Indianapolis 500

1971

By Bloys Britt

Albuquerque Journal

INDIANAPOLIS- Stocky Al Unser sped through debris left from several wrecks, one of which involved his older brother Bobby, and won the rich Indianapolis 500 mile race Saturday for the second year in a row (video).

The father of three from Albuquerque celebrated his 32^nd birthday by becoming the first driver to win this oldest of the nation's auto racing classics two straight times since the late Billy Vukovich did it in 1953-1954.

He stands to collect more than $275,000 from a purse that for the second year in a row is expected to top $1 million.

New York socialite, Pete Revson, finished second in a British-made McLaren M16, while A.J. Foyt, seeking his fourth triumph in this 55-year-old event, came in third in a Coyote-Ford of his own design.

It was one of the 62-year-old Indianapolis Motor Speedway's worst days, though there were no deaths. And the carnage started before the crowd, estimated in excess of 300,000 hardly had been seated.

The pace car, a Dodge Challenger convertible driven by Eldon Palmer of Indianapolis, overshot pit road after getting the 33 starters underway and ploughed into a wooden trailer positioned for photographers near the first turn,

Twenty-five persons were injured, nine serious enough to be hospitalized in downtown Indianapolis with head injuries and broken limbs. Several others were treated at the track hospital.

One of those in serious condition was Vincente Alvarez, a surgeon-sportsman from Buenos Aires who was covering the race as a photo-journalist for several Argentina newspapers and magazines. He was being treated for head and internal injuries.

Unser, who won a record $194,000 and the U.S. driving title last year, finished the race almost a mile ahead of Revson, who had started from the pole position after qualifying at a record 178.696 miles per hour.

Driving a Colt-Ford, his average speed for the 500-mile ride was a record 157.735 m.p.h., compared with Mario Andretti's 156.982 in 1969. His time on the track was 3 hours, 1 minute and 14 1/2seconds.

The dark-haired, No. 1 driver on the two-car team fielded by former Indy winner Parnelli Jones said his worst moment came at the 350-mile mark when two cars tangled on the front straight. Unser drove through this wild melee without damage.

But he was nowhere near the track's fourth turn when his older brother, Bobby, the 1968 winner, crashed into the spinning car of Mike Mosley of Brownsburg, Ind., who had lost control and skidded into the retaining wall.

Mosley was hospitalized with compound fractures of the arm and leg and had burns about the face. It was the most serious injury to a driver during a day that saw three major speedway wrecks and 40 minutes of running under live yellow light slowdowns. Unser escaped injury.

In one of the acts of heroism for which the Indianapolis race is famous, Gary Bettenhausen, son of a great driver now dead, drove his car off the track and rushed to Mosley's aid. He helped remove the 26-year-old Mosley from the wreckage.

Unser, now well on his way to his second U.S. driving title, had started the race from the middle of the second row. He was never far off the pace. He paced the field for a total of 103 of the 200 laps and collected $15,450 in lap prize money.

But it was Mark Donohue, the 32-year-old Ivy Leaguer from Media, Pa., who threatened to make the race a runaway for the new winged McLaren cars.

The moon-faced Brown University graduate roared into the lead at starter Pat Vidan's green flag and set a blistering pace for the first 125 miles, rolling up $7800 in lap money as he went.

But it was not his day.

His Sunoco special McLaren M16 suddenly slowed as he made his 60th circuit of the track. The high racing gear had failed and Donohue drove it into the grassy area of the fourth turn, his fourth start at the Speedway ending in frustration.

"You can't run a race in second gear," the grim-faced two time U.S. road racing champion remarked.

It also was a day of frustration for 1969 winner Mario Andretti and Englishman David Hobbs. Andretti went out in a three-car pileup on the 16th lap that also involved veteran drivers Mel Kenyon and Gordon Johncock.

The accident, which brought out the first lengthy yellow light of the race, was triggered when Kenyon lost control of his Sprite Special and struck the third turn barrier. Johncock's machine, a year-old McLaren, caught Kenyon on the rebound and he in turn was struck by Andretti,

Kenyon suffered the only injury, a minor cut on his leg, but it might have been Andretti's last drive for STP oil treatment millionaire Andy Granatelli.

There had been reports on the eve of the race that the two were breaking up their three-year partnership and Andretti, three-time United States Auto Club driving champion, would form his own team.

Andretti said he would have a statement to make early next week.

Hobbs, making his first start at Indy and riding as a teammate of Donohue in Roger Penske-prepared McLarens, tangled with Rick Muther in a grinding crash on the front straight on the 113th lap.

Both drivers hopped out of the torn and tangled wreckage, though Muther, 35, of Laguna Beach, Calif., was taken to a hospital for examination.

Another British resident, former world driving champion Denis Hulme, went 142 laps before being sidelined by mechanical woes in his team McLaren M16.

The rest of the unofficial order of finish included Bill Vukovich, son of the last consecutive winner, fourth; Jim Malloy, fifth; Donnie Allison, the southern stock car ace who left immediately to drive in a 600-mile race at Charlotte, N.C., Sunday, sixth; Bud Tiglestad, seventh; Roger McCluskey, eight; Dennie Zimmerman, ninth, and Gary Bettenhausen, 10th.

The wrecks, broken engines and other failures took their toll of the fastest field that ever started a race at Indianapolis. Only 11 cars were running at the finish.

Andretti's teammate, rookie Steve Kristoff of Parsippany, N.J., was among those eliminated by wrecks.

But for old pro Lloyd Ruby of Wichita Falls, Tex, it was a more simple failure. The 41-year-old Ruby drove his Gene White Offy, dubbed the "Utah Stars" in honor of the Salt Lake pro basketball team, so hard that the machine quit on him while he was in fourth place late in the race.

The efficient pit work of Al Unser's crew, headed by the Colt builder, George Bignotti, was almost his edge over Revson. Al had to make four pit stops, totaling one minute, 20.16 seconds; Revson went to the pits only three times but his stops took one minute, 43 seconds. Al changed his right rear tire twice. Revson finished with his original tires.

Al finished in 3 hours 10 minutes and 11.56 seconds, Revson in 3 hours 10 minutes and 34.44 seconds.

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