Watson (racing car)
Watson was an American chassis manufacturer in monoposto racing cars in the 1950s and 1960s.
Development history
AJ Watson (1924–2014) was, along with Frank Kurtis, one of the most talented and successful racing car designers in the first three decades after the Second World War. After initial difficulties, and Watson began building racing cars in the late 1940s, Jim Rigsby made his first finish at the Indianapolis 500 in 1953 .
Used by a wide variety of teams and usually powered by Offenhauser engines, Watson racing cars were successful in the 500 miles six times in the following years. 1956 saw the maiden victory by Pat Flaherty . Rodger Ward triumphed twice with a front-engined Watson in 1959 and 1962. In addition to Jim Rathmann (1960) and the later team owner Parnelli Jones (1963), who also had a Formula 1 team in the 1970s, AJ Foyt celebrated the second of his four Indy 500 wins on a Watson chassis in 1964 .
Web links
- Chris Estrada: Legendary Indy 500 car builder / mechanic AJ Watson passes away. Obituary for AJ Watson on the NBC Sports home page , May 12, 2014