mph (223.8km/h). Unser was duly given the full Victory Lane treatment, bringing back memories of his two previous triumphs in 1968 and 1975.When Bobby Unser crossed the finish line eight seconds ahead of Mario Andretti for his third Indy 500 victory, little did he know that far from being the end of the race, it was really just the beginning. Sensationally disqualified the following day, Unser was eventually reinstated as the winner five months later after the longest and most contentious sequel to an Indianapolis 500.
Having put his Penske PC9 – the Norton Spirit – on pole, Indy legend Unser quickly had the first inkling that this was going to be no ordinary race. ‘After the announcement of “Gentlemen, start your engines”, smoke came from under the dash of my car, which told me my radio literally had gone up in smoke.’ Deprived of the more advanced technological means of communication, Unser and team manager Roger Penske had to resort to basic finger signs – one for pit, two for wing, three for tyres. Unser also survived a hairy pit stop fire, choosing to drive his way out of it ‘because those invisible flames have a tough time surviving at 200mph [321.8km/h]!’
The race developed into a fierce contest between Unser and the Wildcat-Cosworths of Mario Andretti and Gordon Johncock. When Johncock dropped out, Unser and Andretti remained locked in battle but the Penske, having led for most laps, held on to the finish to record a winning time of 3hr 35min 41.8sec. at an average speed of 139mph (223.8km/h). Unser was duly given the full Victory Lane treatment, bringing back memories of his two previous triumphs in 1968 and 1975.
Then came the sensation. Chief steward of the track Tom Binford stated that Unser had illegally passed ten cars while exiting the pit lane at a time when the yellow flags were out following a spate of accidents. The yellow flags created a ‘hold station’ period where overtaking was forbidden. Unser was penalised a lap for his misdemeanour. According to Binford, the second man home, Andretti, had only passed two cars in the same circumstances and so was promoted to first place. At the official victory banquet on the evening after the race, Andretti was declared the ‘winner under protest’.
Unser launched an appeal and, after five months of investigation, he was reinstated as the winner of the 1981 Indianapolis 500. The appeal panel concluded that Binford’s controversial penalty could only be imposed during a race. To illustrate their point, they used a basketball analogy where a game was concluded with a one-point margin of victory until the next day a foul was called, allowing the losing team to shoot uncontested free throws. These hypothetical throws were converted so that the losers became the winners. Obviously such a situation was no more acceptable in motor sport than it would be in basketball, and therefore Unser’s appeal was upheld. The panel also determined that the rule in question had not been communicated clearly to any of the 33 drivers competing in the race.
Unser was fined $45,000, but the penalty was nothing compared to the rewards of winning a third Indy 500. And the verdict allowed Unser, one of the all-time great US drivers, to quit racing on a winning note before embarking on a new career as a TV commentator.