons. In '35 it was 42.5 gallons. And in 36 it was 37.5 gallons.

The 1937 race had no limit restrictions but did require the use of commercial gasoline. Then the next year the engine formula changed to permit supercharging and fuel limits went by the wayside. Today's turbo-c a create a comparable situation to supercharging. The turbos drastically increase horsepower and fuel consumption. Horsepower is directly related to the amount of fuel and air that can be put into an engine.

Technically it is figured as the amount of pounds per hour burned, but it figures out to the same thing as miles per gallon. The power also is determined by the ratio of fuel to air going into the engine. Less fuel and more air is a lean condition which generates mote power but also more heat. McGEE'S statement he was running a little rich means he was using a higher ratio of fuel to the air, because the fuel, which is alcohol, can be used as a coolant to control thought the time on pit stops for the team's three cars was "good" and if it wasn't "the fault of USAC for restricting fuel in cars," Andretti would have finished better. The Viceroy Racing Team had a difficult month preparing for the race, meeting problems inherent when virtually rebuilding cars.

body in this race today earned the position he got." Most vehement of the "Electro Pacer" opponents was Roger McCluskey. "I think it's a second-best set up," he said, "and I never see this place take second best." HE STILL prefers the pace car leading a bunched up pack under the yellow. So would George Snider. "I'm not that old, but I just feel like it makes a better race for the fans if you bunch up the pack," he said. "And it's still the fans who pay the way." the temperature in the combustion chamber.

Back in the 1930s, the idea of weaning the engines was to produce an economy concept in racing. But the idea of an auto race is to go fast, not how many miles per gallon it is possible to achieve. An increase in the capacity of storage tanks in the pits would permit higher horsepower with a margin of safety on both the mileage and helping the engine. GEORGE MOORE Unofficial Ijtp Leaders 1- 3l-Bohhy Unser. 32- 55 Gary Bettcnhausrn.

56 Mike Mosley. 57-161 Gary Kcttcnhauscn. 162-165 Jerry Grant. 166-175 Gary Bcttenhausen. 176-187 Jerry Grant.

188-200 Mark Donohue. LAP PRIZES Gary Bettciihuuscn Bobby Unser Jerry Grant 2,400 Mark Donohue 1,950 Mike Mosley 600 So 1 1, all Results METROPOLITAN STADIUM Muncla Midwtil PAL II. Kyaii Malarama ti In. dlanapolls Msrchaitts Russall P. DaU al Lafayatta ii Saorliman Dim o( Lafavtna 0 (lyaland al Sportsman ItchM a hnltrl race.

I liked the pace car. "But this worked very well. I have to take my hat off a long way to the man who came up with the idea. I think it made a better race, and it should be an Ontario (the sites of the oth-Ontario the sites of the other two 500-milers in racing's Triple Crown)." Fengler said, "I think it's a fabulous idea. I think it was the easiest race I have had here to control the yellow light speed and I think there was less cheating than in any other year.

"We weren't close to having to penalize anybody for The storage tank capacity in the pits is 250 gallons, so a team is looking at a 325-gallon figure maximum. The magic figure is between 1.5 and 1.6 miles per gallon average. A 1.5 average is short, 487.5 miles. A 1.6 average has a margin of safety attached to it, but barely, at 520 miles. Considering there are at least two pace laps and a safety lap although these are at a slower pace 1.6 is cutting it pretty close.

There's nothing wrong with Kitzma Cuing Ta Mi clii "an STAR STATE REPORT Miincie, lud. Tim Kuma, 6-3 member of the Indiana All-Star team from Muncie Central, announced last, night that he will attend the University of Michigan on a basketball scholarship. Kuzma averaged more than 21 points per game for Mun-cie's Bearcats the last two years, winning the North Central Conference scoring title his junior year. Tim also was Central's top rebounder with 10 per game. He had single game highs of 37 points against Indianapolis Tech and 35 against Marion.

Kuzma became Muncie's 15th player selected for the Jloosier All-Stars facing Kentucky's finest prepstcrs in June for the Blind Fund. Unofficial Order Of Finish No. Driver 50 100 150 200 250 300 350 400 450 500 Miles 66 Mark Donohue 4233333321 48-Jerry Grant 6 3 2 2 2 2 2 1 1 2 4 Al Unser 7 5 5 5 4 4 5 4 3 1 Joe Leonard 7 6 655454 52 Sammy Sessions 99979775 34 Sam Posey 8 9 8 9 96 9 Mario Andretti 75 766667 5-Lloyd Ruby 8 10 8 7 8 8 8 60 Mike Hiss 10 10 10 9 11 Jim Caruthers i() 21 Cale Yarborough 84 George Snider 41 Dick Simon 40 W. Dallenbach 7 G. Bettenhauscn 3 I 1 1 I I 2 3 15 56 Hurtubise 8 8 8 io 89 John Martin 17 37 Lee Kunzman jj 23 Mel Kenyon 10 10 9 171).

Zimmerman 211 AMERICAN LEAGUE Chicago (Bradley 5-2) at Oakland (Blue 0-1). Kansas City (Drago 2-3) at California (Rose 1-0). Texas (Janeski 0-1) at Minnesota (Kaat 5-1). Cleveland (Colbert 0-1) at Baltimore (Palmer 4-3). Detroit (Cain 0-3) at New York (Peterson 2-6).

Milwaukee (Lonborg 2-1) at Boston (Sieberg 2-2). Argonaut Won Bv Kcnluckian; Quack Fourth Inglewood, Calif. (UPI) -Kentuckian scored a mild surprise yesterday in the 31st running of $55,000 Argonaut Stakes for 3-year-olds at Hollywood Park as the heavily-favored Quack finished fourth. The race marred a few yards out of the gate when Bicker stumbled and threw Jockey Jerry Lambert to the turf. The rider got to his feet and refused to be taken from the track in an ambulance.

Kentuckian, in capturing the Argonaut, scored his first stakes triumph although he was highly regarded enough to have been entered in the Kentucky Derby in which he finished 10th. D. B. Carm finished second while Woodland Pines was third and Quack fourth in the field of eight. Kentuckian raced the 1 1-16 miles on the grass course in 1:41 4-5, just four-fifths of a second off the stakes record set last year by Violonor.

World Vault Champ Clears 17 Feet-10 '2 Socdcrtaleje, Sweden (AP) Kjell Isaksson, world pole vault record holder, cleared 17 feel, l()h yesterday. Isaksson, 24, shares his world record with American Bob Soagren. Both set the mark Monday at El Paso, clearing 18-4 'i. AMERICAN ASSOCIATION EASTERN DIVISION Pet GB Omaha i 22 14 Evansville 20 17 .541 1V2 Iowa 17 23 .475 i INDIANAPOLIS 14 23 .37 7V2 WESTERN DIVISION Pet GB Wichita 21 11 a Tulsa 21 111 7 Denver 1 .486 Oklahoma City .13 24 .333 15 NATIONAL LEAGUE EASTERN DIVISION Pet. GB New York 27 10 .730 Pittsburgh 21 14 400 Chicaoo 1 14 .543 7 Philadelohia 14 30 .444 10' i Montreal 14 21 .432 11 St.

Louis 14 24 .343 I3V4 WESTERN DIVISION Pet. GB Houston 24 13 Mi Los Anodes 22 16 .579 2''a C'-cinnali 20 17 .541 4 Atlanta 15 21 .417 8.i San Dieoo 15 24 .385 10 San Francisco 14 2 7 341 12 AMERICAN LEAGUE EASTERN DIVISION Pet. GB Detroit I 14 .576 Cleveland 18 14 .563 Baltimore 15 ,545 1 New York 18 .438 4Vj Boston 13 18 .41 5 Milwaukee 10 20 .933 7Va WESTERN DIVISION 1 VV Pet. GB Poland 21 11 .656 Chicano 21 12 .636 1,2 Minnesota 20 12 .625 1 14 20 444 7 California 14 .389 Kansas it 13 21 .382 9 YESTERDAY'S RESULTS AMERICAN ASSOCIATION TijlM 3. INDIANAPOLIS J.

Oklahoma Cily at postponed, rain. Wichita 4, Iowa 4 (10 inninqs). Denver Omaha 4. NATIONAL LEAGUE Chicaoo 5, Montreal 3. San Francisco II, Atlanta 9.

Cincinnati 9, San Diego 4. Philadelphia 1, Pittsburgh I (12 Innings). New York 4, St. Louis 1. Los Angelas 7, Houston 3.

AMERICAN LEAGUE 6, Chicago 3. exas 14. Minnesota 2. Detroit 2, New York 1. Baltimore: 4.

ClevelanJ 2. Boston 9, Milwaukee 3 California 4, Kansas City 1. TODAY'S SCHEDULE AMERICAN ASSOCIATION Omaha at Denver. Indianapolis at Tulsa. Oklahoma City at Evansvlllc.

Wichita Iowa. NATIONAL LEAGUE Philadelphia (Selma 1-5) at Pittsburgh (Blass 5-1). Montreal (Stoneman 44) at Chicago (Hooton 4-4). New York (Gentry 3-1) at St. Louis (Cleveland 1-1).

San Diego (Greff 1-4) at Cincinnati (Gnmslay 2-0). San Francisco (Bryant 2-3) and Stone 1-4) it Atlanta (Kallty J-4 and Schueler 10) Let Angelas (John 1-3) al Houston (Dierker 4-2). Two hundred fifty gallons of fuel can take the average American motorist "a fur piece." But at the Speedway it barely is good for 500 miles. For one contestant at the Speedway yesterday, it wasn't Mario Andretti not only ran out of gas (fuel). He ran "there isn't any more in the storage tank" out of fuel.

He was four laps short of finishing, and couldn't finish because there was no more fuel available for him. Chief mechanic Jimmy Mc-(iee said, "We drained the big tank completely dry and he still didn't have enough. I'm. couldn't finish the race." McGee stated that the 250-gallon storage limit permitted in the pits was too low. "We ought to have more," he said "Nobody ever came to me and asked for more," said chief steward Harlan (irngler.

"Everybody here knew what they were facing from last year, and there never was any discussion on the matter. "Now they'll have some rules committee meetings and get together with the Speedway people and see if they can get more." McGee said he was running Andretti's engine a little rich, and probably was getting about. 1.5 miles per gallon. This mileage will not quite make it to the end of the road. The maximum permissible amount of fuel which can be carried in a tar is 75 gallons.

Probably with a full tank the load being toted is 73 or 74 gallons. 21 la. JohncocK 4 1 1 21 15 Steve Krisiloff 22 31 John Mahler 10 21 H-R. McCluskey 10 6 7- --21 2- A.J. Foyt Jr.

10 25 18 J. Rutherford 26 98 Mike Mosley 5 6 27 3 Billy Vukovich 9 4 28 95 Carl Williams 6 Bobby Unser 1 12 Peter Revson 2 12 Swede Savage 33 Suit Walthcr -33 First five finishers completed 200 laps. Balance of field completed: Posey 199, Andretti 196, Ruhy 196, Hiss 195, Caruthers 195, Yarborough 195, Snider 191, Simon 186, Dallcn-buch 183, Bettenhauscn 182, llurttibisc 172, Martin 161, Kunzman 131, Kenyon 126, Zimmerman 116, Johncnck 113, Krisiloff 102, Mahler 99, McCluskey 92, Foyt 60, Rutherford 55, Mosley 55, Vukovich 51, Williiims 52, B. Unser 31, Revson 23, Savage 5, Walthcr 0. Yellow light time (dial 20 minutes, 36 seconds.

Winner's time 3 hours, 3 minutes, 31.55 seconds. Winner's average speed 163.463 miles an hour (record). Previous record Al Unser (1971) 157.735..