The invisible fire at the 1981 Indy 500

ESL Lessons: True Stories

A printable worksheet for story-based English conversation classes.

Difficulty: Intermediate B1

PDF: The invisible fire at the 1981 Indy 500

Warm-up

Do you know what the Indy 500 is?

Vocabulary Match

extinguisher •• filling up
invisibly •• alcohol
methanol •• can't see
refueling •• fire stopper
surgery •• operation
procedures •• steps

Vocabulary Answers

extinguisherfire stopper
invisiblycan't see
methanolalcohol
refuelingfilling up
surgeryoperation
proceduressteps

True Story

Listen and fill in the blanks with words from above.

In the 1981 Indy 500, Rick Mears, a race car driver, had a dangerous accident. When he was ________ his car during a race, the fuel, ________, caught fire.

Methanol burns ________, so many people didn't see the fire and ran away. Mears was on fire for 35 seconds before his father used a fire ________ to put it out. Mears was badly burned and had to have ________.

He said, "If I were in the place of the volunteer firefighter who did not wear a fireproof suit, I would have run away too." After this accident, race officials made changes to make racing safer. They changed the refueling equipment and ________, and also provided more education about safety.

In the 1981 Indy 500, Rick Mears, a race car driver, had a dangerous accident. When he was refueling his car during a race, the fuel, methanol, caught fire.

Methanol burns invisibly, so many people didn't see the fire and ran away. Mears was on fire for 35 seconds before his father used a fire extinguisher to put it out. Mears was badly burned and had to have surgery.

He said, "If I were in the place of the volunteer firefighter who did not wear a fireproof suit, I would have run away too." After this accident, race officials made changes to make racing safer. They changed the refueling equipment and procedures, and also provided more education about safety.

Quiz

  1. When did the methanol catch fire?
  2. Who put out the fire?
  3. What happened to Mears?
  4. What changes did race officials make after the accident?

Quiz Answers (examples)

  1. When Rick Mears was refueling his car during a race.
  2. Rick Mears' father put out the fire.
  3. He was badly burned and had to have surgery.
  4. They changed the refueling equipment and procedures and provided more education about safety.

True or False

  1. In the 1981 film, Indy 500, Indiana Jones had a dangerous accident. T F
  2. People didn't see the fire because methanol burns invisibly. T F
  3. Mears said he would have run away, too, if he were the volunteer firefighter. T F

True or False Answers

  1. False
  2. True
  3. True

Conversation

A:Dad, I was on fire and nobody saw it!
B:I know, son. Methanol burns invisibly.
A:I can't believe I had to wait 35 seconds for help!
B:I'm sorry, Rick. I grabbed the extinguisher as soon as I realised.
A:They need to make changes, Dad. This can't happen again.
B:I agree, son. We'll push for better safety measures.

Discussion

  1. Have you ever watched a car race?
  2. Would you like to be a race car driver? Why or why not?
  3. Have you ever been in a dangerous situation? What happened?
  4. Think of six risky jobs or activities and rank them in order of danger.

Further Reading

https://www.technopixel.org/literally-invisible-accident-how-the-invisible-methanol-fire-burned-a-racer-alive/

MORE: