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Old 29 Aug 2004, 16:55 (Ref:1080699)   #6
GT1
Racer
 
Join Date: May 2004
Posts: 152
GT1 should be qualifying in the top 10 on the grid
Sort of.

Ferrari built an Indy car around 1986 or 87. It never raced, and many believe never intended to race, but the engine did serve as the rebadged Alfa Romeo from 1989 to 1991. In Rahal's book it mentions that Enzo was pulling the lid over everyone's eyes, but in theory we were supposed to have Rahal in a Ferrari around 87 or 88.

Rumor has little or no development was done to the engine in the three years it race, and despite having 1989 team champions Patrick Racing (who reportedly had a Chevy Ilmor shipped to Italy) and drivers like Roberto Gurrero, Al Unser Sr, and Danny Sullivan on the squad, it was a total diaster.

Sullivan had a couple of decent runs but those were few and far between. One was a sixth in Aussie ahead of a couple of Cosworths and a fourth on an oval (can't remember the name) but that was about it and it was rumored it never got within 100 horsepower of the Chevy Ilmor. With Ford coming back into Indy car in 1992 and the rumored (to be true) involvment of Honda, who by 1991 had a rough prototype engine on the dyno, Alfa withdrew from the series following 1991.

Chevy Ilmor were not prepared to supply Patrick with engines after the shipping fiasco and Miller left, as did Sullivan, at the end of the year.
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