Wayne Taylor Racing are preparing for Indianapolis, with driver Max Angelelli harking back to childhood memories of the ‘Golden Age’ of racing.
The Italian Angelelli, a huge fan of Colin Chapman, says his favourite Indianapolis photos are the post-race celebration shots of Chapman, his Lotus Indy car and Jim Clark after winning the 1965 Indy 500.
“I love racing history,” said Angelelli. “I’m European, so among the first things that come mind when I think about Indy is Colin Chapman. I was always a fan of Lotus cars and Colin Chapman when I was a kid, and I still remember those years very well. He won Indianapolis in 1965 and I remember seeing pictures of him at Indy with his driver Jim Clark and his Lotus on the racetrack and in victory circle. It makes me feel like I was born way too late. I feel like I missed a really good era of racing. When I go to Indy, I like to dream like I’m driving in the 1960s era. Those drivers were real men, not like so many drivers today who are just too sensitive about everything.”
“Indy is very, very special,” added Jordan Taylor, team-mate to Angelelli. “It was cool driving there last year after watching on TV all those years growing up. You really don’t realize the size of the place when you see it on TV. When you see Indy cars there on TV, the straights don’t seem so long. But when we get there, going 40 mph slower, the straights are definitely very, very long. It’s really an impressive place. It’ll be even cooler to be able to drive the Corvette DP there this time around. It’s going to be a lot of fun.”
“Obviously, the oval section is the coolest part about Indy,” continued Taylor. “Once you get on the infield part of the track, it’s just another road course. There is very low grip on the infield part, so the car slides around a lot. But once you get onto the oval, it’s pretty cool. The car just keeps accelerating around what’s turn one for the Indy cars, turn 13 for us. The front straight is the longest straight we have on our calendar, and it’s a cool feeling to drive almost the entire length of it with the grandstands on both sides. There are a number of places to pass, so I’m optimistic that if we need to pick up positions late in the race that we can get it done.”
