Marko Hanželic
Cup award to win the prestigious race for 500 miles from Indianapolis it is usually also accompanied by a sip or two milk, which is then poured in a very similar style to sparkling wine in Formula 1.
Connection races for 500 miles of Indianapolis and the milk on the winning stage is old, but it doesn’t quite go back to the beginnings of this (especially for Americans) traditional and prestigious event. The first race on the famous oval was held in 1911, and only 24 years later (by chance) a bottle of milk was added to the victory.
I was May 30, 1936 and it was a warm, sunny day in Indianapolis. After four hours and 35 minutes, he is the winner Louis meyer saw the checkered flag, but after he got out of the car, he was completely in place with his strength, so he asked for a glass of sour milk and drank it loudly in front of an enthusiastic crowd.
The matter immediately gave the idea strategist of the local dairy chamber, who suggested that the winner should always be handed over to the winner at the end of the race as well a bottle of milk. After all, it didn’t matter to the Dales that Meyer was on his third win after "Oval" desired sour and not ordinary milk. "The color is white anyway," they said at dairy collections.
Vse from 1937 to 1946 milk was on the program to announce the winner of the race Indy 500, noting that between 1942 and 1945 the races were not held due to World War II. In 1947, the then head of the racetrack, Wilbur shaw, decided that instead of milk, the winner would be given a bottle of water, which was valid until 1955. Shaw, who drank milk three times in Victory Lane, having won in 1937, 1939 and 1940, was clearly not a fan of this white drink.
After that Shaw in 1956 fatal in a plane crash, the milk was returned to Indy 500 and insists on declaring the winner of the race to this day. With one exception - Emerson Fittipaldi he drank instead of milk after the 1993 victory Orange juice and immediately fell into disfavor dairy lobby in traditionalists, who accused the Brazilian lack of respect to the race and the fans.
The additional anger of the Americans is fittipaldi dug up when it turned out he wanted to do with it promotion of orange plantations, which he owned in his homeland and many traditionally oriented fans allowed him to a year later fifteen laps before the end of the race in which he led, ended up in the wall. Some argued that it wasn’t all a coincidence, though sabotage they never proved it.
