Beaten Car Wins Praise

Press, Volume CVII, Issue 31385, 2 June 1967, Page 11

Beaten Car Wins Praise

(N.Z. Prett AMoelcHon—Copyright/ z INDIANAPOLIS. The gold and the glory of this year’s Indianapolis 500-mile car race went to A. J. Foyt and his piston-driven Ford, but the race feature clearly belonged to an experimental turbine machine that finished sixth, United Press International reported.

The race was barely over when drivers and enthusiasts were betting that next year’s event would include as many as 15 cars like the one P. Jones drove to within 10 miles of victory. Jones won lap prizes worth $27,000 and set a silent, sizzling pace for 173 of the 200 laps. A broken gearbox forced him out after 490 miles. Race officials said the unofficial total purse of $727,346 was $30,000 more than last year’s record. The New Zealander, D. Hulme, who won the “Rookie of the Year” award gained $28,277 for his fourth place. Foyt collected $171,227 about $5OOO more than J. Clark (Scotland) was paid for his win two years ago. Foyt did not like following the turbine around the circuit most of the afternoon, but he hinted broadly that he would be driving one himself in the 1968 classic. “This is supposed to be a proving ground for automobiles and not for airplane en-

One of the cars in the pileup spun out and skidded sideways past the main grandstand. It burst into flames, but the fire was quickly extinguished.

gines.” Foyt said of Parnell’s car. But when he talked of next year’s race, he said. “I would not want to come back here with anything that’s not competitive.” The turbine got another vote from G. Hill, the 1966 winner, who retired yesterday after 23 laps. Hill said he would enter the 1968 race in a turbine-powered machine. There was a spectacular five-car accident on the leader’s final lap. The race was stopped, but Foyt was declared the winner by race officials.