This Week in Racing History (May7-13)

This Week in Racing History

May 7
Frank Lockhart sets the board track single lap speed record of 147.229 mph in a Miller 91 rear drive at Atlantic City, New Jersey, USA (1927).

Mike Spence dies in practice accident at Indianapolis, Indiana, USA (1968).

Gary Bettenhausen becomes the first to lap the Indianapolis Motor Speedway at over 190 mph. He hits 190.285 in his Penske McLaren- Offy (1972).

May 8
Tom Wheatcroft born (1922).

Jimmy Gibbons wins sprintcar race on 1-mile dirt oval at Trenton, New Jersey, USA (1949).

Colin Chapman, effected by the previous day's death of Mike Spence and the recent death of Jim Clark, leaves Indy and flies back to England, leaving the STP Indy team to be run solely by Andy Granatelli (1968).

Gilles Villeneuve dies during qualifying for the Belgian GP at Zolder (1982).

May 9
Mario Andretti runs first unofficial 210 mph lap (210.575) at Indy (1984).

NASCAR team owner Harry Hyde dies of heart attack (1996).

May 10
Phil and Steve Mahr, olympic skiers and racers, born (1957).

Lorenzo Bandini dies from burns suffered in crash during Monoco GP (1967).

Rick Mears turns the first unofficial 220 mph lap (220.048) at Indy (1988).

May 11
Dragracer Richard Hartman born (1967).

Mario Andretti is the first to drive a 200 mph lap at Indy when he does 200.311 in practice (1977).

May 12
Engineer Claudio Lombardi born (1942).

First championship F1 race for Matra MS10-Ford, in Spanish GP at Montjuich in Barcelona. J-P Beltoise finishes fifth in the car (1968).

Reigning F1 champion Nigel Mansell passes his Indianapolis rookie test (1993).

May 13
Harry Schell dies during practice for British Grand Prix at Silverstone (1960).