Firsts and Lasts in Motorsports

[Stan Reid]

The first turbocharged racing car to start on the pole in a World Championship event was Freddie Agabasian's Kurtis Kraft/Cummins Diesel Special in the 1952 Indianapolis 500. It would not happen again until Jean-Pierre Jabouille started P1 in the turbo Renault at the 1979 South African Grand Prix.

[Stan Reid]

Corrections welcome

I believe the first and last time two drivers were killed in the same car at the same event:

Johnny Hannon was killed in practice for the 1935 Indianapolis 500 driving Leon Duray's entry. Clay Weatherly was then put in the repaired car, qualified for the event and then crashed in the race and was also killed.

[Stan Reid]

{Corrections welcome}

First all front engine WC event-1950 British GP
Last all front engine F1 WC event-1957 Italian GP
Last all front engine WC event-1960 Indianapolis 500
First all rear engine WC event-1961 Monaco GP

First rear engine win in a WC event-Stirling Moss/Cooper-Climax=1958 Argentine GP
Last front engine win in a WC event-Phil Hill/Ferrari=1960 Italian GP

[Stan Reid]

On the original theme, another 2-cylinder Formula 1 car was the pair of front wheel drive supercharged 750cc DB-Panhards that ran in the 1955 Pau GP with conspicuous lack of success and were never seen again.

I think this is it-

dbf1_1954-55.jpg Click to enlarge

These two cars were the slowest and third slowest qualifiers in this non-championship F1 event. The "fast" one (it finished in 10th place-8 laps down and the last car still running) did manage to out qualify a 7-year-old Maserati 4CLT/48 (sans supercharger I presume). It actually doesn't look too bad.

[Stan Reid]

{corrections welcome}

The last cars to race in the Monaco Grand Prix with more than a 305 cubic inch (5 liter) engine:

A pair of 331 cubic inch Chrysler engined Allard J2Xs in 1952.

The GP was not a WC event that year.

[Stan Reid]

{corrections welcome}

The first Indy 500 with all front engine cars-1911
The last Indy 500 with all front engine cars-1960

The first Indy 500 with no front engine cars (including one side engine turbine)-1967
The first Indy 500 with all rear engine cars-1969

[Stan Reid]

{corrections welcome}

The last cars to race in the Monaco Grand Prix with more than a 305 cubic inch (5 liter) engine:

A pair of 331 cubic inch Chrysler engined Allard J2Xs in 1952.

The GP was not a WC event that year.

Lapping Monaco in a big "Detriot Iron" Allard.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8TTecSVoyDY

[Stan Reid]

It was also the last turbine car to be entered in the 500. And to be totally accurate, I believe it did technically qualify the way they play it at Indy and was then bumped from the field by a faster car. At Indy if you complete a qualifying run, you are considered qualified until at least 33 cars turn in a faster time at which point you are considered as bumped (disqualified from the starting lineup).

Correction regarding this 1969 entry-It was not the last turbine! Jack Adams entered rear engine Glen Bryant chassis/Pratt & Whitney turbines for Indy in both 1970 and 1971 with driver Rick Muther (1970 for driver Jigger Sirois also). They failed to qualify both years but ran in several other USAC Championship events with a best finish of 8th in the 1970 Trenton 200. The car's last run was in the Milwaukee 100 on June 6 of 1971 but it dropped out of that race. Muther was at the controls in both the above mentioned races.

Note: Some sources list the car as an Eagle or a Gerhardt and the turbine as an Allison so take your pick-it's the last turbine at any rate unless I find otherwise.

[D28]

Stan: I am looking for the last Indy winning chassis built in USA. A magazine article on Gordon Johncock mentions his 1982 Wildcat as being the last. However, G Force and Panoz G Force have 4 wins later than that. The question is were these cars constructed in the US?
Data on the net indicates the companies were US based, but what is the real story?
Does if come down to definitions?

[Stan Reid]

Correction regarding this 1969 entry-It was not the last turbine! Jack Adams entered rear engine Glen Bryant chassis/Pratt & Whitney turbines for Indy in both 1970 and 1971 with driver Rick Muther (1970 for driver Jigger Sirois also) . They failed to qualify both years but ran in several other USAC Championship events with a best finish of 8th in the 1970 Trenton 200. The car's last run was in the Milwaukee 100 on June 6 of 1971 but it dropped out of that race. Muther was at the controls in both the above mentioned races.

Note: Some sources list the car as an Eagle or a Gerhardt and the turbine as an Allison so take your pick-it's the last turbine at any rate unless I find otherwise.

Here's the car looking good in 1970 with Jigger Sirois seated.

Attachment 1087 Click