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Parnelli
Vel's Parnelli Jones Racing, commonly referred to simply as Parnelli or VPJ, was a motor racing constructor and team from the United States. The team was formed in 1969 by former USAC racer Parnelli Jones and his business partner Velko "Vel" Miletich. Parnelli was initially solely concerned with USAC racing, where success came quickly; their driver Al Unser won the Indianapolis 500 race in 1970, driving a VPJ Colt, after leading 190 of the 200 racing laps. Unser went on to win the USAC championship. Unser repeated the Indy 500 win in 1971 with a new Colt built without the left side chassis offset that had been made illegal by 1971 rules, ending the season in fourth place in the USAC drivers points while teammate Joe Leonard won the championship. Racing Parnelli secured the services of ex-Team Lotus designer Maurice Philippe and driver Mario Andretti for USAC racing in the early 1970s, and in 1974 decided to move into Formula One racing, with financial support from tire manufac ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mario Andretti
Mario Gabriele Andretti (born February 28, 1940) is an American former racing driver and businessman, who competed in Formula One from to , and American open-wheel racing, IndyCar from 1964 USAC Championship Car season, 1964 to 1994 IndyCar season, 1994. Andretti won the Formula One World Drivers' Championship in with Team Lotus, Lotus, and won 12 Formula One Grands Prix, Grands Prix across 14 seasons. In American open-wheel racing, Andretti won four List of American open-wheel racing national champions, IndyCar National Championship titles and the Indianapolis 500 in 1969 Indianapolis 500, 1969; in stock car racing, he won the Daytona 500 in 1967 Daytona 500, 1967. In Endurance racing (motorsport), endurance racing, Andretti is a three-time winner of the 12 Hours of Sebring. Born in the Kingdom of Italy, Andretti and his family were displaced from Istria during the Istrian–Dalmatian exodus and eventually emigrated to Nazareth, Pennsylvania in 1955. He began dirt track racin ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Al Unser
Alfred Unser (May 29, 1939 – December 9, 2021) was an American automobile racing driver, the younger brother of fellow racing drivers Jerry and Bobby Unser, and father of Al Unser Jr. He was the second of four men ( A. J. Foyt, himself, Rick Mears and Hélio Castroneves) to have won the Indianapolis 500 four times (1970, 1971, 1978, 1987), the fourth of six to have won the race in consecutive years, and the winner of the National Championship in 1970, 1983, and 1985. The Unser family has won the Indy 500 a record nine times. He was the only person to have both a sibling (Bobby) and child (Al Jr.) as fellow Indy 500 winners. Al's nephews Johnny and Robby Unser have also competed in that race. In 1971, he became the only driver to date to win the race on his birthday (his 32nd). After his son Al Unser Jr. joined the national championship circuit in 1983, Unser was generally known professionally by the retronym "Al Unser Sr." He was also nicknamed "Big Al", and Al Unser J ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Parnelli Jones
Rufus Parnell "Parnelli" Jones (August 12, 1933 – June 4, 2024) was an American professional racing driver and racing team owner. He is notable for his accomplishments while competing in the Indianapolis 500 and the Baja 1000 desert race, and the Trans-Am Series, Trans-Am Championship series. In 1962 Indianapolis 500, 1962, he became the first driver to qualify for the Indianapolis 500 at over 150 mph (240 km/h). He won the race in 1963 Indianapolis 500, 1963, then famously broke down while leading the 1967 Indianapolis 500, 1967 race with three laps to go in a STP-Paxton Turbocar, turbine car.Biography at the National Midget Auto Racing Hall of Fame During his career as an owner, he won the Indy 500 in 1970 Indianapolis 500, 1970–1971 Indianapolis 500, 1971 with driver Al Unser. Jones won races in many types of ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Parnelli VPJ4
The Parnelli VPJ4 was a Formula One racing car designed by Maurice Philippe, and used by Vel's Parnelli Jones Racing during the 1974, 1975 and 1976 Formula One seasons. Development Vel's Parnelli Jones Racing was formed in 1969 by former USAC racer Parnelli Jones and his business partner Velko "Vel" Miletich. Parnelli was initially solely concerned with USAC racing, Parnelli secured the services of ex Team Lotus designer Maurice Philippe and driver Mario Andretti for USAC racing in the early 1970s and in 1974 decided to move into Formula One racing, with financial support from tire manufacturer Firestone. However, Firestone's decision to quit racing at the end of 1974 meant that a major partner was lost. The Parnelli VPJ4 car owed much to Philippe's Lotus 72 design. Racing history 1974 The VPJ4 made its debut at the 1974 Canadian Grand Prix with Andretti and finished seventh. At the United States, the American's car developed an ignition fault on the parade lap, and the s ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Joe Leonard
Joseph Paul Leonard (August 4, 1932 – April 27, 2017) was an American professional motorcycle racer and racecar driver. Biography Motorcycle career Leonard won the first A.M.A. Grand National Championship Series in 1954 and won it again in 1956 and 1957. His record totals 27 wins, including the 1957 and 1958 Daytona 200. He also resulted vice-champion in 1958, 1960 and 1961, third in 1955, and fifth in 1959. He retired from motorcycle racing at the completion of the 1961 season and turned his attention to auto racing. He was also a member of the AMA (American Motorcycle Association District 36) Sanctioned San Jose Motorcycle club (The Dons) which includes such famed alumni as Sam Arena, Tom Sifton, Kenny Eggers and Sam Arena Jr. USAC National Championship career Early years Leonard made his List of USAC Championship Car seasons, USAC National Championship debut during the 1964 USAC Championship Car season, 1964 season when he competed in five races for various teams. Leonard ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Parnelli VPJ1
The Parnelli VPJ1 is an open-wheel race car, designed by British designer and engineer Maurice Phillippe for Vel's Parnelli Jones Racing, to compete in U.S.A.C. Championship Car for 1972. It was driven by Mario Andretti, Al Unser, and Joe Leonard. It was powered by an Offenhauser four-cylinder turbo engine, reputed to develop between , depending on turbo boost pressure levels. In its original configuration, the car was designed with dihedral wings mounted to either side of the cockpit and sticking up at 45-degree angles. However, the unusual aerodynamic design proved no performance benefits, and by the Indianapolis 500 in May, the design had been revised to have the wings removed. Following the redesign, the car saw success, most notably with Joe Leonard who won three races and won the 1972 USAC Championship. Al Unser and Mario Andretti saw minor achievements, with Unser scoring podiums at Indianapolis Indianapolis ( ), colloquially known as Indy, is the List of capitals ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Cosworth DFX
The DFV is an internal combustion engine that was originally produced by Cosworth for Formula One motor racing. The name is an abbreviation of ''Double Four Valve'', the engine being a V8 development of the earlier four-cylinder FVA, which had four valves per cylinder. Its development in 1967 for Colin Chapman's Team Lotus was sponsored and funded by major American automotive manufacturer Ford. For many years it was the dominant engine in Formula One, with the whole engine program funded by Ford's European division, Ford Europe and engines badged as "Ford" for Formula One championship races. DFVs were widely available from the late 1960s to the mid 1980s and were used by every specialist team in F1 during this period with the exception of Ferrari, Alfa Romeo, Renault, BRM and Matra, who all designed, produced and ran their own engines. Variants of this engine were also used in other categories of racing, including CART, Formula 3000 and sports car racing. The engine is a 90°, ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
1976 United States Grand Prix West
The 1976 United States Grand Prix West was a Formula One motor race held on March 28, 1976, in Long Beach, California. The race was the third round of the 1976 Formula One season and the first new race to be added to the calendar since the Brazilian and Swedish Grand Prix were added in 1973. It was the second Formula One race held in California, the first being the 1960 United States Grand Prix at Riverside, only 50 miles away. The race was held over 80 laps of the 3.251-kilometre street circuit for a total race distance of 260 kilometres. The race was won by Swiss driver Clay Regazzoni in a Ferrari 312T by 42 seconds over team mate and championship points leader, Austrian driver Niki Lauda. French driver Patrick Depailler finished third driving a Tyrrell 007. Summary Italy was the first country to host two Championship Formula One races in the same year in 1957. The United States would become the second as the first USGP West at Long Beach, California, appeared on the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
United States Automobile Club
The United States Auto Club (USAC) is one of the sanctioning bodies of auto racing in the United States. From 1956 to 1979, USAC sanctioned the United States National Championship, and from 1956 to 1997 the organization sanctioned the Indianapolis 500. USAC serves as the sanctioning body for a number of racing series, including the Silver Crown Series, National Sprint Cars, National Midgets, Speed2 Midget Series, .25 Midget Series, Stadium Super Trucks, and GT World Challenge America. Seven-time USAC champion Levi Jones is USAC's Competition Director. History When the American Automobile Association (AAA) withdrew from auto racing after the 1955 season, citing the Le Mans disaster and the death of Bill Vukovich at Indianapolis as contributing factors, both the SCCA and NASCAR were mentioned as its potential successor. Ultimately, USAC was formed by Indianapolis Motor Speedway owner Tony Hulman. It became the arbiter of rules, car design, and other matters for what it terme ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
1974 United States Grand Prix
The 1974 United States Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on October 6, 1974, at the Watkins Glen Grand Prix Race Course in Watkins Glen, New York. It was race 15 of 15 in both the 1974 World Championship of Drivers and the 1974 International Cup for Formula One Manufacturers. Carlos Reutemann won from the pole, ahead of Brabham teammate Carlos Pace, while Emerson Fittipaldi's fourth place clinched his second World Championship in three years and the first for Team McLaren. American Mario Andretti, after qualifying in an excellent third position, was disqualified when the engine in his Parnelli stalled on the grid and his crew push started him. This was the last race for the 1967 world champion Denny Hulme, who scored 8 wins and 33 podiums in 112 starts. The race also saw the death of Austrian driver Helmut Koinigg, who was driving in only his second Grand Prix. Race summary Fittipaldi of McLaren and Ferrari's Clay Regazzoni came to the final race of the season e ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Maurice Philippe
Maurice Philippe (30 April 1932 – 5 June 1989), was a British aircraft and Formula One car designer. Early life and career Philippe was born in Tooting and attended the Latymer School in Hammersmith. He began his career as an apprentice for De Havilland aircraft company, working on the De_Havilland_Comet#Comet_4, Comet 4. De Havilland's technical department was home to other motor racing enthusiasts including Brian Hart and Frank Costin. As a member of the 750 Motor Club, Philippe designed his first car in 1955, called the MPS (Maurice Philippe Special). Later, he would build a front engined Formula Junior car alongside Hart, which was destroyed in its maiden race by Peter Warr. Motor racing Between 1963-64, Philippe raced a Lotus Seven, Lotus 7, and in 1965 was approached by Colin Chapman to be his "design team" at Team Lotus. Philippe and Chapman first redesigned the Lotus 39, then produced the Lotus 43, the classic Lotus 49, the Lotus 56 gas turbine Indy car and finally ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
