Lotus 34
The Lotus 34 was a single-seater - racing cars , which in 1964 Lotus for the 500-mile race at Indianapolis was developed and by 1965 in the USAC series was used.
Development history
1964 was the second year of the three-year contract between Lotus and Ford , which defined the collaboration between the British motorsport team and the US automobile company. But it was also the second year of the sometimes problematic collaboration between Colin Chapman and Len Terry . Terry had developed the Lotus 29 last year , with which Jim Clark took second place in Indianapolis , and often felt that Chapman's work was hindered by him. While Terry had a lot of time developing the Lotus 29, work on the new Indy car had to be done quickly. Terry therefore developed the 29 further and improved it in some places. The most important change was the engine. Ford had developed an engine with four overhead camshafts, with Hilborn Travern gasoline injection and low weight. The 4.1 liter V8 engine developed 410 hp.
Racing history
In the 500-mile race , alongside Jim Clark and Dan Gurney, second 34. AJ Foyt was originally supposed to drive a third car; Due to contractual problems - Foyt had a contract with the tire supplier Firestone , while Lotus was contracted to Dunlop - this did not materialize. Clark qualified his 34th from pole position while Gurney started the race from the second row.
Clark took the lead and held it until the second lap when one of the most disastrous and fatal accidents in Indianapolis history occurred while exiting the north-west turn. The two American racing drivers Eddie Sachs and Dave MacDonald died as a result of a mass collision . The race was first stopped and then interrupted for 1 ½ hours. After the restart, Clark was in the lead again, who retired after 47 laps with a damage to the suspension. This break was caused by problems with the tires, which wore out too quickly and caused strong vibrations. Gurney's car was then withdrawn from the race for safety reasons. The winner was AJ Foyt, of all people, who drove a front-engined Thompson Offenhauser.
The only victory in 1964 was achieved by Parnelli Jones , who triumphed in the USAC race in Milwaukee . In Indianapolis 1965 Jones and Foyt drove the 34th. Foyt led the race for a long time, but had to retire. Jones finished second behind Jim Clark, who remained victorious in the new Lotus 38 .
literature
- Anthony Pitchard: Lotus. The Competition Cars. Haynes Publishing, Sparkford 2006, ISBN 1-84425-006-7 .
- Dave Friedmann: Indianapolis, Racing Memories 1961-1969 . Motorbooks, Osceola 1997, ISBN 0-7603-0142-5 .
