Figure 8

[JSPhoto]

It was one of those fun days that started off with high school soccer and ended up at a race track :thumbsup: The race was at the Indianapolis Speedrome, home of the Figure 8. These are a few shots from the 150 lap figure 8 race... or, Rushhour at the Crossover. These guys are going through the crossover about every 10 seconds. Just think of it as running a stop sign every 10 seconds without hitting any traffic crossing in front of you. I love watching these races, and the drivers are extremly skilled at timing the crossover, they do crash on occasion, and there were three incidents tonight but nothing serious.
#1 was from practice
#2: The start, 24 cars thunder towards turn one
#3: one car locks up the brakes as the 94 crosses in front of him
#4: The leader of the race #1 squeaks through the crossover
#5: 3x3 through the crossover


JS

[Hoffy]

I have one of those Ratbag speedway games with the Figure 8...I actually thought it was a joke...They really do that over there?

[Old Timer]

Well you could have fooled me. The only thing I've ever seen in a figure 8 were like the boomer class. I think I saw them racing school buses once in the figure 8 on TV. The figure 8's I've seen have been more like demolition derbys. The shots of the cars going through the intersection are awesome and scary. Nice job John.

[JSPhoto]

I have one of those Ratbag speedway games with the Figure 8...I actually thought it was a joke...They really do that over there?

No joke! In the 1940's a figure 8 race was held on a track where the cars didn't actually cross each other in the crossover but went over a bridge. It's believed by most historians that the Speedrome held the first actuall figure 8 race where cars crossed in front of each other. Long Island Speedway that used to be in Long Island NY ran televised figure 8 races in the late 60's and early 70's on Wide World of Sports. I used to watch those and was hooked ever since. Since Long Island Speedway became a shopping center or whatever the World Championship Figure 8 has been run at the Speedrome. The cars they run are specially built for figure 8 and driver safety and are fairly exotic with the wings and so forth. The engines range in price from $10,000 to $50,000. They also run Street Stocks and "Hornets" in the figure 8. During the Three Hour World Figure 8 Championship race the Street Stocks are allowed to run with these cars which the track calls Late Models.

JS

[JSPhoto]

Well you could have fooled me. The only thing I've ever seen in a figure 8 were like the boomer class. I think I saw them racing school buses once in the figure 8 on TV. The figure 8's I've seen have been more like demolition derbys. The shots of the cars going through the intersection are awesome and scary. Nice job John.

Thanks OT I have seen just about every kind of figure 8 race there is, including school buses, bombers and of course this group. These guys are simply awesome, and it's just as big a "rush" for me shooting them as it is for the drivers.
I have a neat series of three buses crashing in the crossover, something like 24 frames, and two of them rolled over.
The 3 Hour World Championship Figure 8 race is run on Speed Channel I an hoping to shoot that one again this year.....it's a blast!

JS

[Jimmy B]

Those are a lot more exotic than the ones we have around here. I personally like watching them.
Jimmy B

[JSPhoto]

Does the name Don Eslick sound familiar Jimmy? He comes here every year for the 3 hour Figure 8 Championship. I have photos of him from 2001 upside down in turn one then later in the same race on fire all the way around the track. He didn't know the car was on fire until they literally pulled the safety truck in front of him and jumped out and started shooting the rear of the car with extinguishers. When he rolled it the filler neck broke, no one noticed it, filled it and he went back out and then caught fire as he went through a corner and fuel splashed out of the tank, as he drove it got bigger and bigger.... suprise!
Don's car resembled those from Southern Indiana and Northern Kentucky. These Speedrome cars are a breed all their own, and it seems no other tracks want them to visit, on the oval or figure 8. They once ran in the RCA Dome.

JS

[Jimmy B]

John the name doesn't sound familiar. i think in the past some of our nw guys would go to Indy for the big race. I will never forget my brother laughing so hard the first time he watched them race. I think the longest race we have for the is 60 minutes of FEAR. FEAR = figure eight auto racing.
JB