Pat O'Connor in the Engle Offy

rdzsprint · 8/4/23, 1:45 PM

Pat at speed 1953.

TQ29m · 8/4/23, 3:04 PM

Close to home town boy, I bought the 55 Chev he was awarded for his rookie of the year at Indy in that year, his wife traded it in, in 56, and I bought it from the dealer in Columbus, later, at Cummins Engine, 2 0f his sons were employed at the tech center, and one of them wore his AAA , brown jacket to work in the winter, nice people!

Charles Nungester · 8/4/23, 4:20 PM

Probably 20 years now at a No Way out, Me and Fishinman met one of his Sons down at North Vernon. I only talked briefily with him but was real nice, Fishinman and him both worked on the B 52s in different time periods

Anyway, Pats Son told me that his dad taught AJ the way to get around Indy good in his rookie year and sure enough even in that AJ Doc Flo is showing. AJ saying. "I don't know what I'd done if Pat O'Conner hadn't taken me under his wing.

Again small world but big things.
Chuck

The Old Coyote · 8/4/23, 5:45 PM

Wow, look at that picture! No roll cage, not even a roll hoop, no full face helmet. These men of that era had to be brave as lions and tough as nails!

Stevensville Mike · 8/4/23, 10:12 PM

Would he have a lap belt on or was this when the theory was it was safer to be thrown full? I am guessing no belt. I mean, why be belted in with no hoop.

And the external suspension adjustment lever just forward of the cockpit. That could only be tweaked under caution? I cannot believe one could operate that at flat chat.

Great picture share, rdz! Thanks!

Moreland76 · 8/4/23, 10:31 PM

Stevensville Mike that may be a hand brake, I know kk midgets had them.

jdull99 · 8/5/23, 1:45 AM

I think AJ Foyt's book talked very much of Pat. Heck of a wheelman it sounded like!

TQ29; the wife traded in before he passed away???

(just posting this for those that wana study up...I woulda never known he was only 29!)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pat_O%...(racing_driver)

Stevensville Mike · 8/5/23, 8:37 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Moreland76

Stevensville Mike that may be a hand brake, I know kk midgets had them.

Ahhh... thank you.

The tread width on the old cars always fascinated me, too. Any type of open wheeler - sprints, big cars, F1. I doubt the stagger wasn't that much on the car in the pic, either. One can always look back and think, "Why didn't they just use 'this or that'. They could have gone so much faster."

I like thinking about it in present terms. "What could they do NOW to go faster?"

Love these old pics. That one was 70 years ago. Imagine fans looking at a now current sprinter in 2093.

The Old Coyote · 8/5/23, 8:56 AM

"Imagine fans looking at a now current sprinter in 2093".

Umm, 2093, let's see:

Electric powered cars
No qualifying, everybody starts in the front row to be fair
Two lap heat races because battery runs out
Ten lap feature with re-charging stops every two laps
No winners allowed
Everybody gets a participation trophy
No booing allowed from grandstand so no ones feelings are hurt
Bud Light is the only beer available from the concession

On the positive side, there will be no noise and little dust for neighbors to complain about.

TQ29m · 8/5/23, 9:17 AM

Yes, it was a manual brake, and there could have been a hand pump also, that was used to pressurize the fuel tank, even in Indy cars of the period.
Rex Mays was my hero of the time, and he refused to use the belt because of his fear of being burned to death, guess what happened, from what I remember, he was thrown from the car, and died as he wished, I'm not sure about this, but it can be looked up I'm sure.