Bob Burman
Bob Burman | |||||||
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Sheepshead Bay) | |||||||
First win | 1909 Prest-O-Lite Trophy (Indianapolis) | ||||||
Last win | 1915 Burlington 100 (Burlington) | ||||||
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Robert R. Burman (April 23, 1884 – April 8, 1916) was an American
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
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
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'sKeetonracer 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
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/4/4a/Commons-logo.svg/30px-Commons-logo.svg.png)
- ^ 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.
- ^ "Bob Burman's Crown". First Super Speedway. Archived from the original on March 19, 2018. Retrieved October 14, 2011.
- ^ "'Bob' Burman Killed in California Race. His Mechanician and a Track Guard Also Die When Machine Overturns". The New York Times. April 9, 1916. Archived from the original on June 29, 2018.
Bob Burman of Detroit, noted automobile racer; his mechanician, Eric Schroeder of Chicago, and a track guard are dead tonight as a result of the overturning of Burman's car in the Corona road race here today. Five spectators were injured, several seriously.
- ^ "'Wild Bob' Burman and Chicago Boy Die in Auto Crash. Corona Guard also Killed When Demon Plunges into Crowd; 5 Hurt". Chicago Tribune. April 9, 1916. Archived from the original on March 7, 2016.
'Wild Bob' Burman of Detroit, Mechanician Eric Schrader of Chicago, and Track Policeman W. H. Speer, dead, and five spectators injured three of whom may die ...
- ^ "13 Inductees set as Class of 2011 for National Sprint Car Hall of Fame". National Sprint Car Hall of Fame & Museum. Archived from the original on December 1, 2017. Retrieved July 8, 2011.