The Indianapolis Motor Speedway was built in 1909 as a 2.5 mile oval. It
earned its enduring nickname "The Brickyard" from the original bricks that
were used to surface it. The famous 500 mile race was first held there in
1911.
The Indy 500 runs anti-clockwise on the oval. Formula One, by contrast, runs
in a clockwise direction and only uses part of the oval. For the F1 Grand
Prix, a narrow, twisty section, featuring eleven corners, was built in the
infield area in 2000.
The straight on the oval is the longest on the GP calendar. Along a stretch
measuring 1,820 metres, cars run at full throttle for around 20 seconds, of
which some ten seconds are taken in seventh gear.
WilliamsF1 have won five times in the United States: Alan Jones won at
Watkins Glen in 1980 and, in1981, Jones took victory in Las Vegas and Long
Beach. In 1984, Keke Rosberg won for Williams in Dallas while, in 1985,
Rosberg also won in Detroit. In 1984, Nelson Piquet drove a Brabham BMW to
victory in Detroit. |
| The BMW WilliamsF1 Team
heads to Indianapolis this week for the second leg of the North American
double header, the United States Grand Prix. Following mixed fortunes in
Montreal, the team is looking for an improved result at the legendary
Brickyard circuit.
Mark Webber:
"Every time we visit
Indianapolis, it's impossible to ignore the fantastic history and
atmosphere of the Brickyard, and the world famous Indy 500. It's a place
steeped in American motor racing history, but I also think Formula One
is growing bigger in the States with every US GP. In fact, I expect the
interest will be even greater this year given that this year's
championship has so many different contenders and new names are coming
to the fore. What always impresses me about racing in the States is just
how passionate and educated the audience is about Formula One.
The layout of the circuit isn't the most demanding by any means for
either the car, or the driver, because of the repetitive nature of the
infield section. But that's why we go to nineteen different venues each
year as they all provide very different challenges. Indy is a circuit
which generally provides pretty good racing, mainly because the long
straight offers the drivers some overtaking opportunities at the end of
it."
Nick Heidfeld:
"I have always liked Indianapolis, I've always had good results
there in the past so I'm looking forward to going back there again and
hopefully getting another good result for the team. The place itself is
outstanding, particularly because of the grandstand in front of the
pits. I hope there's another good crowd to give us a great atmosphere.
The banking looks spectacular but, for a driver, it is actually quite
easy to go flat out there as long as you don't have any problems with
the car. We should be a bit stronger in the US than we were in Montreal."
Sam Michael Technical Director:
"We
are now going to Indy, the second of the North American races, and a
circuit similar to Montreal in that it is a low drag level track. The
circuit demands one of the longest times on full throttle, at just over
20 seconds from the last corner all the way through the banking and down
to Turn 1. The rest of the circuit is dominated by slow speed corners,
which means that traction control is crucial. It is also important to
have a tyre that can cope with the high loads of the banking while
giving good grip in slow speed. The tyres were selected two weeks ago
for this Grand Prix, having worked on them with Michelin during our test
programme in Europe. In terms of race strategy, Indy is normally a
two-stop race, but we'll wait and see what the situation is on tyre
degradation and fuel effect after practice."
.
Dr Mario Theissen (BMW Motorsport Director):
"For
the BMW P84/5 engines, Indianapolis means maximum mechanical loads.
Along the straight of the oval, drivers go flat out for more than 20
seconds. The greatest load is along the second half when the final
stretch of the straight demands more than ten seconds of full-throttle
driving. Mark and Nick will have new engines for this race, as
scheduled.
The US is the biggest export market for BMW. In terms of sales volume,
it currently lies in second place behind the German home market. There
is a keen interest in the sporty M models here, nowhere else sells as
many of the BMW M cars as in the United States."
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