1973 USAC National Championship - Entry List

Jason White wrote:

The #59 Eagle 70 is now open to full-timers who want to switch to another car. 
If it is still vacant 24 hours from now, it goes to tier 1 of the waiting list.

I will take the #59 Eagle 70. I will do my best to be competitive and maybe later other opportunities may open up. Thank you.

It's actually not that bad of a car.  It's not the quickest in terms of top speed, of course, but it could be good with the right setup on intermediate or short ovals.

Just by the chance, I discovered today one very interesting information, so if any of you with more knowledge and interest know more about it, I would be happy to hear (read) it..

Well, I found out that Frank Kurtis (or Curtis) father was from a village called Razdrto, half hour drive from my city, and that Billy Vukovich (a Serbian- Monte Negro origin) drove his cars... I tryed to dig something more, but couldn't find out more, except Kurtis built some Midget class racers, and I found some photos but with not much information..

This one supposed to be '53 Indy Vukovich in Kurtis car!!!



and this one!


Edit: it seems that Kurtis was one of the first manufacturers who was presenting his cars with nice girls near them!

I knew the Vukovich family was of Serbian origin, but didn't know Kurtis' father was from your neck of the woods! That's pretty cool. Of course, the Bill Vukovich in these photos is the father of the Billy Vukovich in our USAC mod. He won the 500 in '53 and '54, and would have won it in '55, had fate not intervened. A third generation driver, Billy Vukovich III, raced Indy cars in the 1980s.

Jason White wrote:

I knew the Vukovich family was of Serbian origin, but didn't know Kurtis' father was from your neck of the woods!  That's pretty cool.  Of course, the Bill Vukovich in these photos is the father of the Billy Vukovich in our USAC mod. He won the 500 in '53 and '54, and would have won it in '55, had fate not intervened.  A third generation driver, Billy Vukovich III, raced Indy cars in the 1980s.  

Yes, yes, I know this one is Vukovich senior, and it seems he won both Indy 500 in Kurtis car!
Original name of Frank Kurtis was Franjo Kuretić, but he changed it for easyer and better managing the company. He started as a blacksmith, like his father, but not for long...

It looks that we are going to have some kind of memorial racing in his village, but Im not sure what kind.. Ill let you know when I find out!

And Vukovich, which born name was Vaso Vučurović, he was acctualy from Monte Negro, which was part of ex Yugoslavia (same as Croatia and Serbia), and after the war, they were a part of the so called "third" Yugoslavia, together with Serbia. It was not long and they claimed their indipendance. But they are acctualy the same nationality as Serbs... complicated
Well,

Anyway, very, very interesting

Frank Kurtis, essentially, invented the Indy Roadster. It was a revolutionary design that offset the engine to left side of the chassis and the driver to the right side. This redistributed the weight and gave the cars better handling.

From 1950 to 1960 Kurtis' Roadster made up almost the entirety of the Indy 500 field, winning 5 of the 500's.

Much like the Lotus in mid-60's this was the car to have in the 50's. Until AJ Watson perfected the design and his cars or copies of his cars would dominate the early 60's until the Lotus showed up.


Side bit of Trivia, due to the nature of the World Championship from 1950 to 1960, that included the Indianapolis 500 as a part of the Championship. The Kurtis roadster is one of the most successful Formula 1 cars of the 50's, I may be wrong, but I believe its the only Formula 1 car to finish on the podium in every championship race it entered.

Jason Fitch wrote:

From 1950 to 1960 Kurtis' Roadster made up almost the entirety of the Indy 500 field, winning 5 of the 500's.  

The first roadster was introduced by Kurtis in 1952, his earlier models were classic Indianapolis cars

Jason Fitch wrote:

Side bit of Trivia, due to the nature of the World Championship from 1950 to 1960, that included the Indianapolis 500 as a part of the Championship. The Kurtis roadster is one of the most successful Formula 1 cars of the 50's, I may be wrong, but I believe its the only Formula 1 car to finish on the podium in every championship race it entered.

The Indianapolis cars of the 1950s never were and cannot be considered as F1 cars. It was not a F1 championship, but the World Drivers' Championship, a competition organised by the FIA to determine who was the best driver of a given season. The FIA made its WDC schedule with the best international speed events of the year, regardless of the technical rules the races used. In 1952-53 for instance, only F2 races in Europe were taken into account as there were very few F1 cars available. The Indy 500 race used the pre-war International Formula for Grand Prix cars technical regulations, and switched to its own set of rules when USAC took over from the AAA. Although there have been a few years (like the immediate pre-WW2 years) when European GP racing and American racing shared the same technical rules, it never happened in the F1 era (which started in 1946) of GP racing.

The World Drivers' Championship didn't even have a points series for constructors up until 1958 and this was only an International F1 Constructors' Cup, not a pukka World Championship. It remained like this until 1981 and the Concorde Agreement between Ecclestone and Balestre, after which the WDC became the F1 World Championship and the F1 Constructors' Cup became a World Championship as well.
The only official FIA World Championship for makes in the 1950s was the World Constructors' Championship, first held in 1953 and reserved for sports and prototypes cars in Endurance events such as the Le Mans 24 Hours. This series didn't have a points standings for drivers until 1981.

For more information about Frank Kurtis you should read the excellent Indianapolis Racing Cars of Frank Kurtis 1941-1963 by Gordon White, clearly the best book on the subject by a more than respected author

Jason Fitch wrote:

I may be wrong, but I believe its the only Formula 1 car to finish on the podium in every championship race it entered.

Like I said it's not a F1 car/make, but some other GP cars have achieved to finish on the podium of every World Championship race they competed in. One is the 1952-53 Ferrari 500, a 2-litre Formula 2 car. There are probably others as well.

I have missed our Frankipedia

OOOooooooooooooo! Step aside, Mr. Fitch. You have been out-encyclopedia'd!

As we speak, Fitchy is pouring over every book he has every owned (like a lawyer) preparing a four-page essay to compare and contrast the difference in the championships/cars/regulations, not to prove Frank wrong in any way, but to prove that he alone is the Prince of Ultimate Detail!

I wouldn't go up against Frank. He has more books than there is tree's in the whole of France

Richard Coxon wrote:

I wouldn't go up against Frank. He has more books than there is tree's in the whole of France

And they comprise only a small part of his knowledge

Richard Coxon wrote:

I wouldn't go up against Frank. He has more books than there is tree's in the whole of France

Oh, I'm not saying he should! Just in my personal experience, it would be a rare occurrence if he didn't.

Jason White wrote:

The #11 Parnelli is now open to full timers who want to switch to another car. 
If it is still vacant 24 hours from now, it goes to tier 1 of the waiting list.
(Please keep in mind the allocation caveat regarding 1000 bhp cars)

IF she clears any full-timers who want to switch, and IF none of the 1st Tier waiting list guys don't want her, I wouldn't mind dancing with her until the end of the season.

But I won't be able to make the next race at Michigan, as I'll be at the SVRA US Vintage Grand Prix at Watkins Glen on the weekend that is scheduled.

_______________________

Anybody besides Dana, Fitch, the Patrick boys, or the other Parnelli boys who don't jump at this car before I get a chance at it, should be playing PokemonGo!

Jason White wrote:

The #11 Parnelli is now open to full timers who want to switch to another car. 
If it is still vacant 24 hours from now, it goes to tier 1 of the waiting list.
(Please keep in mind the allocation caveat regarding 1000 bhp cars)

BUMP

Quote :

EDIT: Scott Urick now drives #11 as a full-timer

"PLEASE, dear 8 pound 12 ounce baby Jesus, don't let me drive under the safety truck under yellow! And don't let my son drive under the same safety truck on the very next lap!"

Welcome to the suppa-dooopah-team Scott

Scott Urick wrote:

Quote :

EDIT: Scott Urick now drives #11 as a full-timer

"PLEASE, dear 8 pound 12 ounce baby Jesus, don't let me drive under the safety truck under yellow! And don't let my son drive under the same safety truck on the very next lap!"

That happens in 1991, so I think you are safe

Alberto Ibañez wrote:

Welcome to the suppa-dooopah-team Scott

Thank you, sir!

Jason White wrote:

The #40 Eagle 72 is now open to full timers who want to switch to another car. 
If it is still vacant 24 hours from now, it goes to tier 1 of the waiting list.
(Please keep in mind the allocation caveat regarding 1000 bhp cars)

I would like to have the # 40! Thank you.