21 replies to this topic

[HistoryFan]

Montoya is back after 13 years out of IndyCar. What are the longest breaks for IndyCar drivers?

[Andrew Hope]

Will Power's last win before Sonoma this year was in 1897, does that count?

[garoidb]

Roberto Moreno seems to have had a break of 7-8 years between 1986 and 1994 (Indy). Not as long as Montoya, obviously.

[Risil]

Roberto Moreno went back to Europe after doing 1986 with Galles Racing, and only returned to CART doing odd rides in 1996. That's 10 years, give or take. Danny Ongais, "The Flyin' Hawai'ian" had 10 years between Indy 500s in 1986 and 1996 too.

 

Michel Jourdain Jr, who unbelievably is only 37, had 8 years between a pretty-successful Champ Car season in 2004 and a pretty-unsuccessful Indy 500 entry in 2012.

 

There are a couple of near-misses from the early IRL too (if you want to totally conflate the two record books, that is). Of the four Buick production-based 3.4L V6 entries in the first IRL race at Walt Disney World, the drivers had last raced an Indycar in 1981, 1983 and 1993. Another's Indycar record consisted of one failed attempt to qualify a self-run Eagle chassis in 1982. However, Jim Buick (1981), Bill Tempero (1983) and Rick DeLorto (1982) didn't qualify. Dave Kudrave (1993) did start, but his car broke down after 4 laps.

 

Marty Roth, who was Milka Duno's middle-aged Canadian male warm-up act, raced in Indycar in 2004, a full 16 years after his first Indy Lights/American Racing Series start. However that was the first time he'd made it onto an Indycar grid so it hardly counts.

[Andrew Hope]

Good old Marty Roth. A true Canadian racing hero.

[garoidb]

Apparently, Emerson Fittipaldi tested Johnny Rutherford's McLaren Indycar in September 1974. Nearly a decade passed before his Indycar race debut.

Edited by garoidb, 16 September 2013 - 19:17.

[Jim Thurman]

Montoya is back after 13 years out of IndyCar. What are the longest breaks for IndyCar drivers?

 

Cy Marshall and Roland Free both competed in the 1930 Indianapolis 500 (or International Sweepstakes) and didn't make another start until both made the 1947 Indianapolis 500, for a gap of 17 years.

[William Hunt]

Teo Fabi: 4 year break.

[teejay]

Cy Marshall and Roland Free both competed in the 1930 Indianapolis 500 (or International Sweepstakes) and didn't make another start until both made the 1947 Indianapolis 500, for a gap of 17 years.

Wildcards due to WW2 ?

[jonpollak]

I'll side with Thurman but...
Someone should email Donald Davidson.
Jp

Edited by jonpollak, 17 September 2013 - 00:31.

[teejay]

Mario had 9 years between retiring and his Indy flip - fair to say he may of actually had a run in the event had kenny not made his car do the rolly polly?

[ensign14]

A notable one is Raul Riganti, who started three "Indycar" races, all in different decades.

[bsjracing]

John Andretti something like 1994-2007

[HistoryFan]

Mario had 9 years between retiring and his Indy flip - fair to say he may of actually had a run in the event had kenny not made his car do the rolly polly?

 

I don't think he should race the car. He was about 60 years old. Might be the oldest Indy-500 race or were there older drivers racing there?

[midgrid]

Danny Ongais raced in USAC/CART from 1976 to 1987, then later returned to the IRL-run Indy 500 from 1996 to 1998.

[Jim Thurman]

Wildcards due to WW2 ?

 

1947 was the year of ASPAR and their strike. I have to assume that played a big part. Only a 30 car field after a lot of negotiating and extra qualifying sessions.

[teejay]

I don't think he should race the car. He was about 60 years old. Might be the oldest Indy-500 race or were there older drivers racing there?

He was 63 in 2003

 

AJ Foyt did it at 57 ... not that far out

[Clatter]

Mario had 9 years between retiring and his Indy flip - fair to say he may of actually had a run in the event had kenny not made his car do the rolly polly?

He had 11 years in F1 before returning to Indycar.

[teejay]

Very true!

[Victor_RO]

He had 11 years in F1 before returning to Indycar.

 

Yeah, but didn't he still try his hand at the 500 while still being in F1?

[Rob G]

Yeah, but didn't he still try his hand at the 500 while still being in F1?

 

Yes, and other races too. Including the Indy 500s, by my count he did 34 Indycar & CART races from 1975 through 1981.

[HistoryFan]

Cy Marshall and Roland Free both competed in the 1930 Indianapolis 500 (or International Sweepstakes) and didn't make another start until both made the 1947 Indianapolis 500, for a gap of 17 years.

 

 So that must be the record