Jump aboard a McLaren M8F for a lap of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Dear God, THE NOISE!
You may remember the on-board Porsche 917 footage we recently posted from a Porsche Rennsport Reunion event at Laguna Seca. And unless your heart is made of stone, THAT noise is probably still engrained on your memory.
Thanks to new crankandpiston.com fan Jon Sands, we’re delighted to bring you another basey trip down memory lane, courtesy of a lap of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on-board a McLaren M8F. The below run is part of the prestigious Brickyard Vintage Racing Invitational, the first such vintage event ever to be held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway by the Sportscar Vintage Racing Association (SVRA). It’s an event that sees competitors take on not just the 3.9km road course but the historic, 111-year old 4km oval circuit too. Unsurprisingly, the official entry list spanned 15 pages and included 23 former Indy 500 entrants, most notably ’92 and ’94 winner Al Unser Jr, ’68, ’75 and ’81 winner (and uncle) Bobby Unser, and ’96 winner Buddy Lazier.
Following on from the D iteration of McLaren’s M8 Can-Am racers – which dominated the 1970 championship with nine wins from ten races – the new F was 3in longer and boasted substantially larger rear rims, necessitating significantly developed suspension geometry. The 495cu in big block from Chevrolet meanwhile remained, pumping out 740hp and 655lb of torque. At the helm of M8F, former Formula 1 Grand Prix winner Peter Revson romped to five victories and the ’71 championship, whilst teammate – ‘67 F1 champion and reigning Can-Am champion Denny Hulme – took victory on the M8F’s competitive debut at Edmonton. Across its 11-year lifespan (’71-’82), the M8F took 17 Can-Am victories and a further 27 podium finishes.
– Our thanks to Jon Sands
