Sneva Continues Slow Down Campaign : Veteran Feels Indy Racing Needs Less Speed, More Competition

Tom Sneva knows the many dangers of driving on the ragged edge.

Although an advocate of slower racing speeds, the 36-year-old former school teacher manages a fearless approach to the high speed technology that has made a 210 m.p.h. lap common at Indianapolis.

He set a qualifying record at that speed during the 1983 Indianapolis trial and then won the race with an average of 162.117 mph, third fastest in the 500’s history. His 1977 trials speed of 200 m.p.h. was the first time a driver had achieved that plateau in a qualifying lap at the Brickyard.

Sneva says he’d like to see the CART series gear down to comfortable speeds.

“CART has done a good job of marketing, but hasn’t followed that up with an exciting product,” he said. “In professional football, fans like to see a high-scoring game. So the league has adopted rules that encourage passing. We have to adopt rules that will make for more competitive races.”

Sneva said the idea of gearing down cars is really a Catch-22. On the one hand, owners pump in millions to support the sport and encourage their drivers to greater speeds. On the other, there are the fans.

“Most owners in this sport are in it because they like fast, exotic cars,” he said. “But what the fans want is something different. They (the fans) can’t tell the difference between a car going 190 m.p.h. or one going 210. They want to see close racing, like they have in NASCAR.”

Sneva believes it is up to the drivers to organize and push for more stringent rules. However, he said it’s unlikely they’ll succeed.

“Drivers have really never been too together,” he said. “The reason is very simple. There are a lot of good drivers and only a few good owners. Once you are driving for a good owner, there are five guys lining up to take your place.”

Sneva cited cases that showed how powerless drivers are in securing positive safety measures. In recent years, there have been a number of high-speed accidents in which drivers have severely injured their feet and legs (Rick Mears, Kevin Cogan, Danny Ongais).

“They (the accidents) are chewing up the drivers’ legs,” he said. “It seems like a relatively easy problem to solve. You just move the driver farther back in the car. But the designers are worried about ground effects and don’t want to do it. To make matters worse, the guys that are getting hurt are choosing to stay quiet and not push for a change.”

Sneva has been racing Indy car since 1973. He was named the rookie of the year that season and two years later almost lost his life at Indianapolis when his car hit wall and became a fireball. Prompt rescue efforts saved him to race another day. Since that time he has twice won the national driving championship--in 1977 and 1978--and watched auto racing technology take quantum leaps.

“It has gotten to the point now where it is 95% car and 5% driver,” he said. “When we race at Indy, we are flat out. It doesn’t take that much skill to drive that way.”

Sneva finished second to Mario Andretti in last year’s driving championship. He is currently seventh in the standings, 40 points behind front runner Al Unser Jr.

His chances in today’s CART race are slim because Laguna Seca is a road course. Sneva cut his racing teeth on the ovals and has had problems adapting his style to road racing tracks.

“It’s (road racing) just like anything, you have to learn the technics,” Sneva said. “You have to adjust. But I’m still a little more competitive on the oval track.”