That's got to make the other teams *real* happy. The Captain who keeps beating everyone now owns the jewel of the series and the entire damn organization who runs the series.
Sure he's "stepping down" from calling the shots pitside but this is Roger - he's relentless and so damn good at finding every little advantage he can.
1994 Mercedes/Ilmor pushrod motors were brilliant and I always love reading about what he'll do to win. Witness the Mark Donohue TransAm:
Quote:
During their enormous success in Trans-Am, Penske and Donohue would begin to experiment with their Camaros. They discovered that dipping a car in an acid bath would eat away small amounts of metal, which in turn made the car incrementally lighter, and allowed it to be driven faster. The 1967 Z-28 won its last race by lapping the entire field of cars, causing suspicion throughout the paddock.[citation needed]
During a post-race inspection, race stewards discovered that the car was 250 pounds lighter than the 2,800-pound minimum weight requirement. Donohue was about to have his race victory taken away for cheating, but Roger Penske stepped in. Penske warned that any disqualification would have the potential of motivating Chevrolet to pull all support for the Trans-Am series. After considering the potential consequences, the race stewards allowed Donohue's victory to stand, but the rules for the 1968 season incorporated a change whereby all cars would be weighed during the technical inspection before the race.
Penske and Donohue did not stop acid-dipping after this, however. Continuing the practice of reducing weight allowed them to place weights of certain sizes strategically in specific locations within the car, thus helping to balance the car while being driven on the limit. Acid-dipping car bodies was prevalent with competing Trans-Am teams also.
|