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.Bob Burman. Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum. Retrieved 23 February 2022. 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.Wild Ride Hour Detroit. Retrieved 24 February 2022. 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.Marcus, Ted (23 June 2020). "How Auto Industry Giant General Motors came to be". Dyler.
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.Bailey, Tanya A. (15 May 2014). The First American Grand Prix: The Savannah Auto Races, 1908-1911. McFarland. ISBN 978-0786476978.
Racing for promoter Ernest Moross, Burman set a land speed record at an average of 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.
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, during a non-championship Corona road race, Burman, along with his riding mechanic Erick Schrader, were killed when one of his rear tires exploded, causing his open-cockpit Peugeot car to roll. One of the guards hired to watch the racecourse, William Speer, along with three spectators were also killed, and five others were seriously injured. 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.
Motorsports career results
Indianapolis 500 results
YearCarStartQualRankFinishLapsLedRetired191145 39 — — 19 126 0 Flagged191215 12 84.110 7 12 157 0 Crash T219134 21 84.170 7 11 188 41 Flagged191417 22 90.410 12 24 47 0 Rod19158 7 92.400 7 6 200 0 RunningTotals 718 41 Starts5Poles0Front Row0Wins0Top 50Top 101Retired2
Images
References
External links