The Indianapolis Star from Indianapolis, Indiana • Page 25

THE INDIANAPOLIS STAR SUNDAY, MAY 11, 1980 PAGE 2 SEC. 2 4 A'- if V- -v Richmond's Chat Deals With Wall, Not Pole Speed Tim Richmond had his first formal press conference Saturday a lot earlier and on a lot different topic than he had planned. 'y pressure ol going laster than anybody else and the accompanying publicity Mpfc-flwa mignl nave gotten to him. "No, I felt exactly the same today as I did a week ago," he said. "I was a little concerned last night that the butterflies might get to me and I might think about it (the possibility of winning the pole).

But I went right to sleep and got nine or 10 hours of sleep. "This morning, I went out the same way I have right along, nice and easy, and checking things out to see that the' car felt right under me." The first time on the track, the car felt a little loose, so chief mechanic John Barnes ordered a tire change, reduced the front wing angle some and took a little stagger out of the tire alignment. "That made it push a little bit but nothing you couldn't handle." said Richmond. "I'd really rather have a little push." RICHMOND HAD just recorded back-to-back 190 mph laps when he lost it. And he later admitted he really wasn't going for the pile Saturday.

"Like I said, all I wanted to do today was go out and run four smooth laps," he said. "I wasn't going to go out and try and be a hero. If it was good enough for the pole. fine. If it was 33rd.

that was Friday, after the Ashland (Ohio) rookie got everybody's attention with a lap at 193.507, he had a lot of catch-as-catch-can meetings with the media. But Saturday he went to the conference room at the end of the Tower Terrace where they bring the pole winner and race winner to talk to the public's interlocutors. But Richmond wasn't there to discuss the triumphant conclusion to his first week of Indianapolis racing. He was there to discuss his first meeting with the Speedway's cement. The cement remains undefeated RICHMOND LOST control of his I'no-Q95 Starcruiser Penske PC-7 coming out of the first turn, spun and tagged the wall with the right rear corner.

So, instead of enjoying plaudits from the small IMS crowd for winning the pole or posting an up-front qualifying speed. Richmond was talking about his first mishap and wondering what his options were. He didn't have a backup car sitting handy to run to. There was a kind of tentative deal with Roger Penske that he would have an extra chassis available for Richmond. But that was a maybe that didn't become a for-sure until Bobby l'nser put the last of the Penske PC-9s in the show about 2 30.

As a result. Richmond wasn't sure he hadn't suddenly joined the legion of pavement pounders when he talked to the press. As for the accident itself, Richmond wasn't sure what happened. "I just went down into the first turn the way I have been and coming out it just went out from under me," he said. I'm still pretty new to this, so I really don't know what happened.

"I HONESTLY DON'T think it was a driver error or that anything broke on the car, but it just went' out from under me." Richmond was asked if mavbe the day which proved frustrating for many drivers because of the gusting winds. (Star Photo By Johnny Gibson) POPPING A WHEEL Janet Guthrie's No. 55 LightningCosworth loses its left front wheel in ffie second turn during a Saturday morning practice drive. She was not injured in the first mishap of the day a Cosworths okay. I just wanted to make the race." Now he's got to find some new wheels in which to make that goal.

Those currently are sitting in the Penske shops at Reading. Pa A man from Richmond's Mach I Racing team and a Penske designate headed east on I-70 Saturday night to gather up a fresh PC-7 tub and head back this way with it. It'll probably be mid-week before it's ready to go on the race track. Of course, that's much too late for the pole but it was enough to pick up Richmond's spirits Saturday afternoon "I was feeling pretty low this morning after it happened." he said, "but this picked me up." DAVE OVERPECK Pensky Racing, is in somewhat the same position as Hall but with variations. The Andretti and Bobby U.

PC-9 Penske chassis are new to the Speedway but really are extenuations of things learned with Roger Penske's PC-7 chassis. THE "9" IS a full ground-effects car, while the "7" was partially ground-effects. In the 9, the air flows in through pods mounted on the sides of the chassis and is subjected to a venturi pressure differential action which results in the chassis being sucked down to the ground. The model is a further development of the 7 which in turn as a development of the non-ground-effects PC-6. Unlike the Chaparral, the PC-9 is new because of the 7 not being full ground-effects, but its Continued From Page 1 The Chaparral has gone 500 miles.

Last September at the Ontario Motor Speedway it ran the 500 but did have a problem. Nevertheless, the machine did run the race with Al L'nser at the wheel. It hasn't run 500 straight miles this year but did win at Ontario last April with Rutherford driving. R. will be going for back-to-back victories, but Hall said.

"I never expect to win This race is very difficult to win. But I hope to win." Jim McGee. one of (he most successful chief mechanics of Indianapolis racing who now is the program manager for Carlei Beltenhauscn Dominate Pole Dnv development still was a matter of borrowing from what was learned in the past. "Each car has its own peculiarities in respect to things like aerodynamics, suspension, weight-distribution and a myriad of other pieces," McGee said. "Those here are finding out it's a lot tougher to sort out a ground-effects car than to sort out a regular car.

"Take Al Unser's car. It's taken from a Formula One machine and the crew is having problems. There are a lot of guys running ground-effects cars which we have developed. "WE'RE NOT HAPPY with our car yet. It has as much potential right now as the PC-7, and we're still sorting it out." McGee said.

"That's why we're still carrying it on. "Developing a new race car every year is a tremendous task, ki going through aerodynamics, different geometry changes, you just find little things and go on and on and on. "I think you never get the full potential out of a car." The development factor may go on all over again if there is a ban on skirts, about which has been discussed. The "skirts" are extensions at the bottom of the chassis which prevent air from getting under the car and destroying the venturi effect The removal of these would put an entirely new face on chassis design. "If they ban skirts, like they're talking about," McGee said, "you may see an entirely new concept, you may see something revolutionary.

The low boost and lack of horsepower we're restricted to may make ground effects not the thing." HALL, HOWEVER, SAID, "I have to see the rules before knowing whether to change the design concept. Maybe I'm running close to the ground with something that is part of the chassis. You've got to write rules which can be enforced." A rule which was enforced with interesting results Saturday was the tur-bocharger pressure restriction: 48 inches ol mercury manifold pressure for the Cosworth and 60 inches of boost for the Offy. Even under the lower boost, the exotic double-overhead cam V-8 was long gone, a factor which sort of shot holes in the United States Auto Club's attempt to equate the engine variance. Rutherford was almost five miles an hour faster than Parsons' Offy, and Johnny had the advantage of having a lay-down version which in theory, at least, enhanced the handling of the chassis.

Of the 16 qualifiers, 13 used Cos-worths. Besides Parsons (who relied on the Offy), Roger Rager did a tremendous job with a real stock-block Chevy at 186 374 mph, and Larry Cannon put his 4-cylinder DGS in the field at 183 252. It would be extremely difficult to implement rules cutting the boost al lowed the Cosworth below current levels "You might as well take the blowers off and run normally aspirated." Rutherford said, would be a foolish thing to do." Gary B. starting seventh, was literally a sight to behold on the fast Clermont oval. After finally winning a 15-lap battle with Steve Chassey for fifth, the Monrovia Master began reeling cm The versatile veteran whose left arm was seriously injured in 1974.

blitzed by Greg lxffler. Kinser and McClellan in spectacular fashion on successive laps and all that remained between he and Carter was clean air. A RED FLAG was waved after oil was dumped in the fourth turn and the race was stopped. On the restart. B.

made a couple of dives at first but Pancho held his line and the fading right front tire dropped Gary back to his final deficit McClellan. bouncing back from a nasty flip at Terre Haute last weekend, held off Leffler and Larry Rice in a spirited duel for third. Chassey. the point leader coming into the race, had problems all evening and finally dropped out of the main event Rich Vogler, No. 2 in the point chase, was also a victim of mechanical trouble and wasn't around at the checkered flag.

The sprinters' next stop locally is the State Fairgrounds' one-mile dirt track on May 23 ROBIN MILLER. All the people holding the opinion that I'ancho Carter and Gary Bet-tenhausen can no longer handle a sprint car like they did in their championship days should have been in the stands Saturday night at Indianapolis Raceway Park. The final tally was Carter first, Bet tenhausen second and it was that twosome who really made the price of admission worth it to the 5,763 paying customers. Pancho, all but a stranger to the L'SAC sprint division during 1979. because of the Indy car war.

"cleaned house" in Steve Stapp's machine. The two-time L'SAC sprint king set quick time, won his heat race with a last lap pass and then vanquished the opposition in the 40-lap feature. STARTING SIXTH. Carter passed three cars on the opening lap. swept by Mac McClellan on the following circuit and then zapped Sheldon Kinser on the third trip for a lead he never lost.

The talented resident of Brownsburg. severely injured in an Indy car test two years ago. finished almost half a straightaway ahead of Bettenhausen But that really doesn tell the story. 10 (sm BETTER THAN NOTHING That's how four-time Indianapolis 500 winner A.J. Foyt described his last-minute qualification at a speed of 185.500 miles an hour.

Foyt made his qualifying run after aborting an earlier attempt and sitting out a long shutdown of the track because of rain and a hail storm. (Star Photo By Vern Atkins) SAVE ON Indiana's Largest Sporting Goods Dealer! GLASS BELTED IMPERIAL FALCON' TIRES icsm JAC SC3 IPS FACTORY OUTLET Jl ST PRING FEVER A78-13 Catch it with Em-Roe's Baseball and Softball Specials RUGGED TWILL UNIFORMS PltMAHtHT PttSS iOi POlYtSTl SO. COTTON NAVY. TAN, Gtr, GtttN B78-13 C78-14 F78-14 GLOVES IV E78-14 G78-U G78 15 H78-I4 H78-15 178-15 178-15 un taiorfr $42 Rowlings $30 37 LONG SLEEVE SHIRTS SHORT SLEEVE SHIRTS SALE 33.95 31.95 13.95 29.95 33.95 RBG-3 RBG-36 IIMU LHgiM Ml 000 Ml 400 $43.99 $39.99 $16.99 $38.99 $43.99 All prices plus 1.76 to 3.13 F.E.T. Whitewolls odd S3 FREE TIRE MOUNTING ROTATION Hutch Sg15 PANTS $088 SHOES i ii rite-' n.

GOLDEN FALCON GLASS BELTED RADIAL WHITEWALLS STEEL BELTED FALCON SST $39 Rag. SALE $25.99 21.95 $28.99 24.95 $26.95 20.95 1 POPLIN 1 Dft 78-U ER 78-U $44 Spot-Bilt Model 206 wti Spot-Bilt Model 210-wnwi Adidas Major League (whimi RADIAL (Block woll5) 155R12 145RI3 155R13 $34 ft 78 GK78-IJ GD78-U $49 Spalding Molded Cleat Multi-Purpose (wkit.) $18.95 M6.95 M7-U HK7S-IJ JS78-15 1078-13 57 JACKETS Jp 1 S2toli5MT. 11610 3Mf I NYLON JACKETS $95 MAINTENANCE FREE FALCON 60 BATTERY DELUXE SHOCKS INSTALLED BATS 10 OFF ON ALL ALUMINUM BATS UNIFORMS In Stock Softball Uniforms from Rowlings, Sand-Knit, Spanjian and other fine makes to Itm Oriflinol Bquipmant capocrry. 1 J-' A Mot Amartcan can. I a Any size in stock.

HNED-4JNUNtr-OUtT-YOUTH-All SIZIS All COLORS SILK SCREEN AVAILABLE ON All Of THESE JACKETS fO YOUR TEAMS AND ORGANIZATIONS. Hurry These Items Won't Last Long Sale Ends May 24, 1980 0 ALREADY 10 ALL WINTER GARMENTS 50 nCCLOW FACTORY WMmJSm 1 installed 1 EXCHANGE I Mjry tfj 1-1. PRICES fed OPEN 10 A M. DAItr BHHBB (SUNDAY AT 12 30) PHONE 897-7664 9936 E. Washington at Mitthoefer Rd.

At Washinqon Corners 1 1 1.