Bob Burman


Robert R. Burman was an American racecar driver who participated in the 1911 Indianapolis 500.

Biography

Burman was born in Imlay City, Michigan on April 23, 1884. 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 in a road race in Corona, California on April 8, 1916 along with his riding mechanic Erick Schrader and a policeman on duty, 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.

Indianapolis 500 results

Images