Rain postpones Indy before fiery crash 4 > ■ ■ „'j' 'Salt' Walther saw both fire and rain By WILL GRIMSLEY AP Special Correspondent INDIANAPOLIS (AP) “Salt" Walther paced up and down in front of his garage on Gasoline Alley as periodic bursts of rain delayed the start of the 57th Indianapolis 500 yesterday. "This is terrible,” the 25-year-old Dayton, Ohio, native said. “I haven’t eaten for two days. I have just built myself up emotionally for the start of this race. Now it is postponed.” “A guy really gets psyched up for a race like this and I guess I am as psyched up as anybody.” A couple of hours later, Walther’s No. 77 McLaren- Offenhauser exploded in flames after crashing against the wall in the main stretch, the central casualty of a nine-car accident that sent gasps through the crowd of 350,000. Two poles holding cables were snapped about six feet from the base and parts of shattered steel were hurled into the crowd. An undetermined number of spectators were treated for injuries. Two women were slipped through a hole in the fence and carried away in ambulances. Walther was in critical condition in Indianapolis’ Methodist Hospital with multiple burns on 40 per cent of his body and a broken left wrist. For the second year in a row, young Walther failed to complete the first lap of the grueling race. Last year, the former hydro-plane racer now turned to the championship auto circuit, failed to complete it when his car suffered mechanical problems and coasted to a stop at the No. 2 turn. “These long delays and on-again, off-again situations are tough on everybody but particularly on rookies,” said Bobby Unser. 1968 winner and one of the favorites in this year’s race. “I have a different description of rookies. I consider Salt I*RA the place to be in 1973 Spend 7 months working and-or studying Sept. Departure DIVERSIFIED ISRAEL EXPERIENCE a unique way to learn Hebrew, spend 5 months on a kibbutz, and earn 7 credits at the University TEL AVIV UNIVERSITY FALL SEMESTER earn 15 college c-edits while living and studying in Israel Contact AZYF-PVI 401 S Broad St Phila., Penna 19147 KI 5-4400 Ladies' night at Playland Wed. 30, May 8:00 fun. - 11:00 fun. All ladies will receive 50 cents worth of pinball games free!. Pregnant? You have a friend in State College. PROFESSIONAL ABORTION Safe Legal Inexpensive Phone anytime 237-1156 Problem Pregnancy Non-Profit organization ~ /> Walther. for instance, a rookie because of his lack of ex perience in this type of racing. Everybody gets butterflies in their stomachs, but it’s these young guys like Walther who are hurt most by indecision and delay.” The accident exploded like a bomb on a gray, drippy day that saw flashes of sunshine and periodic invasion of clouds and rain. Everyone seemed gay, like people attending a Sunday picnic or Fourth of July celebration, when Jim Nabors sang the traditional “Back Home in Indiana” and the cars were pushed onto the 2 1 2 -mile asphalt track for the start of the race after a four-hour delay. Spectators strained against the ropes to watch the 33 cars being led on the customary pace lap preceding the 200-lap race. When the green flag went down, signaling the drivers to give the throttle their heaviest foot, the cars surged down the straightaway in front of the main grandstand so fast there was little but a blur. Suddenly, there was a flash of fire and parts of finely tuned racing cars began flying through the air. Others started spinning and twisting over the track in full view of a majority of sport's biggest crowd turnout. The suddenness of the accident sent a cold chill through the crowd. They stood like people frozen, straining for a sight and searching for word of the extent of the tragedy. Women began crying and wringing their hands as crews dashed from the pit area to the track and back again and as ambulances whined, carrying the injured from the track to the hospital. First reports were that Walther, who apparently was the most seriously hurt, suffered multiple burns on his face and body and had a back injury. He was picked up by helicopter -fli listen to WQWK classifieds at each evening WQWK radio Wa/ther critically injured in 9-car pileup INDIANAPOLIS (AP)— A jarring, grinding collision only seconds after the racing flag was dropped brought an abrupt end to the 57th running of the Indianapolis 500-mile ( race yesterday. The race, already delayed by showers for more than four hours, was put off until 10 a.m., EDT, today. Last night’s forecast called for a 30 per cent chance of scattered showers this morning and decreasing in the afternoon. “There will be a lot of shower-free time,” a National Weather Service spokesman said. One driver, David “Salt” Walther of Dayton, Ohio, was in critical condition in In dianapolis’ Methodist Hospital with multiple burns on 40 per cent of his body and a broken left wrist. Two other drivers and 18 spectators, apparently struck by flying debris, also were injured. About 20 minutes after the and flown to nearby Methodist Hospital in a maneuver as dramatic as the movies. The uncertainty of the start of the race, resulting in the sixth delay or postponement in the event’s 62-year history, brought varying reactions from the drivers who suffered through the long wait. Bobby Allison, one of the three rookies in the starting field, appeared one of the most calm as he and Mark Donohue, the defending champion, chatted in the pit area while waiting for the announcement to get onto the track. “Yes, it’s distrac ting." he said. “We would like to race ljutif there is a delay it’s the same for everybody. It doesn’t bother me.” Swede Savage of Santa Ana, Calif., agreed with Bobby Unser and Walther that delays such as that yesterday were tough on all the drivers. “It’s a big letdown we all get psyched up and want to race," he said. “It becomes a question of just how many times you can psych yourself up for a big race. This is not like any ordinary race. This is the biggest one of all." + the good neighbor. The American Red Cross m the movies 5 I corner beaver & garner 237-0002 I 6:00-7:30-9:00 and 10:30 ADULTS ONLY MUST BE OVER 18 . .._ gt iy . igl. jday only. Magic coupons must be presented at ourj gboxoffice in the book. Detached coupons will not be?: :;ihonored. Thank you for your cooperation. the Collegiates starring Harry Rheems * Tanya T. Ticklers Mark Andrews • Gloria Von Stuben written by Merry Seaman • Executive Producer-Carter Stevens directed by Carter Stevens and Robert Josephs • Color Adults Only accident, rain drenched the one of the 33 starters —Bob track and the record crowd of Harkey in 30th position more than 300,000 for a fifth couldn’t get his motor time. Speedway officials cranked up—had made the quickly shut down the 2'i- two pace laps, mile oval for the day. Then Walther, who had The crash, reminiscent of a started in the middle of the bigger, more serious one in sixth row, apparently lost 1966, involved nine cars. At control and veered across the "We are supposedly the best drivers in the world and we can't even drive down the bloody straight." English driver David Hobbs least three of them appeared to be - so badly damaged they will not be able to make the restart. It occurred about 100 yards down the track from where starter Pat Vidan had dropped the green racing flag, 4 hours 5 minutes after the scheduled start. All but i ■ 1 ................ Fight Inflation. Buy your Cigarettes at Playland. still only 5.45 a pack. The Daily Collegian Tuesday, May 29, 1973 broad front straightaway and flipped into the high fence guarding the main grand stand. The car burst into flames, then spun several times before coming to rest upside down in the grass near the first turn. Spectators sitting •in ex pensive box seats only 20 feet from the racing surface were sprayed with searing flames COME AND HUDDLE WITH j THE CHEERLEADERS^ El % Produced Dy PAUL GLICKLER and RICHARD LERNER D Disiripoted Dy QNEMATIQN INDUSTRIES Nightly at 7, 8:35 and 10:10 | Cinema Two jj mry r€PETzry& dick kanipsia. TCGETtIEP AT lAST! » m =«^ HHlmetrocolor Daily at 2, 3:50, 5:45, 7:30 and 9:30 OPENING REMARKS WELCOMING NEW STUDENTS. "Now during this year, we are going to explore ourselves through others as a necessary and good element in the art of loving." Dean of Harrad College THE MOST READ BOOK ON if f JH| CAMPUS ojuffl JCH IN CCXOR daily at 2,4, 6, 8 and 10 PM WSSSS Sounanock aioum avC'iOi'ie Of -1 Co; ’ifoi Reco*as and hot metal. Of those treated at the infield hospital, most suffered burns—some to the corneas of their eyes. At least one was hit by flying debris. David Hobbs, a tall, angular Britisher, drove through the pileup and escaped with slight damage to his car. “We are supposedly the best drivers in the world, and %ve can’t even drive down the bloody straight,” he fumed. In addition to Hobbs and Walther, other drivers in volved in the wild melee of spinning machines were Jim McElreath, John Martin, Lloyd Ruby, Mike Hiss, Lee Kunzman, Wally Dallenbach, Dick Simon and Mike Mosely. Walther, at 25 the youngest driver in the race, was making only his second start at the ancient Indianapolis Motor Speedway. From a video tape replay of the accident, it appeared that another driver nudged the rear of Walther’s car and knocked it into the wall. Then it was hit by other cars before it flipped and caught fire. •“G d t PAUL GL'C>IER GIVE US AN X >'"om jR} §y; (EBAMfc*—"
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