As where did thirty years go?
Yeah, your Humble, yet Haggard No Fenders
scribe Tomaso has gone down another deep, dark Wabbit’ Hole. Ostensibly due to
it being the Month ‘O May and traipsing down memory lane thirty years after
that Oh, so controversial 1996 Indianapolis 500.
As I thought I’d take a “Deeper Dive” into the drivers
who comprised Team scandia’s record seven Indy 500 entries that year.
Ten years later,
Uhm what’s that ‘Ol Pink Floyd song Time about, Eh?
R100:
Pacific Northwest Racing Teams - Scandia/Simon
Eliseo Salazar
(1996 Indianapolis 500 results)
Car No. 8, Start: 3rd, Finish: 6th; Accident, 197-laps
Eliseo Salazar raced in formula 1 between
1981-83, for March, Ensign, ATF and RAM Racing. He scored a total of three
points, with sixth in the 1981 Dutch Grand Prix. And a career best fifth in the
1982 San Marino Grand Prix.
Yet Salazar’s moment of fame came in the 1982
German Grand Prix after having collided with the overtaking leader Nelson
Piquet, with Piquet punching and kicking Him afterwards!
Salazar joined Dick Simon Racing for the 1995
CART PPG IndyCar World Series and finished fourth as a rookie in that year’s
Indianapolis 500.
Salazar remained with Simon as they
transitioned to the Indy Racing League, (IRL) driving for the new Team scandia
for two years. With Eliseo scoring the team’s only IRL victory at the Loas
Vegas Motor Speedway in 1997.
Salazar would remain in the IRL through the
2002 season, with a career best third place finish for A. J. Foyt Enterprises
in the 2000 Indy 500. Before a serious accident testing at IMS caused Eliseo to
decide to retire from IndyCar racing.
Alessandro Zampedri
Car No. 8, Start: 7th, Finish: 4th; Accident, 199-laps
Alessandro Zampedri made His IndyCar debut for
Euromotorsports at Surfers Paradise, Australia in 1994, after having raced in
the International Formula 3000 championship; pre-cursor to today’s Formula 2
series.
For 1995, He drove for Payton/Coyne Racing,
before joining Team Scandia in 1996 for that year’s Indianapolis 500.
Alessandro was involved in a major accident at
the race’s end, being caught-up in a
wreck involving Roberto Moreno and Team Scandia teammate Eliseo Salazar.
Zampedri’s car went airbourne and struck the
catch fencing! With Zampedri needing to have part of His left foot and three
toes amputated.
Zampedri returned for the 1997 Indy 500 with
Team Scandia. But an oil leak led to engine failure on the formation lap, with
the Italian classified 35th and last with 0 laps.
Zampedri made one further IRL start for Team
Scandia at the following Texas Motor Speedway round, before returning to
Europe. Eventually becoming the 2005 Porsche Supercup champion, the first
Italian to win the championship.
Michele Alboreto
Car No. 33, Start: 12th, Finish: 30th; Gearbox, 43-laps
The most decorated of Team Scandia’s seven man
band. Michele Alboreto rose thru the ranks to the pinnacle of motorsports,
entering Formula 1 in 1981.
The Italian began His F1 career driving for Tyrrell
for 1981-83, before moving to la Scuderia, nee Ferrari between 1984-88. Followed
by stint at Larrousse, Arrows, footwork, Scuderia Italia and Minardi. Amassing
a total of 185 F1 starts between 1981-94; with five wins, two poles, 23 podiums
and five fastest laps to His credit.
He scored his maiden Grand Prix victory at the
oft, maligned and forgotten Caesars Palace in Las Vegas in 1982.
Alboreto holds the distinction of winning the
last Ford Cosworth 3.0-litre normally aspirated DFV derived victories. Winning
then Cosworth’s 156th victory at Detroit with a short stroke DFY development
lump’. Being the sport’s final normally aspirated victory until their return in
1989.
Having won twice for “Uncle chopper”, (Ken
Tyrrell) Michele’s crowing achievement in Formula 1 was driving for Il Commendatore,
nee Enzo Ferrari and Scuderia Ferrari for five seasons and 80 Grands Prix.
Netting a further three wins and contesting the 1985 F1 title, before finishing
runner-up to Alain Prost. With the Frenchman replacing Him for the 1989 season.
Michele made His return to Open Wheel Racing
when contesting the entire 1996 IRL season driving for Team Scandia, finishing fourth upon debut at Walt Disney
Speedway.
Also competing aboard Scandia Engineering’s Ferrari
333 SP in that year’s 24 Hours of Daytona and 12 Hours of Sebring.
Alboreto claimed His sole podium finish in the
IRL for Team scandia at Loudon, New Hampshire Speedway’s fall ’96 race. Finishing
third, then capped His Team Scandia career with a fifth place finish at Las
Vegas’s 1996-97 Round 2.
Michele dabbled in DTM and Touring cars, along
with multiple stints in Sports Cars pre and post Formula 1. With the Italian
returning to Circuit de la Sarthe between 1996-2000.
Alboreto won the 1997 24 Heurs du Mans in the
Joest Porsche WSC95 Spyder, alongside ‘lil Stevie Johnson, aka Stefan Johansson
and Mr. Le Mans, ergo tom Kristensen.
Sadly, Alboreto lost His life in a testing
accident at the diabolical Lausitzring, driving an Audi R8. Having somehow
forgotten that Alboreto died on April 25, 2001 at the same track that almost
cost Alex Zanardi His life nearly five months later…
Remembering
Michele Alboreto: F1 Ace, Le Mans winner and a Good Man
Fermin Velez
Car No. 34, Start: 28th, Finish: 21st; Engine Fire, 107-laps
Fermin Velez is another driver I know very
little about, or how the Spaniard rose to be a premiere Sports Car racer. Other
than knowing of His two wins for Team Scandia at the 1995 and 1997 12 Hours of
Sebring. Having a framed 1995 Randy
Owens serigraph with Velez’s, Eric van de Poele and Andy Evan “John Hancock’s”
upon thoust Bungalow’s wall.
Velez was also a two-times World Sports Car
Group C2 champion, and made six starts in the 24 Heurs du Mans between 1986 and
1998. Claiming two class wins, first in 1987 in Group C2 for Spice Engineering.
And then in 1998 in LMP1. Driving for Doyle-Risi Racing alongside Wayne Taylor
and Eric van d Poele in a Ferrari 333 SP.
Having spent one season in the International
Formula 3000 series, with less than promising results in 1988, I can only
Arse-sume this led to Fermin focusing upon a Sports Car career…
Fermin made His Indy Racing League debut at
Phoenix International Raceway during the inaugural IRL season, finishing 19th
for Team Scandia, presumably a “tune-up” for the impending Indianapolis 500.
Velez would make another four starts for Team
Scandia during the IRL’s second 1996-97 season, including His best result at
the Brickyard, finishing tenth. And then capping His IRL career at the
following Texas Motor Speedway round in 25th .
Sadly, Fermin died from cancer at the age of 43, just shy of His 44th birthday.
