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Indy Roadsters Take Center Stage at Historics.(News)
Byline: PATRICK C. PATERNIE
The 34th Rolex Monterey Historic Automobile Races celebrated the Indianapolis 500's roadster era of 1952 to 1965 with cars and drivers representing about a quarter of all Indy 500 victories on hand for the Salute to Indy Roadsters.
Sam Hanks' yellow No. 9 Belond Exhaust Special was one of five winning cars on loan from the Speedway Museum. Built by Meyer-Drake Offenhauser employee George Salih after work in his garage, it had a dorsal fin sprouting from its tail and was the first "laydown'' roadster, with its engine lying nearly flat in the chassis to lower the center of gravity. Hanks' victory came on his 13th try, and he announced his retirement in victory lane. The next year, Jimmy Bryan took the car to its second win.
Other winners in attendance were the pink 1955 John Zink Special Kurtis driven by Bob Sweikert, Rodger Ward's 1962 Leader Card Special, the 1963 Willard Battery Watson owned by J.C. Agajanian and driven by Parnelli Jones and the 1964 Sheraton-Thompson Special Watson of A.J. Foyt.
Winning drivers there included Al Unser (four wins), brother Bobby (three wins), Johnny Rutherford (three wins), Emerson Fittipaldi (two wins), plus Bobby Rahal, Jones, Danny Sullivan and this year's winner, Dario Franchitti.
Although none of the above drivers or cars took part in the exhibition laps, a snarling pack of almost 30 other Offy-powered Indy roadsters did answer the command of "Gentlemen, start your engines,'' gleefully shouted out by Hanks' widow, Alice.
"I didn't know so many still existed,'' Bobby Unser exclaimed. Asked why he wasn't out there, Unser laughed. "It's more ...
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