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Bobby Rahal's Indy 500 masterclass

Bobby Rahal has won the Indianapolis 500 both as a driver and as a team owner, so there are few people on the planet better qualified to hold court about what it takes to be successful at the Brickyard. Here's his guide to getting a good result in the 'world's greatest motor race'

OVAL RACING: AN ART, OR A SKILL?

Cultural anthropologists call it the nature versus nurture debate - are certain skills innate, or are they learned? Popular wisdom has it that some drivers are just generally stronger on ovals than others. Rahal concedes that some drivers have a natural affinity for oval racing, but that doesn't necessarily mean that those from a road racing background should find something else to do on the last weekend in May.

"Is oval racing an art or a skill? I think it's both. I think the big mistake everyone always makes when they look at oval racing is that they think, 'That can't be that difficult, they're only turning left and there's only two corners' - or maybe four, but that might be debatable, depending on where you are. But it's a real art unto itself just like road racing is, and there are guys that have a real affinity for it.

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