Purdue Grand Prix
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The Purdue Grand Prix is a charity go-kart race held annually on Purdue University's West Lafayette, Indiana campus. The purpose of the event is to raise scholarship money for Purdue students. It focuses on its tradition of "Students Helping Students".
Residence Halls and Greek organizations help build and race go-karts to raise money for the Purdue Grand Prix Foundation, a non-profit organization that conducts the kart race and related events to fund student scholarships.
Although the fraternities are a major part of the Grand Prix (13 different fraternities participated in the 2003 event), the event is open to all members of the student body.
Qualifications are held, weather permitting, on a single day a week before race day. The karts are divided into groups of three and are allowed 7 minutes on the track. The kart's fastest lap is recorded as their qualifying time. The top 27 times are automatically placed in the field. All other karts are placed in three different sprint races, which are 25 laps long, that are held on Grand Prix morning. The top two finishers from each sprint race fill the final six spots for the main race.
On anniversary years, following the sprint races are two alumni races. Older karts take part in the first 15-lap race; more modern karts take place in the 30-lap second race. The main feature is then held, following the pre-race festivities.
The 2007 Grand Prix was the 50th anniversary celebration. Dr. David Wolf, a Purdue graduate and astronaut, was the Grand Marshal for that year's race.
The 2008 Grand Prix was the final race held on the track located north of Ross-Ade Stadium, modeled after the World Grand Prix Championship Track in Japan, due to the Mackey Arena expansion project. Built in 1968, it was completed in time for the 11th running of Grand Prix.
The new track, which has been used since the 2009 event, is located at the corner of McCormick Road and Cherry Lane, near the Northwest Sports Complex.
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[edit] Social Event
Though the actual race is held on a Saturday, much of the surrounding festivities begin the weekend before. The student body sees this as an excuse to throw big parties and, often, skip class. Fraternities hold this time particularly important, they will usually throw their largest parties during this week.
Grand Prix is also a large event for alumni who often will make a long weekend of the event. Starting as early as Wednesday, the already packed bars, the majority on Chauncey Hill, begin to spill over.
However, all this is a build up to the greatest part of the week, besides the race, of course, the return of Breakfast Club. Early Saturday morning the Chauncey bars re-open to hordes of costume clad students and alumni. Screwdrivers and other alcoholic drinks are served, often in large 20oz plastic cups. Patrons dress in costume, the more outrageous or inventive the better. People not in costume are usually the odd ones out.
[edit] New Track
After 40+ years of racing on its original track, due to the Mackey Renovation, in 2008 they started construction on their new track. It was the home for the start of the 52nd Annual Grand Prix Track. It cost roughly $1 million to build.
[edit] Winners
- 1958: Fred Bartlett, Gregory Boman, Ronald Moffett, James Moneyhun, & Kenneth Shull
- 1959: Dick Clayton, John Alexander, Robert Elsperman, John Jeffers, Tom Ross
- 1960: John Mullaly
- 1961: Tom Ellis
- 1962: John Mickley, Bert Rosendahl, Bob Whiting, Jerry Williams, Tom Williams
- 1963: Edward McDonald
- 1964: Robert Booty
- 1965: Jim Feutsal
- 1966: George Taylor
- 1967: Al Brittingham
- 1968: Al Brittingham
- 1969: Gary Van der Heide
- 1970: James Fry
- 1971: George Kozak
- 1972: Mike Goodson
- 1973: Charles Workman, Jr.
- 1974: Wayne Gerhart
- 1975: Mike Brennan
- 1976: Chuck Sprague
- 1977: Dave Jones
- 1978: Robert Keagy
- 1979: Dave Fleek
- 1980: Brian Grant
- 1981: David Fuhrman
- 1982: John Brenan
- 1983: John Shumaker
- 1984: Curtis Chariton
- 1985: Doug Wright
- 1986: Bob Pitzer
- 1987: Dave Skelton
- 1988: Steve Daughtery
- 1989: Tom Smith
- 1990: Doug Hodgdon
- 1991: Doug Hodgdon
- 1992: Brian Berrisford
- 1993: Ian Smith
- 1994: Ian Smith
- 1995: Ian Smith
- 1996: Dustin Smith
- 1997: Joe Troyer
- 1998: Kyle Smith
- 1999: Tom Gray
- 2000: James Weida
- 2001: Tom Gray
- 2002: Timothy O'Brien
- 2003: Timothy O'Brien
- 2004: Clayton Smith
- 2005: Timothy O'Brien
- 2006: Clayton Smith
- 2007: Liz Lehmann
- 2008: Jon Laski
- 2009: Travis Iles
- 2010: Justin Penix
- 2011: Justin Penix
[edit] History
- Ian Smith is the only driver to win the Grand Prix in 3 consecutive years. He and Timothy O'Brien are the only drivers to win the race 3 times.
- Five members of the Smith family have combined to win 8 Grand Prix races.
- Liz Lehmann is the first female driver to ever win the Grand Prix. The 2007 race, held on April 21, was her third try. She finished 4th in 2006; in 2007 she was in the top 5 the entire race. She went on to finish 3rd in 2008.
- Several IUPUI students have participated in the Purdue Grand Prix. Their first entrant was John Steger in 1976.
- Phi Sigma Rho is the first sorority to participate in the Purdue Grand Prix, starting in the 1990s. Multiple Phi Rho drivers have qualified for the race.
[edit] External links
- Purdue Grand Prix Foundation
- "Purdue's 51st Grand Prix race to be last on four-decade-old track" Purdue News Service
