Famous Race Track Series #1: Indianapolis Motor Speedway

Have you seen the latest DreamWorks Animation film, Turbo? If so, you should be quite familiar with this racetrack. Learn more about the nuts and bolts of this racetrack and share this new knowledge of automobile racing history with your Eat My Dust buddies!

Photo by Josh Hallett

The Indianapolis Motor Speedway is known for being a symbol of the American heritage and one of the world’s greatest racecourses. It was built over 100 years ago in 1909 as a testing track, but now has become the host of many history defining moments. The Speedway is also a facility that can house the most spectators in the world, with more than 250,000 permanent seats.

The most significant and epic event that takes place on this racetrack annually is the Indianapolis 500 (Indy 500). This is a 500 mile race held on Memorial Day weekend every year, where drivers need to complete 200 laps to race to victory and honor. The Indy 500 is considered to be the top three most prestigious events in automobile racing around the world.

Photo by Daniel Morrison

Unlike Formula One, drivers use Indy cars to race in the Indy 500. The Indy cars are designed for oval track racing and must follow a standardized set of specifications so that all the cars in the race are identical, except for the cosmetics. On the other hand, Formula One cars are designed and created from scratch every year. Therefore, the cars may look similar to one another, but the performance and features may be entirely different. The only similarity that Indy cars and Formula One cars have is being open wheeled, which means that the wheels are outside the single-seated car’s main body.

Wrench’s Facts: Current Top 5 Formula One Teams

Do you want to dominate the racing world in Eat My Dust? Then you should look up to some of the fastest racers in the world! Like your racing machine in Eat My Dust, the Formula One car is a high-speed prototype that is focused on performance and advanced technology. However, these teams and drivers will not be so successful if it were not for their persistence and constant practice. Check out the most up-to-date Formula One ranking and see what it takes to become a world-class racer!

1. Red Bull Racing

Running in top place right now is this indestructible team from Austria! Established in 2005, this team consists of two renowned racers – Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber. Vettel, a German native, is also crowned first place in the recent grand prix that occurred in Singapore. Webber, an Australian native, did quite well too, earning fifth place in the same championship in Singapore.

Photo by Max Bosio

2. Ferrari

Hailing from Italy, the Scuderia Ferrari team is probably the most successful team in the history of Formula One – winning 16 Constructor Titles, which is specifically awarded to the person who created an engine or chassis that performed outstandingly in a race, and 15 Drivers Titles, which is awarded to the most successful Formula One racing car driver in one season. The current drivers of the team are Spanish native, Fernando Alonso, and Felipe Massa, a Brazilian native. This team used to be the home of the legendary Michael Schumacher, who won the title of World Champion with Ferrari for five consecutive years, from 2000 to 2004.

Photo by Nic Redhead

3. Mercedes

The debuting year of this team marked one of their most successful moments of the team’s history. In 1954 alone, their former driver Juan Manuel Fangion, won the French grand prix and the drivers championship. They are back with a re-branded team for Formula One in 2010, hiring Michael Schumacher as their driver. In the most recent season, the team’s drivers are British native Lewis Hamilton, who placed third in the recent grand prix, and German native Nico Rosberg, who got sixth place.

4. Lotus

The team’s first Formula One season was back in 1981, and the cars are proven to be a good fit for most circuits and conditions in grand prix. The latest driver line-up is definitely one of the highlights of this team – consisting of 2007 Formula One Champion Kimi Raikkonen, who won the fourth place in the recent grand prix in Singapore, and Romain Grosjean, a GP2 Series Champion who took home eighth place in the recent race. They are both French natives.

5. McLaren-Mercedes

Since 1966, this team is known for their relentless effort to ensure that the cars evolve with technology and to produce the fastest car in the world. The specifications of the cars will never be the same in each race and they are constantly striving for a better racing machine. The two drivers of this team are both in the top 15 positions in the most recent grand prix. They are Jenson Button, a British native, and Sergio Perez, a Mexican native.

Photo by William Murphy

Now that you have learnt a little bit more about Formula One, the teams and the drivers, what team and which driver is your favorite? Log into Eat My Dust, today, and start polishing your techniques and skills to match up with these top-notch racers!