Indy vintage gathering, 2011

George Lyons and his Watson Raodster




photo: George Lyons collection

You have to remember that the Vintage Indy group has come to Indy at their own expense to show their cars to their friends and all the spectators who were able to attend this event.

Some of my friends living in and around Indy were simply not aware of the vintage event or when it was planned to take place. It would have been nice if ANYONE at the IMS had let anybody outside the privy circles know about this event, so that potential spectators would actually have been AWARE that something was going on, many of them who think that running vintage cars on the famous oval is far more interesting than the actual race event that will take place (ho-hum) tomorrow...
Shaking my head in disbelief, but not at all surprised.

Agreed, T54. You'd think attendance for this event would have been quite good had it be publicized at all.

It is as if the IMS blokes are trying NOT to publicize such events, and frankly the reasoning behind it makes little sense at all, in any respect, tradition, financial, whatever. I believe that once you give the keys to management to financiers who have little interest in the actual product they are managing, the product suffers, and in this case, immensely.
I am really sad because I LOVE Indy cars (for God sake, I own TWO of the damned things! ) and am so disappointed by this basic lack of respect for what made their business great.
They own the place, so whatever, but this is not the way to run a business for success. Maybe they should work for the government, they would be perfect for the job, those guys don't care either.

Vintage roadster on the track
T-54: I will say a very nice highlight of the Vintage Indy Gathering was having Donald Davidson announce the various cars as they enterend the track and his telling the history of the various cars.


photo: Rick Knapp

Edited by Jerry Entin, 30 May 2011 - 07:49.

Jerry,
I am sure that the Donaldson commentary was great, but playing to whom? The grandstands are empty. Not a soul.
Who is running a joint celebrating their 100th year of existence by organizing a celebration of the cars and people that made it happen, in virtual secret except for a few knowledgeable enthusiasts? Why was not this very important event, with the most fabulous cars, made available to... the public, properly advertized, set on a better day where attendance should have been in the tenths of thousands, if they even KNEW about it? The IMS should have made this very public instead of advertising laps around the track by... touring cars! WHAT???
I am amazed and saddened by it, especially since it appeared that this was a great event with great cars and great people. It could have been such a great opportunity.

Edited by T54, 30 May 2011 - 17:52.

Perhaps this opportunity will come again with the 100th running of the '500.' And if so, I intend to be there.

Dok, from what I heard the strongly promoted driver reunion and autograph session was a mess (though it's possible that I'm hearing from a disgruntled few instead of a satisfied multitude). Maybe it's best to keep stuff like this underground for a select few if IMS runs it.

Edited by thatguy0101, 30 May 2011 - 19:42.

Dok, from what I heard the strongly promoted driver reunion and autograph session was a mess (though it's possible that I'm hearing from a disgruntled few instead of a satisfied multitude). Maybe it's best to keep stuff like this underground for a select few if IMS runs it.

I'm of the opinion no matter how much anyone tried there was no way everyone eho went to that autograph session would have gotten all the potential autographs they wanted. I've seen it here at Richmond when they ran how hard it was to wait in lines for the most popular drivers while the "lesser lights" went wanting for folks getting their autographs.

I heard they were at tables of six and you had to decide as you entered which six you were gonna get.

Do you take the table with say Parnelli Jones ,Willie t Ribbs , Larry Foyt , Gregoire ,Goldsmith,Tom Bagley over the table with Janet Guthrie , Jim Guthrie , Al Unser Sr, Larry Dickson ,Chuck Hulse, Milka Duno?

In fact the more folks that knew may have may it tuffer to get as many as possible..So in this instance promotion may have worked too well.


BTW anyone who did attend the autograph session , could you provide a list of who did make the it there .I am most curious if any pre ww2 folks left made it (Besides Dick Harroun) and if Andy Granatelli or Jim Rathmann we able to attend



paul

Great photos of great racing machines. As much as I like F1 I find Indy cars to have a certain magic about them.

The rebroadcasts of past 500s on ESPN Classic were really wonderful to watch.

I'm of the opinion no matter how much anyone tried there was no way everyone eho went to that autograph session would have gotten all the potential autographs they wanted. I've seen it here at Richmond when they ran how hard it was to wait in lines for the most popular drivers while the "lesser lights" went wanting for folks getting their autographs.

I heard they were at tables of six and you had to decide as you entered which six you were gonna get.

Do you take the table with say Parnelli Jones ,Willie t Ribbs , Larry Foyt , Gregoire ,Goldsmith,Tom Bagley over the table with Janet Guthrie , Jim Guthrie , Al Unser Sr, Larry Dickson ,Chuck Hulse, Milka Duno?

In fact the more folks that knew may have may it tuffer to get as many as possible..So in this instance promotion may have worked too well.


BTW anyone who did attend the autograph session , could you provide a list of who did make the it there .I am most curious if any pre ww2 folks left made it (Besides Dick Harroun) and if Andy Granatelli or Jim Rathmann we able to attend


paul

Paul,

I don't know if Jim Rathmann was there. But the stories go that Granatelli did go to the Memorabilia show, also held at the speedway that day. Personally, I did not see him but I had the good luck to be able to speak him very briefly after the drivers meeting he also attended.

As for the drivers attending, I saw lists and I think there were some 75 or so drivers though I can't recall any others then

Stefan Johansson, Gary Bettenhausen, Bob Harkey, Ted Prappas, and Art Malone,

Needless to explain why I had Art Malone on my wishlist.
But my buddy Walt Schaub from St Louis, (who has made some of the models of winning cars that is on display at the museum) had made me a model of Malone's high finned Novi of 1963 and brought it over for me that day. And when we found out that Malone was sitting to us next door...
Thanks to cooperation of a yellowshirt who understood my situation and so on and why I wanted to meet Malone, he let us in and Walt and I could show Art the model of the car he drove. He was delighted to see it (he wanted one too) and had a good time telling us about the car. Art actually signed the car for me too.
Needless to say, my day was good ever since that moment....

I know one thing for sure: That autograph session drew people to the track like junks to Amsterdam: only to find out that wasn't the nirwana they believed it would be.


Henri

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Paul,

I don't know if Jim Rathmann was there. But the stories go that Granatelli did go to the Memorabilia show, also held at the speedway that day. Personally, I did not see him but I had the good luck to be able to speak him very briefly after the drivers meeting he also attended.

As for the drivers attending, I saw lists and I think there were some 75 or so drivers though I can't recall any others then

Stefan Johansson, Gary Bettenhausen, Bob Harkey, Ted Prappas, and Art Malone,

Needless to explain why I had Art Malone on my wishlist.
But my buddy Walt Schaub from St Louis, (who has made some of the models of winning cars that is on display at the museum) had made me a model of Malone's high finned Novi of 1963 and brought it over for me that day. And when we found out that Malone was sitting to us next door...
Thanks to cooperation of a yellowshirt who understood my situation and so on and why I wanted to meet Malone, he let us in and Walt and I could show Art the model of the car he drove. He was delighted to see it (he wanted one too) and had a good time telling us about the car. Art actually signed the car for me too.
Needless to say, my day was good ever since that moment....

I know one thing for sure: That autograph session drew people to the track like junks to Amsterdam: only to find out that wasn't the nirwana they believed it would be.


Henri

Jim Rathmann did not attend due to ill health.

There were more than 140 drivers at the track for the "reunion", more than half of the 273 living Indianapolis 500 drivers.

The autograph session was pretty good, there were things I'd change about it if they try again however.

BTW anyone who did attend the autograph session , could you provide a list of who did make the it there .I am most curious if any pre ww2 folks left made it (Besides Dick Harroun) and if Andy Granatelli or Jim Rathmann we able to attend

paul

There are no drivers alive who raced in the Indianapolis 500 before World War II.

As I mentioned in a previous post, Mr. Rathmann's health kept him from attending, same for Chuck Weyant, the oldest living driver.

simply stunning shots and thanks for sharing.