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1965
INDIANAPOLIS
"DIARY OF COURAGE"
"Diary Of Courage" is not only a film on fan favorite Jim Hurtubise, but also the men and machines of the STP Granatelli Novi team and their month at the speedway in 1965. Included are behind the scenes shots of the crew preparing the three cars and a close up look at both Hurtubise and young Bobby Unser who drove the last STP Novis to run at Indianapolis. This great 29-minute color film, now restored to digital video by Rare Sportsfilms, follows the team during the month of May and shows the race from the Novi perspective.
The tape begins with a look inside Andy's Santa Monica shop at his three cars: last year's #9, which was knocked out of the race in the tragic Sachs-MacDonald wreck, #59, an older backup Novi, and Granatelli's new creation for 1965, the #6 four-wheel drive STP Ferguson, a monster that develops up to 830 HP and is probably the most powerful car ever entered!
As the cars arrive at Indy, practice and qualifications get underway. During this segment many other drivers are shown: pole-sitter A.J. Foyt, Joe Leonard, Rodger Ward, Jim Clark, Parnelli Jones, Dan Gurney and young rookie Mario Andretti. Throughout the video you'll also see the cars of drivers Al Miller, Lloyd Ruby, Foyt, Walt Hansgen, Masten Gregory, Arnie Knepper, George Snider, Len Sutton, and of course race winner Jim Clark. Cars that did not even make the race are also shown, such as those of drivers Norm Hall, Bob Hurt, Bob Harkey and Ebb Rose. Safety improvements are briefly discussed and a flashback of last year's Sachs-MacDonald crash, which wiped out Granatelli's first 4-wheel drive Novi, is shown.
However 1965 would be another trying year for the Novi crew. On a practice run in the new 4-wheel drive #6, Bobby Unser is confronted by a spinning Ebb Rose (in car #79) and smashes into him, demolishing both cars. With their top car out of the race, Andy decides to take last year's #9 out of mothballs and the crew is shown working all night to get the car ready to qualify. When Unser arrives early the next morning, the car is ready and a practice run shows the car will be competitive. When Bobby qualifies, Granatelli decides to enter their last car, the yellow and blue #59. To drive it, Andy selects fan favorite Jim Hurtubise, out of a ride after crashing the #56 Tombstone Life rear engine Ford. At this point, the tape introduces "Herk", who almost died last year in a flaming accident at Milwaukee. A replay shows the wreck and then Jim being transported to Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio, a hospital for serious burn victims. There, undergoing skin grafts, muscle re-training and hydrotherapy, Jim slowly recovers. From his hospital bed he gives an interview in which he talks about the accident and his plans to continue racing. Hurtubise, already a fan favorite, becomes even more popular. At Indianapolis in '65, Hurtubise becomes the most severely burned driver ever to return to racing at Indy and he provides fans the top thrill of the day by qualifying #59 late Saturday. Afterward Andy comments on the selection of Jim to drive the Novi, which was repainted and renumbered #56 for the race. Herk talks about the tremendous power of the Novi and briefly describes driving the car.
At the start, Jim Clark jumps into the lead, but within 30 seconds Jim Hurtubise realizes that his Novi will make only one lap; he comes into the pits with a broken transmission. As Foyt briefly takes the lead from Clark on lap two, two crowd favorites are pushed to the garage - Jim Hurtubise and his red #56 Novi. By the time Unser makes his first pit stop, Hurtubise is back in the pits watching the race. During the race Unser's running fifth, but tells of his sudden problem with the Novi. He pulls into the pits and the crew swarms over the car. Andy soon discovers the problem - a broken oil fitting has sidelined his last car after only 69 laps. With both STP cars out, other cars and drivers are then shown having their own problems: Bill Cheesbourg is out with a broken magneto. Johnny Rutherford's car loses a rear end. Bob Veith loses a piston. Jim McElreath: broken gear chain. Pole-sitter Foyt is out with a broken gearbox and Lloyd Ruby blows his engine. Bud Tinglestad's crash in turn three is shown. Jim Clark wins the race, with Parnelli Jones second and rookie Mario Andretti, with a brilliant run, finishes third.
Now you can get your own copy of this rare Novi COLOR film, now available for the first time on video, for only $24.95 + $5.00 for shipping and handling. (Illinois residents must add $2.00 sales tax.)
"RARE SPORTSFILMS N",
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Naperville, IL 60540
(630) 527-8890
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