INDY’S RICH RACE HISTORY

Spectacular open-wheeled event showcased the Glitter Strip in all its beauty to a worldwide audience

EVERYONE knows the story of how the Gold Coast Indy came to be.

The car race through the towers of Main Beach came to showcase the Glitter Strip to a worldwide audience through the 1990s as it grew to become one of the city’s biggest events.

A treasure trove of photos from the event’s heyday in the late 1990s and early 2000s capture some of the thrills and incredible spills which have become some of its most famous moments.

The 1998 Indy was the first to be held in the motorsports carnival’s now traditional October weekend and

While Alex Zanardi went on to win the race, one of the most stunning moments was a crash on lap 38 involving American driver Jimmy Vasser who escaped unharmed from the spectacularly damaged vehicle. Photographer John Morris captured the carnage.

A less-known moment of celebration is the 2001 Indy which came less than six weeks after the world-changing September 11, 2001 terror attacks in the US.

Organisers feared crowds would steer away from the event, especially after direct threats were made.

But the Gold Coast turned out in droves and kept the Indy spirit alive.

Another spectacular series of crashes occurred in 2003 when the open-wheelers race was hit by a horror storm, sending the cars hurtling into the barriers.

John Morris was in the right place at the right time to capture Jimmy Vasser’s high-speed crash in the 1998 Gold Coast Indy. Fortunately Vasser was unhurt and able to walk from the wreckage.

Alex Zanardi receives a kiss from Miss Indy Kelly Hart after winning the 1998 Gold Coast Indy.

A concerned track official checks on a driver after one of many crashes in the rain-swept 2003 race.

The front straight as it was in 1998.

Race fans thumbed their noses at terror threats to turn out in droves for the 2001 race.