Team story
Origins
Jack Turner brought the Christensen name to the 1959 Indianapolis 500, in which he is listed twenty-seventh. The following year, the same constructor name was associated with Jim Hurtubise. These were American cars for Indianapolis, included in the World Championship archive because the race awarded Drivers' Championship points between 1950 and 1960.
The Formula 1 journey
In 1960, Hurtubise was the surprise of qualifying: he reached 149.601 miles per hour on a single lap and averaged 149.056 over the four laps of his attempt. He was faster than pole-sitter Eddie Sachs, but had not qualified on the day that allocated the leading positions. He therefore started twenty-third, not from pole.
Historical timeline
Three chapters in the story of Christensen
Three episodes to revisit the people, cars and races that shaped this journey.
First appearance · Indianapolis 500
Jack Turner · Indianapolis 500 1959. The recorded position is P27; this number alone does not show whether the driver completed the race distance. This is the first recorded race start, or the first entry if the team never started a race.
Sporting landmark · Indianapolis 500
Jim Hurtubise · Indianapolis 500 1960. The recorded position is P18; this number alone does not show whether the driver completed the race distance. This marks the first win or podium where one exists, otherwise the highest recorded placing for this constructor.
Latest recorded appearance · Indianapolis 500
Jim Hurtubise · Indianapolis 500 1960. The recorded position is P18; this number alone does not show whether the driver completed the race distance. This is the last race start attributed to this constructor in the archive, not necessarily the end of the organisation behind it.
A distinctive way of racing
His number 56 was entered by Ernest L. Ruiz under the Travelon Trailer name and combined a Christensen chassis with an Offenhauser engine. In the race, it covered 185 laps before a mechanical failure and was classified eighteenth.
The constructor, entrant and sponsored car name describe different roles within the same entry.
What remains
The attempt close to 150 miles per hour remained more memorable than the placing, without becoming a World Championship pole or victory. Hurtubise continued in other cars. Indianapolis leaving the World Championship calendar after 1960 also closes Christensen's World Championship window, not necessarily its entire American activity.