Photo credit: Indianapolis Motor Speedway
While the selection of engines was not nearly as diverse as chassis for
the 1981 Indianapolis 500 – just about everybody had a Cosworth – there was one
notable challenger.
That would be the Pepsi Challenger of Mike Mosley. This Dan Gurney
Eagle was quite narrow at the front before fanning out wide at the rear. With
its bright yellow paint scheme trimmed in white, it looked like a lawn dart (if
you remember those) hurtling down the straightaway.
And then there was the sound of the Chevrolet engine. Loud. Really
loud. You knew when this car was on the track – no matter where you were. The Cosworths had a higher-pitched whine or shriek while the Chevrolets had a distinctive deep roar. Instead of investing in aero kits, maybe something could be done to the engine noise of today's Hondas and Chevrolets to make them more distinctive.
Mike started second in his penultimate Indianapolis 500 appearance and,
befitting his usual foul luck at the Brickyard, finished last after mechanical
failure.
The story goes that he blew his race engine during practice. According
to Carl Hungness’ 1981 Indianapolis 500 Yearbook: “Two weeks after this year’s
500 he went to Milwaukee with the engine intended for Indianapolis and won the
race from last place.”
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