Post by Chris K. Hale on Apr 26, 2018 7:46:10 GMT -8
In mid-October 1971 the Prototype 1972 Eagle was done, a new revolutionary design, built to circle Indy at over 200mph. The car was loaded up in the transporter and taken out to Ontario Motor Speedway. My Dad, John Hale, had worked on the Offy and went along for the test, Prepped and ready to go Bobby Unser took it out slowly building speed and after a few laps brought it back in to the pits. Dan went over to find out what Bobby thought of the new car. Bobby told him" I dont understand its fast on the straights but in the corners its a total Dog, The lap times were 125mph and that was when Booby was on the gas. They tried several adjustments and the result didnt change... They loaded the car back up and went back to AAR in Santa Ana. Back at the shop panic had set in, Everything was riding on this car to break the 200mph lap average and be a winner. So my Dad talked with Dan and they agreed , Take the car apart and lay it out on the shop floor so they could look at the individual parts of the car.Then my Dad realized the front torsion bars were on the wrong sides, with off set suspensions they are slightly different lengths, so they buttoned the car up and early the next morning they went back to Ontario.
As the car sat waiting for Bobby to take it out, Bobby walked up to my Dad and handed him his Helmet telling him, " John You take it out , You fixed it You Drive it" My Dad was about the same size as Bobby and had raced against Dan at Ascot and assorted short tracks in California in the 50's and 60's , so he gladly accepted the challenge. He took it out on the car, it was smooth and fast, coming back in the pits Dan ran up for a full report, My Dad said," I dont know it was really fast but I dont think it was faster than the 125mph the day before" Then he noticed Dan had a huge grin on his face, and he asked what was Up? Dan told him "Well John You just went 202mph around the track!!" Bobby took it out immediately and the result was documented the same, 202mph lap average.. They took the car back and didnt touch it until it went to Indy in May 1972. This design won the 500 a couple of times and one year 30 of the 33 cars in the field were Eagles. Later Dan Thanked my Dad because they had so much riding on the car and the night after the bad test he had seriously considered scrapping it and starting over!
October 1971 Ontario.. somewhere standing in the back is my Dad, I had doubts when my Dad told me about this , so I asked Dan during a visit to AAR and he said it was true. I am posting this as my Dad now suffers from Dementia and has early Alzheimer disease and he doesnt remember so many important times in his life.. Chris
As the car sat waiting for Bobby to take it out, Bobby walked up to my Dad and handed him his Helmet telling him, " John You take it out , You fixed it You Drive it" My Dad was about the same size as Bobby and had raced against Dan at Ascot and assorted short tracks in California in the 50's and 60's , so he gladly accepted the challenge. He took it out on the car, it was smooth and fast, coming back in the pits Dan ran up for a full report, My Dad said," I dont know it was really fast but I dont think it was faster than the 125mph the day before" Then he noticed Dan had a huge grin on his face, and he asked what was Up? Dan told him "Well John You just went 202mph around the track!!" Bobby took it out immediately and the result was documented the same, 202mph lap average.. They took the car back and didnt touch it until it went to Indy in May 1972. This design won the 500 a couple of times and one year 30 of the 33 cars in the field were Eagles. Later Dan Thanked my Dad because they had so much riding on the car and the night after the bad test he had seriously considered scrapping it and starting over!
October 1971 Ontario.. somewhere standing in the back is my Dad, I had doubts when my Dad told me about this , so I asked Dan during a visit to AAR and he said it was true. I am posting this as my Dad now suffers from Dementia and has early Alzheimer disease and he doesnt remember so many important times in his life.. Chris