BEFORE THE CALAMITY KNOWN AS 'THE SPLIT' IN Indy racing circles, the CART (Championship Auto Racing Teams) IndyCar series was America's premier single-seater racing category and a genuine rival to Formula 1. Indeed, as the series spread to Australasia and South America, and eventually even Europe, the power brokers of Grand Prix racing became increasingly nervous, a fear fed by Nigel Mansell's defection after his F1 title year to IndyCar for 1993 and Ayrton Senna's test of Brazilian countryman Emerson Fittipaldi's Penske-Chevrolet in 1992 (also sponsored by Marlboro, like Senna's McLaren-Honda). It seemed that IndyCar truly could become a world series.
CART had been formed after team and car owners became dissatisfied with USAC, the sanctioning body that ran the US's top-flight single-seater racing championship. USAC was the baby of Indianapolis Speedway owner Tony Hulman, and increasingly throughout the 1970s the teams felt the series was being poorly run and with too much emphasis on the Indy 500 race and not the overall championship. CART was formed in 1978 and by 1982 was in overall charge, with only the Indy 500 running under USAC but now forming part of the CART series, which in time would be named 'IndyCar'. Nevertheless, this complex political arrangement between Indianapolis and everyone else was fraught with hazards that in time would lead to the downfall not only of CART, but also see a tremendous decline in the standing and popularity of single-seater racing in the US; it was an open goal for NASCAR.
The IRL (Indy Racing League), the Indianapolis Motor Speedway's own single-seater championship, began in 1996, and although CART enjoyed some classic seasons from that point onwards, it eventually went into decline, going bankrupt in 2003. The series limped on, rebranded as Champ Cars and effectively became a one-make 'spec series' until the two championships were 'combined' once again in 2008.
هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة May 2024 من Evo UK.
ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 8500 مجلة وصحيفة.
بالفعل مشترك ? تسجيل الدخول
هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة May 2024 من Evo UK.
ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 8500 مجلة وصحيفة.
بالفعل مشترك? تسجيل الدخول
BEST BUYS AUDI RS
THERE'S NO GETTING AROUND IT: AUDI RS PRODUCTS haven't taken home nearly as many group-test trophies as BMW M cars have over the years.
BMW M3 E46
The E46 was the first M3 to be launched during evo's lifetime, and its unique. unrepeatable character ensures it remains one of the very best
XX RATED
The Spider version of the SF90 XX provides our first taste of Ferrari's track-focused 1016bhp hypercar on the road
RADICAL SR3 XXR & REVOLUTION 500 EVO
No road car pretensions here: the Radical and Revolution sit where race car meets trackday car
ANALOGUE ELISE & ALPINE A110 R
No-expense-spared restomod Elise by Analogue Automotive makes an intriguing pairing with the lightweight, track-focused A110 R
FORD FOCUS ST TRACK PACK & HONDA CIVIC TYPE R
The Civic Type R has so far seen off all challengers, but will it meet its match in the trackday-friendly Focus ST?
TOYOTA GR86 & BBR MX-5
GR86 and supercharged MX-5 look closely matched on paper; how will it prove on the twists and undulations of Cadwell?
PORSCHE 911 GT3 RS
It’s the perfect blend of speed, poise and precision: what better car than the GT3 RS to establish our benehmark lap
TRACK CAR OF THE YEAR
From hot hatches to flyweight sports cars to actual racers, 15 contenders vie to be crowned evo Track Car of the Year 2024
ORANGE RUSH
The new Vantage has the power and speed to take on the mighty Porsche 911 Turbo S, but is it all about the numbers or does it have the ability to engage and entertain too?