Talk:Pole position

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Template:WikiProject Open Wheel Racing

Does anyone know if the term 'pole position' is used to describe a car at the front of the grid in other forms of motorsport? 999 22:00, 2 May 2004 (UTC)

I'm pretty sure it used for basically every other form of motorsport that has qualifying...I know that MotoGP uses it, IRL in America does, most open-wheel categories (Formula 3000, etc) - i can't actually think of any that don't use the phrase. AlbinoMonkey 05:24, 2 Nov 2004 (UTC)

[edit] did the term come from indy?

At the Indianapolis motospeedway, grid position is listed on a giant lighted pole, with the fastest driver at the top of the pole. I assume this is where the term originated. Does anyone know for sure?

The pole in question lists the race order throughout the race though doesn't it? If so it seems unlikely to originate from there. --MartinUK 19:17, 6 April 2006 (UTC)

From The Language of Sport by Adrian Beard [1]

'Pole position', which is the leading position on the starting grid of a motor race, comes originally from horse racing in the USA. The 'pole lane' was the name given to the inside lane on a race course. 'Pole position' refers to one of a number of markers placed at intervals of one-sixteenth of a mile along the side of a racecourse. Presumably this idea of a marker on a track has been used to describe the best position.

Although, I must confess, that sounds a bit dubious to me. And he does say "presumably". Off the top of my head, I would have thought it might refer to either a "totem pole", like the one at Indy as discussed above (is that located at/near the start/finish line?) or the way that, in the old days, some racetracks used to have banners, supported by poles, across the start-finish line - therefore the car at the front of the grid would have the position nearest to the "the pole". But I have no evidence to support either of those theories. DH85868993 03:07, 23 August 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Inaccuracy

The "Formula One 1950-1995" section isn't quite correct: In the 50s and 60s (and maybe 70s?) the number and duration of qualifying sessions varied from race to race. I agree that 2 x 1-hour sessions on Saturday and Sunday was standard practice by the early 80s. Also note that for many years, Monaco held qualifying on Thursday and Saturday - the roads were reopened to normal traffic on Friday. DH85868993 02:54, 23 August 2007 (UTC)