Big bucks are spent by racers

From page 23

1endency to flaunt one’s wealth —
access, in this case —- is taken to
the extreme at the Indy,

Color-coordinated passes are
the badges of affluence the Indy
crowd sport, and an amble
through the ever-flowing sea of
spectators is met with chest-high
glances at your pass.

Those with the most
win,

The top dog in the pass game is
a full access pass, entitling you to
just about everywhere but Bobby
Rahal’s trailer: the pits, the
various-sponsored hospitality
suites, the grandstands, every-
where.

These passes are usually held by
middle-aged men and women who
know nothing about going tacing,
and everything about teing seen.
“Oh, that sure is a pretty color on
that car!’? and ‘‘Is that really
Nigel Mansell’s wife?’’ are the
typical comments coming from the
full-access pass holders.

Vd like to know where all these
“ife-long racing fans’? were when
the Lower Mainland’s best course,
Westwood, closed a few years
back.

Enougi) about the crowd.
look at the participants.

In the media guide that came
with our media pass — very
limited access, incidentally — it
states that ‘‘drivers take particular
exception to the tired cliche that
racers are thrill-seekers with a
death wish.’? So much for iny lead
question to Nigel.

“They race,” we are told,
“because they do not believe they
can get killed.””

Also, ‘psychological tests in-
dicate that drivers would make
less than. satisfactory corporate,
middle-management types because
of their desire to want their own
way.’”

Sounds like a few kids I know
have the right stuff to pilot an In-
dy car.

The cars these ‘‘rugged individ-
ualists’? (the guide’s phrase, not

stickers

Let’s

M993 PONTIAC GRAMD AME
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44 Western society's tendency to flaunt

one’s wealth — access, in this case — is

taken to the extreme at the Indy.9¥

Mine) strap themselves into are
capable of speeds in excess of 230
mph (370 km/h) — faster than the
speed needed for a Boeing 747
jumbo jet to take off.

And it could be argued that
these four-wheeled rockets are en-
Vironmentally friendly. The fuel
they use is methanol — a iman-
made fuel made from many mate-
dals, including wood and garbage.

Everything about going racing

aEGR

in this league costs lois of money.
The more competitive teams spend
upwards of US$10 million a
season, with no guarantees, The
purse for this year’s Vancouver
Indy was US$I million.

The lion’s share of the winnings
went to Al Unser Jr. and his
team, who were also the winners
of the inaugural Vancouver Indy
in 1990. Unser covered the
272,44-kilometre (169.54 mile)

NEWS phote Cindy Goodman

NIGEL MANSELL and Bobby Rahal share the spotlight following
the Indy qualifying race on Saturday.

1992 CHEV BERETTA GT

2dt, lots of options, immavsate
Stic 1) 5458-0

$13,585,

oes Cy
1987 MERCURY COUGAR

2dr, V8, art-cond , automate
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1992 PONTIAC LEMANS LE
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1993 PONTIAC SUNBIRD

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Economiud 4 o7t., 5 spd, mai
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and their fans

street course in one hour, 49
minutes and $2 seconds.

Local race fans proved once
again to Indy officials that Van-
couver is a profitable, and from
all accounts exciting, place to go
racing.

Only next year, I have to get
myself one of those full-access
badges. I hear Paul Newman
might show up.

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