Cause of death Car accident Role Race car driver | Name Bob Burman | |
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Born April 23, 1884 ( 1884-04-23 ) Imlay City, Michigan Died April 8, 1916, Corona, California, United States | ||
Ryan Holman's IndyCar Drivers Born on April 23
Robert R. Burman (23 April 1884 – 8 April 1916) was an American racecar driver who participated in the 1911 Indianapolis 500.
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Biography
He was born on April 23, 1884 in Imlay City, Michigan. He was the winner of the Prest-O-Lite Trophy Race in 1909. He competed at the inaugural Indianapolis 500 in 1911. Racing for racing promoter Ernest Moross, Burman set world records in his 200 horsepower Blitzen Benz racecar on the sands of Daytona Beach and at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in 1911.
He was killed on April 8, 1916 in a road race in Corona, California, when he rolled over in his open-cockpit Peugeot car. 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
He was inducted in the National Sprint Car Hall of Fame in 2011.