“The Greatest Spectacle in Racing”

Given the changes we hear about in sports with older individuals stepping aside, we are seeing more than in the past that it’s the younger up-and-coming athletes that are attracting all the attention.

The recently completed 101st running of the Indy 500 is only one example of how sports legends step aside and this year’s event was no different.

The race is held annually each Memorial Day weekend and is listed or billed as “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing” and is a part of the Triple Crown of Motorsport, which is made up of three of the most impressive motorsports events in the world.

Along with the Indy 500, which attracts over 250,000 (not counting standing room) are the main draw in the US, but the other two that are a draw on the world stage of racing include the Monaco Grand Prix and the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

The race comprises of 200 laps taking the racers a distance of 500 miles (805 Km) through the 2.5-mile distance taking the 33 drivers just over three hours to complete.

Scott Dixon (36) who calls New Zealand home claimed his third Indy 500 pole after he finished with a qualifying speed of 232.164 mph, which is recorded as the fastest dating back to 1996 when Arie Luyendyk his a speed of 236.986.

This year saw rookie Indy 500 racer Fernando Alonso race in his orange #39

car and as a two-time world champion he left the race with an even stronger fan base than he previously held.

If you watched the race you saw him lose four (4) positions in the opening two laps and was caught out during a restart.

For the most part of 150 laps that saw him leading for 27 soon ended as he was forced to retire on lap 179 of the 200.

His failure to finish the race was due to Honda engine issues and for racing fans it’s important to understand the main difference between Honda’s F1 and Indy Car programs and I am hearing that Honda recognizes this issue.

Fernando’s 14 day run while in the States after coming from the Spanish Grand Prix closed out and at the moment it’s unclear what the future holds for him and many are pondering if he’ll ever return to the “Brick Yard” Indy 500.

Regardless of how this part of the race ended for Fernando, Honda came out with a Cinderella story book ending with a Japanese driver winning in a Honda car.

Takuma Sato and ex-F1 driver pulled off the victory on lap 195 narrowly defeating three-time Helio Castroneves in an exceptional finish.

Sato raced F1 from 2002-2008 then switched to the American series of racing.

Sato becomes the first Japanese winner of the Indy 500 in what was the sixth-closest finish in Indy 500 history and when away from the track he spends time with his wife (Chiharu) and two children.

I continue to “harp” on the fact that athletes should should be a “rounded” athlete and play or compete in other sports and it’s interesting to note that Sato was a National Cycling Champion and manages to use this (cycling) as a part of his physical training program.

Given the speeds reached and if you were watching you would have seen Scott Dixon go “airborne” when he was tangled in a crash with Jay Howard in Lap 53 managing to hit the SAFER Barrier between turns 1 and 2.

He was “thankfully” unhurt to the surprise of many and while he was out of the race he left with a tangled wreck and a paycheck of $446,629.

Fernando Alonso walked away with a pay-day of $305,805 as well as a cheque of $50,000 for being named Sunoco Rookie of the Year.

Let’s not forget that the car driven by Sato is owned by Michael Andretti, who as a driver never won an Indy, but did lead in 431 laps in 16 Indy 500’s, which is the highest ever by a driver who failed to manage a win.

Racing fan or not – this had you on the edge of your couch.