Bob Burman
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Robert R. Burman (April 23, 1884 – April 8, 1916) was an American racing driver. He was an open-wheel pioneer, setting numerous speed records in the early 1900s.[1] He participated in many historic races and was one of the drivers to compete in the first edition of the Indianapolis 500 in 1911.
Biography
Burman was born in Imlay City, Michigan on April 23, 1884. While working as a road tester for the Jackson Automobile Co. in 1906 he got the opportunity to enter several races, in which he performed well.[2] In 1908 William C. Durant, the founder of General Motors, brought Burman and the Chevrolet brothers on as drivers for the newly formed Buick racing team.[3]
Burman won the Prest-O-Lite Trophy Race, a precursor to the Indianapolis 500, in his Buick in 1909. He finished first in the 1909 Vesper Club Trophy Race driving for the Buick team and fourth in the 1909 Lowell Trophy Race. In 1910 he won the Remy Brassard Trophy 2 on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and in 1911 he won the first four events at the New Orleans Mardi Gras Races with his Buick 60 Special.[4]
Racing for promoter Ernest Moross, Burman set a land speed record at an average of Script error: No such module "convert". over distance of 0.625 miles (1 kilometer) in his 200-horsepower Blitzen Benz on the sands of Daytona Beach on April 23, 1911; however this record was not officially recognized by the AIACR in Paris. He competed at the first ever 1911 Indianapolis 500 in a Benz, before the race he made exhibition runs in the Blitzen Benz on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and set speed records at the quarter mile, half mile, kilometer and mile distances. He was crowned speed king before the start of the race.[5]
Burman competed in the 1912 Indianapolis 500, crashing his Cutting at the second turn after 157 laps. He started the 1913 Indianapolis 500 as the favorite, and led 41 laps early, but his car caught fire on lap 55; he was able to repair his Keeton and continued for a while, but eventually did not finish the race. In 1914 he won the Kalamazoo Race, and in 1915 he won both the Oklahoma Southern Sweepstakes Road Race and the Burlington Race in his Peugeot L76. He finished sixth in the 1915 Indianapolis 500.
Death
On April 8, 1916, Burman was killed during a non-championship Corona road race when one of his rear tires exploded, causing his open-cockpit Peugeot car to roll over, along with his riding mechanic Erick Schrader and a policeman on duty.[6] Three spectators were also killed, and five others were seriously injured.[7]Script error: No such module "Unsubst". His death caused his friends Barney Oldfield and Harry Arminius Miller to join forces to build a race car that incorporated a roll cage inside a streamlined driver's compartment that completely enclosed the driver. It was called the Golden Submarine.
Awards
Burman was inducted into the National Sprint Car Hall of Fame in 2011.[8]
Motorsports career results
Indianapolis 500 results
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Images
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Burman's crashed Cutting racer, built by the Clark-Carter Automobile Company at the 1912 Indianapolis 500
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Bob Burman's Keeton racer finished 11th place at Indianapolis in 1913
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Bob Burman's Keeton racer photo taken by George L Mooney in 1913
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Race car driver Bob Burman and his Blitzen Benz, 1911
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Chevrolet in Buick 60 special, as part of the Buick racing team in 1910
References
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- ↑ Bob Burman. Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum. Retrieved 23 February 2022.
- ↑ Wild Ride Hour Detroit. Retrieved 24 February 2022.
- ↑ Marcus, Ted (23 June 2020). "How Auto Industry Giant General Motors came to be". Dyler.
- ↑ Bailey, Tanya A. (15 May 2014). The First American Grand Prix: The Savannah Auto Races, 1908-1911. McFarland. ISBN 978-0786476978.
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
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External links
- Pages with script errors
- Pages with broken file links
- 1884 births
- 1916 deaths
- People from Imlay City, Michigan
- Sportspeople from Lapeer County, Michigan
- Racing drivers from Michigan
- Indianapolis 500 drivers
- AAA Championship Car drivers
- 20th-century American sportsmen
- Racing drivers who died while racing
- Sports deaths in California
- National Sprint Car Hall of Fame inductees