1984

INDIANAPOLIS 500

"Green Flag at 200"
Plus:
"The Hidden Heroes" and "March into May"

“Green Flag at 200”, The Hidden Heroes” and “March into May” are three different vintage films of the 1984 500-mile race, and all three are included in beautiful COLOR on a new 1 hour, 10 minute DVD from Rare Sportsfilms! “Green Flag at 200”, produced by Championship Racefilms for Goodyear is the most generic of the three films, with more detailed qualifying, race and wreck coverage. The second film, “The Hidden Heroes”, also by Championship but for Miller Brewing, covers the 1984 race and pre-race Miller Pit Stop Championship. “March Into May” by Car & Track Productions for Valvoline includes new shots of the race and has more driver interviews. All three films show the 1984 Indy 500, however each film shows completely different footage of the race and the story of the month of May leading up to the spectacular classic on Memorial Day!

Narrated by radio voice of the 500 Paul Page, “Green Flag at 200” opens by showing practice crashes (Scott Brayton, Steve Chassey and Jacques Villeneuve) of this year’s cars attempting to run laps at over 200 MPH, and how the increases in speed thru the years at Indy have made the cars we drive on the highway safer. This leads into qualifying, with every car in the field this year at over 200 MPH and Tom Sneva’s pole speed of 210.029 setting a new record! Shown during their attempts are Rick Mears, rookie Michael Andretti and father Mario, Al Unser Sr, Sneva, Roberto Guerrero, A.J. Foyt and Johnny Rutherford. Also nice closeup shots of qualifiers Josele Garza, Gordon Johncock, Teo Fabi, Al Unser Jr, and second place qualifier Howdy Holmes. Interviews with master mechanic Derrick Walker and Tyler Alexander explain the increase in speed this year. Rick Mears takes the early lead with Tom Sneva 2nd and holds it until his first pit stop after 25 laps, with both Mears and Sneva stops shown. The first caution of the race is on lap 48 when Spike Gehlhausen spins in turn two. The most horrific crash is on lap 58 of the race in the north chute as Pat Bedard spins off the track and into the earthen bank, the car flipping and ripping apart, coming to rest upside down with Bedard still in the roll cage! Thankfully, he receives only minor injuries. Afterward there is a series of leaders including Teo Fabi, Danny Ongais, Al Unser Jr, and Tom Sneva, before Fabi exits the race with ignition problems. On lap 103, Gordon Johncock spins off the 4th turn, across the track and into the pit entrance, hits the pit wall and bounces across to the outside pit wall, ending up in the grassy area with a broken foot and out of the race. Attrition begins to take its toll, as Johnny Rutherford succumbs to engine failure and Al Unser, Jr. breaks a water line. During a pit stop Mario Andretti rams Josele Garza on the pit lane and is out with a broken front wing. Tom Sneva must call it quits with a broken CV joint. With Roberto Guerrero second, Al Unser Sr. third and rookies Al Holbert and Michael Andretti 4th and 5th, Rick Mears wins his second Indy in a memorable 500-mile race!

“The Hidden Heroes”, also by Championship Racefilms and narrated by Paul Page, was commissioned by Miller Brewing Company of Milwaukee to publicize their sponsorship of the annual Miller Pit Stop Championship. New shots of the ’84 500 open the film, as Page explains “Although the winning driver gets credit and publicity for the victory, too often overlooked is the importance of the men of the pit crews of each team which make possible the winning ride”. Then a look back at the very first 500 in 1911 when there was little pit strategy and stops took three minutes and more. Then scenes of the late 1950’s when changes in racing made a good pit crew more and more important. Take a trip with Jimmy Bryan in the Belond Special around the Brickyard in 1958 when fire suits and roll bars were optional and communication was by old fashioned lap boards. Watch a Parnelli Jones pit stop in 1962 with scenes of cars by then with air jacks. A series of pit stop disasters of the 1960’s follows. Other problems facing a pit crew are shown: Roberto Guerrero missing his pit stall and having to go around the track again, losing precious time and repairs to a car after a practice crash (Steve Chassey and Jerry Karl). Institution of the “Mechanic’s Trophy” in the late 1950’s, and finally “modern day” 1984 - the Miller Pit Stop Championship to finally recognize the top pit crew of 1984. Rick Mears has won the last two, in ’82 and ’83 and will be trying for three in a row this year. For ’84 the top four race qualifying teams and four other teams who quality thru a series of playoffs for these other four spots by individually racing against the clock are eligible. Shown in the preliminaries are Teo Fabi, Al Holbert and Dick Simon. In the finals are Tom Sneva vs Tom Gloy, Teo Fabi vs Howdy Holmes, Al Holbert vs Michael Andretti and Rick Mears vs Dick Simon. For the Championship, it’s Howdy Holmes vs Michael Andretti. Time-wise Andretti thinks he has lost, however a lug nut on Holmes’ car was not tightened and the penalty reduces Holmes to second place, with rookie Michael’s crew the winner for ’84!

“March Into May” by Car & Track Productions for Valvoline is another different film of the 1984 race and opens showing Dick Simon’s #22 March and Bobby Rahal explains why the new March chassis is the “way to go” for many teams this year. Many nice interviews in this one! There are scenes of Pat Patrick’s wind tunnel and Howard Millican talks about the importance of aerodynamics in this year’s race car design. Second year Indy driver Al Unser, Jr. relates how thrilled he is to be back and how much racing at Indy already means to him. Bobby Rahall talks about the difference in how young drivers become Indy car drivers today as opposed to the 1960’s when Sprint car driving was the common path to Indy, and Gordon Johncock also shares his view on the subject. There’s an interview with Mario Andretti and son Michael about the mental aspect of getting ready for the 500 and from raceday onward you’ll see many of the drivers close-up including A.J. Foyt, Johncock, Bobby Rahal, Emerson Fittipaldi and Pancho Carter. Also seen in this film are the cars of drivers Johncock, Al Unser Sr., Herm Johnson, Chip Ganassi, Geoff Brabham, Josele Garza, Derek Daly, Foyt, Johnny Rutherford, Danny Sullivan, Michael and Mario Andretti, Danny Sullivan, Danny Ongais and Al Holbert. There’s a different angle on the Spike Gehlhausen spin and during the race, pit action is shown with Garza, Al Sr., Gehlhausen, Holbert, Kevin Cogan, Ganassi and others.

To get your own DVD containing both of these historic films, send only $29.95 plus $4.20 shipping. (Illinois residents must add $3.20 state sales tax). Add $10 extra for BLU-RAY!         (Highly recommended if you have a BLU-RAY player or HD Large screen TV!)