Indianapolis 500 1956
Racing data | ||
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3rd of 8 races of the 1956 World Automobile Championship | ||
Surname: | 40th International 500-Mile Sweepstakes | |
Date: | May 30, 1956 | |
Place: | Indianapolis , USA | |
Course: | Indianapolis Motor Speedway | |
Length: | 805 km in 200 laps of 4.025 km
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Weather: | sunny, dry | |
Pole position | ||
Driver: | Pat Flaherty | Watson-Offenhauser |
Time: | 1: 01.82 min | |
Fastest lap | ||
Driver: | Paul Russo | Kurtis Kraft-Novi |
Time: | 1: 03.67 min | |
Podium | ||
First: | Pat Flaherty | Watson-Offenhauser |
Second: | Sam Hanks | Kurtis Kraft-Offenhauser |
Third: | Don Freeland | Phillips-Offenhauser |
The Indianapolis 500 1956 took place on May 30, 1956 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway near Indianapolis and was the third race of the 1956 World Automobile Championship and the first race of the 1956 USAC season .
Reports
background
As in previous years, the Indianapolis 500 race was part of the Formula 1 World Championship. However, the race was completely ignored by the European teams and viewed as a deletion. The Formula 1 organizers also valued the race very little; the 1956 Belgian Grand Prix was planned just four days after the Indianapolis 500, so it was logistically impossible for the Formula 1 teams and drivers to take part in the Indianapolis 500 without while having to miss the next race in Europe.
After the withdrawal of the American Automobile Association , the United States Auto Club took over the organization of the Indianapolis 500 for the first time. Much of the route was paved, only a section of cobblestones remained on the start straight. In the run-up to the race, it rained very heavily for a few days, flooding parts of the track and the access tunnel. The race was about to be canceled when a short-term initiative by the racetrack operator Clarence Cagle initiated pumping out the masses of water. On the morning of the race, the condition of the track was so dry that a race without any safety concerns was possible.
Most teams relied on the Kurtis Kraft racing car , which won the Indianapolis 500 in previous years. Kuzma were also well represented in numbers, Watson , Phillips , Lesosvky and Stevens were each represented once.
training
The starting grid was determined by means of four time trial competitions. The first time trial took place on May 19th and determined, among other things, the pole position . The second time trial was held to determine the positions from starting position 18. A week later, two more time trials took place in which four drivers were allowed to qualify for the race. However, due to heavy rain, the time trial on Saturday was canceled.
With a time of 1: 01.82, Pat Flaherty took pole position in a Watson and set a new course record. This was Flaherty's only Formula 1 pole position.
Jim Rathmann , Pat O'Connor and Dick Rathmann qualified behind Flaherty , each in a Kurtis Kraft Wagen. Last year's winner Bob Sweikert reached tenth place on the grid.
run
The first laps of the Indianapolis 500 were marked by a three-way battle between pole-setter Flaherty, Paul Russo and Pat O'Connor. Paul Russo fought his way from eighth on the grid to the top, but was the first driver to retire after 21 laps. He lost control of his car due to a blown tire and hit the lane. He escaped unharmed from the then burning car. One lap later, Johnny Thomson and Troy Ruttman were eliminated by spin, on lap 49 Ray Crawford had an accident . After a quarter of the race distance and several caution phases due to the accidents, the drivers used the opportunity for pit stops. The leaders came to the pits, too, giving Johnnie Parsons the lead from Don Freeland .
The third accident of the race occurred on lap 74, in which Al Herman was eliminated. A few laps later, Flaherty took first place again. Halfway through the race, Freeland, Sweikert and Parsons were behind him. Two more accidents occurred on laps 134 and 160, in which Jimmy Daywalt and Tony Bettenhausen were eliminated.
Sam Hanks , who damaged his car in the crash of Russo, overtook Parsons, Sweikert and Freeland one after the other and fought his way to second place. Flaherty meanwhile built up his lead and made a second pit stop. Despite this safety pit stop, he kept the lead and won the race. For both Flaherty and his Watson car it was the only Formula 1 victory and the only Indianapolis 500 success. This broke the longstanding dominance of kurtis power cars, which won every Indianapolis 500 in the early 1950s.
Hanks crossed the finish line 20 seconds behind Flaherty, while Freeland completed the podium with a Philipps car. Parsons for fourth place and Dick Rathmann for fifth place received additional points for the Formula 1 drivers' championship . Paul Russo scored one point for the fastest race lap.
Flaherty rose to fourth in the Formula 1 drivers' championship, but did not take part in any other races in the 1956 World Cup. In the USAC season 1956 Flaherty finished second at the end of the season. He was the final winner of an Indianapolis 500 wearing only a t-shirt. In the years that followed, fireproof clothing became more and more popular among drivers.
Registration list
The entry list only shows the vehicles that have passed the qualification.
Remarks
- ↑ Ed Elisian drove the car 123 laps, Eddie Russo 37 laps.
Classifications
Starting grid
run
World Cup stand after the race
In 1956, points were awarded according to the following scheme:
1st place | place 2 | place 3 | 4th place | 5th place | Fastest lap |
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8th | 6th | 4th | 3 | 2 | 1 |
- Only the five best results from eight races counted. Deleted results are shown in brackets.
- The numbers marked with * include the point for the fastest lap.
- Fields marked in the same color indicate shared vehicles.
Item | driver | constructor | Points | ||||||||
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1. | Juan Manuel Fangio | Ferrari Lancia | 5 * | 3 + 1.5 * | 10.5 | ||||||
2. | Jean Behra | Maserati | 6th | 4th | 10 | ||||||
3. | Stirling Moss | Maserati | 8th | 8th | |||||||
Pat Flaherty | Watson | 8th | 8th | ||||||||
5. | Sam Hanks | Kurtis power | 6th | 6th | |||||||
6th | Mike Hawthorn | Maserati | 4th | 4th | |||||||
Luigi Musso | Ferrari Lancia | 4th | 4th | ||||||||
Don Freeland | Watson | 4th | 4th | ||||||||
9. | Peter Collins | Ferrari | 3 * | 3 | |||||||
Johnnie Parsons | Kuzma | 3 | 3 | ||||||||
11. | Olivier Gendebien | Ferrari Lancia | 2 | 2 | |||||||
Hernando da Silva Ramos | Gordini | 2 | 2 | ||||||||
Dick Rathmann | Kurtis power | 2 | 2 | ||||||||
14th | Gerino Gerini | Maserati | 1.5 | 1.5 | |||||||
Chico Landi | Maserati | 1.5 | 1.5 | ||||||||
Eugenio Castellotti | Ferrari Lancia | 1.5 | 1.5 | ||||||||
17th | Eddie Russo | Kurtis power | 1* | 1 |