The Indianapolis Star from Indianapolis, Indiana • Page 66

The Indianapolis Star SUNDAY, MAY 22, 1983 Section 5fl)(D (Dmifflllifieir's grants abniloni Fafoi FIRST ROW MIKE MOSLEY 18 Kraco Stereo March-Cosworth RICK MEARS Pennzoil Penske Penske-Cosworth TEO FABI 33 Skoal Bandit. Merch-Cosworth oes from, fear :43.421 207.273 :43.259 208.049 :43.348 207.622 :43.554 206.640 Totals 207395 :43.690 205.997 :43.778 205.583 :43.849 205.250 .43.975 204.662 Totals 2 55.292 205.372 :43.956 204 750 .44.091 204.123 :44.058 204.276 :44.106 204.301 Totals 2:56.211 204.301 to pole position. SECOND ROW AL UNSER JR. 19 Coors Light Eagle-Cosworth TOM SNEVA Texaco Star March-Cosworth BOBBY RAHAL 4 Red Roof Inns March-Cosworth :44.194 203.648 :44.125 203.966 :44.129 203.948 :44.294 203.188 Totals 2:56.742 203.687 :44.428 202.575 :44.465 202.406 :44.378 202.803 :44.200 200.812 Totals 2:58.089 202.146 :44.529 202.115 :44.723 201.239 :44.491 202.288 :44.470 202.384 Totals 2:58.213 202.005 'itft' i THIRD ROW ROGER MEARS 9 Machinists Union Penske-Cosworth AL UNSER 7 Hertz Penske TONY BETTENHAUSEN 10 Provimi Veal Penstce-Cosworth March-Cosworth :44.638 201.622 :44 411 202.652 :44.554 202.002 :44.655 201.545 Totals 2:58.258 201.954 199.831 :44.986 200.062 :44.940 200.267 :44.939 200.271 Totals 2:59.903 200.108 :45.071 199.685 :44.927 200.325 :45.001 199.996 :45.097 199.570 Totals 3:00.096 199.893 FOURTH ROW MARIO ANDRETTI 3 Newman-Haas-Budweiser Lola-Cosworth GORDON JOHNCOCK 20 STP Oil Treatment HOWDY HOLMES 30 Domino's Pizza March-Cosworth Wlldcet-Cosworth By DAVE OVERPECK i After his first five or 10 laps on the Speedway last March, Teo Fabi was ready to pack it in. "I was very afraid of the speed," said the 28 year-old rookie from Milan, Italy.

"I stopped at that point and I was thinking this place was not for me." Obviously, it is a fear that Fabi has overcome. Saturday he stood the storied old Brickyard on its ear with track records of 208.049 for one lap and 207.395 for four. The run puts the 5 5, 140 pound Skoal Bandit on the pole for next Sunday's 500-Mile Race, only the second rookie to claim racing's most coveted starting position and the first since Walt Faulkner in 1950. He also is the first foreign driver to claim the pole since his boyhood idol, Jimmy Clark in 1964. BUT FOR A TALK with himself after those first five or 10 laps, Fabi might have been in Spa, Belgium, today struggling with an uncompetitive Toleman Formula One car.

"I talked just with myself," he told a packed press conference in describing the events in his Speedway initiation two months ago. "I made the decision to stay. As I continued with the test, I got more comfortable with the speed. "Now I love the place. Now I am very comfortable with the speed and the circuit." He was so comfortable with both Saturday that he stunned even March designer Robin Herd, who didn't think his car would go that fast.

Now Herd's not so sure that Fabi might not have been able to go 210. Herd told members of the Forysth team that Fabi was flat out all the way around only once with a car that was producing the best straightaway speeds all month 218 miles an hour Saturday. BUT FABI DIDN'T feel like there was anything left. "That was all there was," he said. "That was flat out all the way around." 1 That being the case, Fabi also added his 10 miles against the clock were "easy." "The car was perfect, the engine was perfect," he said.

"There were no problems. My car today was fantastic." Still, that move into the unknown into the 208 bracket, down to 43.259 on the clocks was unexpected. "We did 206 this morning," said Fabi, "and I knew there was something left in the car. But 207, 208 was a surprise." And it was something of a triumph for the little guy, figuratively as well as literally. The Forsyth brothers Jerry, John and Jim from Marshall, by way of Chicago obviously have themselves a first-class operation, with Barry Green as team manager and March's Ralph Bellamy providing invaluable chassis support.

BUT BY COMPARISON to the big kids on the block Roger Penske and Pat Patrick they are running almost a shoestring operation. Last year their first as car owners they spent Bob Collins, Page Related stories, pictures. Pages 4 Pit Pass, qualifying scorecard, timing chart. Page 6 Full page of pictures. Page 5 a little above $1 million on a two-car team.

Jim says, "We'll probably have to think about spending that much this year on a one-car team." Even if they do, they'll be spending only about a third perhaps well less than that of what Penske and Patrick will invest. Fabi wasn't the driver they expected to have this season. Last December, they thought they had cut a deal with Johnny Rutherford. But then Bobby Unser decided to retire, opening a spot on the Patrick team into which Rutherford hopped. Fabi got the seat in the March 83C through Green, who had worked with the Italian on the Budweiser Can-Am series effort two years ago.

That's when Teo exploded into American racing consciousness by winning four events, setting five track records and qualifying for the pole seven times. He finished second in the points, though missing several early events. THAT GOT HIM A ride with Toleman on the Fl circuit last year. It wasn't fun for someone who first started going fast as a downhill skier a good enough one to qualify for the Italian national team. "My car last year was awful," said Fabi, whose best finish was a 10th in the San Marino Grand Prix which had a short field.

So Fabi was willing to listen when the Forsyths came suggesting he move back across the Atlantic for this season. "I had a chance to drive Formula One in a not-very-good car and a chance to run in Indy cars in a very good car for a very good team," he said. "So I decided to race Indy cars." That doesn't mean he's committed to a complete career switch to this type of equipment. "I would like to go back to Formula One in a competitive car," he said. But for this year, at least, he'll be running Indy cars the whole circuit.

WERE HE A native-born rookie, Fabi might be a little stunned by the responsibility of bringing the field down for a good start at Indianapolis. But the pressure the Speedway generates in most doesn't seem to have hit him yet. "I'm already satisfied," he said, "so I don't feel any pressure." More than the start, Fabi is concerned with driving in traffic on an oval. His only previous experience under those circumstances came at Atlanta last month, where he ran only 41 laps before being sidelined by suspension problems. "That could be a problem," he said, "because I have not run so much in traffic on an oval." But he had never experienced the pressure of Indianapolis qualifying before, either.

:45.012 199.947 :45.048 199.787 :45.096 199.574 :45.0O4 199.982 :45.052 199.769 :45.338 198.509 .45.243 198.926 Totals 3:00.637 199.295 :44.755 201.095 :44.881 200.530 :45.175 199.225 :45 416 198.168 Totals 3:00.227 199.748 :45.382 198.317 I I Totals 3:00.538 199.404 FIFTH ROW PANCHO CARTER 21 Alex Foods March-Cosworth GEORGE SNIDER 1 Calumet Farm Merch-Cosworth BILL WHITTINGTON 94 Whittington Bros. Marchosworth i 1,1, i.iu.- :45.124 1 99.450 :45.250 199.071 :45.480 197.889 :45.506 197.776 Totals 301.320 198.544 :45.069 199 694 45 315 198.610 :45.519 197.720 :45.698 196.945 Totals 3:01.601 198.237 :45.608 197.334 .45.340 198.500 :45.397 198.251 :45.698 196.945 Totals 3:02.043 197.755 SIXTH ROW PAT BEDARD 35 Escort Radar March-Cosworth CHIPGANASSI 60 Searay Boats Wlldcat-Cosworth JOSELE GARZA 55 National Health Spa Penske-Cosworth :45.891 196.117 45 418 198.159 :45.332 198.535 :45.906 196 053 :45.829 196.382 :45.88 196.130 .46.106 195.202 Totals 3 03.729 195.941 :46.053 195 427 :46.027 195.537 :45.903 196066 :45.999 195.656 Totals 3:03.982 195.671 :45.538 197.637 Totals 3 02.179 197.608 SEVENTH ROW DICK SIMON 22 Vermont American March-Cosworth DANNY ONGAIS 25 Interscope Marchosworth STEVE CHASSEY 56 GeneseeSizzler Eagle-Chevy VI :46.428 193.849 :46.653 192.914 :46.752 192.505 :46.702 192.711 Totals 3:06.535 192.993 :45.999 195.656 :46.059 195.402 :46.223 194.708 :46.232 194.670 Totals 3:04.513 195.108 :44.410 202.657 :44.436 202.538 :44.479 202.343 :44.611 201.744 Totals 2:57.936 202.320 EIGHTH ROW JOHNNY PARSONS 66 ColonialArciero Penske-Cosworth KEVIN COGAN 16 Caesars Palace March-Cosworth A J. FOYT 14 Valvoline-Gilmore March-Cosworth SI sjr ill :44.560 201.975 :44.643 201.599 :44.633 201.645 :44.799 200.897 Totals 2:58.635 201.528 :44.952 200.214 :44.973 200.120 :45.080 199645 :45.0O9- 199.960 Totals 3:00.014 199.984 :44.745 201.140 :45 150 199.336 :45.487 197.859 :45.018 199.920 Totals 3:00.400 199.557 Ih'fMl MTml li i. Star Ptwt by Vera Atkins NINTH ROW GEOFF BRABHAM 12 UNOBritish Sterling Pensh os worth CHRIS KNEIFEL 72 Primus Raring Prtmus-Cosworth DON WHITTINGTON 91 Simoniz March-Cosworth F7 Teo Fabi is greeted ijy crew after his record-breaking qualifying run Rookie at Indianapolis Motor Speedway will sit on pole with 207-plus 10-mile ride Cars9 lowered skirts raised USAC's eyes :45.368 45 191 :45.311 :45.376 198.378 199.155 198.627 198.343 :45.618 197.291 45 313 198 618 :45.127 199.437 :45.194 199.141 Totals :45.286 198.737 :45.127 199 437 :45.155 199.313 :45.704 196.919 Totals 301.272 198.597 Totals 3.01.246 198.625 A 3 01.252 198.618 TENTH ROW SCOTT BRAYTON 37 SME Cement March-Cosworth MIKE CHANDLER 29 Rattlesnake Racine DEREK DALY ,34 Wysard Motors March-Cosworth Rattiesnake-Cosworth But, starting with Spike Gehlhau-sen's car, USAC began handing out rejection slips. John Mahler's car was next to get the thumb, followed by Whittington, Foyt, Chris Kneifel, Scott ton, Daly, Dennis Firestone, Cogan, Mike Chandler, Bill Tempero, Greg Leffler, Parsons, Bill AIsup and On-gais.

Most' of the "illegal" teams missed being legal by fractions of an inch. Some cars met the standards on one side and were just barely off on the other. "It's nit picking for one-sixteeth of an inch," fumed Foyt. "USAC changes the rules on the way to work every day. "It's no wonder CART was formed." See SKIRTS, Page 4 195.912 195.474 194.940 193428 :45.939 :46.042 :46 168 :46.529 :45.002 199.991 :46.107 195.198 :45 482 197.880 A XL :45.566 197.516 :45.803 196.494 :45.720 196.850 :45.846 196.309 I :45615 197304 Totals i Totals 302.133 197.658 303.088 196.713 Totals 3:04 678 194.934 The United States Auto Club decided to get tough Saturday at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

In an unprecedented show of force, USAC's technical committee threw 15 cars out of the qualifying line for the same rules infraction. Among the drivers moved to the back of the line and, therefore, deprived of a good starting spot was four-time Indy winner A.J. Foyt, Kevin Cogan, Johnny Parsons, Don Whittington and Derek Daly. The eye of the storm was the regulation concerning the side of the tub. USAC's rule book states, "All bodywork or aerodynamic devices must be at least one inch above the bottom of the car's tub." This rule was instituted in conjunction with skirts being banned.

WHEN TIME trials opened Saturday, everything went smoothly for the first few teams processed through the Ijne. ELEVENTH ROW7 CHET FILLIP 38 Circle Bar Trucks SPORTS SNSPEX STEVE KRISILOFF 43 Armstrong Mould Lela-Cosworth JOHN MAHLER 92 Intercomp Lion-Chevy Vt Eaole-Cosworttt Baseball Averages 20 Big Fish 17 Bob Collins 2 Hoosier Golf Scene 16 lines Shots 1 7 Scoreboard 20 Deputed Testamony wins Preakness Page 3 Sixers, Lakers battle Page 10 Aim :47.202 :46.992 :46.815 190.343 190 670 191.522 192.246 i I 49 596 181 466 49 718 181 021 :50.235 179158 :50.427 178 476 Totals 3 19976 180.022 :49 422 182105 :49 170 183038 :48.877 184.136 :49 096 183.314 Totals 3 16.565 183.146 Totals 308 292 191 192 i rrrzL 2.