The start of the 1911 Indy 500.
Finally the month of May 2016 has arrived and the countdown to the 100th running of the Indy 500 on May 29th just got a whole lot closer.
Kiwi Scott Dixon's car on the grid at Indy 2015.
Yes there is the Grand Prix of Indy on the famous road course at the speedway in just two weeks time but the really attention is about that famous 2.5 mile oval that is INDY. 100 races come May 29th 2016.
For the teams and drivers they are now pretty much based at the Speedway for the month very much like teams were in the past eras but now for two races rather than the one. The vibe of the speedway will be in them from now on and the countdown has really kicked off. The tensions will rise and the emotions will follow but then again this is Indy.
Is the Grand Prix a form guide to the 500 no its not as the road course and the spec of the cars is very different to the 500 however is there a mind game in there oh yes there is and don't forget the GP uses the section of turn one and the main straightaway of the oval so you know you are there thats for sure. Equally now is not the time to do something silly as the recovery time before the 500 will go very fast this now is about control focus and more. Now is not the time to be the hero save that until May 29th.
Who will be the drivers to watch in 2016 at the 500 --- simple really all of them. All 33 that take the start on May 29 are worth the price of admission alone. They all can win and nothing says that better the the performance of Juan Pablo Montoya last year after lap one he was dead last and yet he was smart and drove with his head and by lap 200 he was the leader on the only lap that ever counts the final lap and that run to the yard of bricks and the flag and not until then is it ever in the books.
Blast from the past Dario Franchitti in a Lotus at Indy 2015
The look and the sound of Dario doing a lap before the race start in 2015 summed up the history of Indy just like nothing else that day.
Naturally the big teams are the ones to watch but this is Indy and anything can happen dreams can and do come true and dreams are also shattered in the blink of an eye cause this is Indy.
The feeling is this could very much be a real sell out and while there was a sell out some 20 years ago this sell out will produce numbers never seen before as the track hosts more people in areas not possible 20 years ago so expectations of even 450,000 are possible. The all new look gateway is finished and looking great. This is May and this is Indy oh yes this really is the 500 in the month of May. The blog will feature daily updates from May 18th onwards of everything that is Indy and the 100th so be sure to know they will be posted each and every day until the day after the 500.
I decided today is flashback day in terms of photos so here we go.
The crowd just before the race start in 2015
First lap of the 1915 Indy 500
Photo credits. Black and white photos ex Noggles Goggles and the Indy Star file and the colour photos are ex the David Turner Collection.
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