Bill Vukovich
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| Nation: |
 United States
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| Automobile world championship | |||||||||
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| First start: | Indianapolis 500 1951 | ||||||||
| Last start: | Indianapolis 500 1955 | ||||||||
| Constructors | |||||||||
| 1951 Pete Salemi Racing 1952–1954 Howard Keck Company 1955 Lindsey Hopkins | |||||||||
| statistics | |||||||||
| World Cup balance: | World Cup sixth ( 1954 ) | ||||||||
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| World Cup points : | 19th | ||||||||
| Podiums : | 2 | ||||||||
| Leadership laps : | 456 over 1,697.2 km | ||||||||
Bill Vukovich , actually William Vucerovich , (born December 13, 1918 in Fresno , California , † May 30, 1955 in Indianapolis ) was an American racing driver . He was the dominant driver of the Indianapolis 500 in the mid-1950s .
Career
Vukovich, who was of Serbian descent, had to earn a living doing odd jobs after his father's untimely death until he started racing in 1937 . Together with his brother Eli, he crossed the country in his truck, on which a racing car was loaded, so that he could start in as many races as possible. Often they slept in the truck and the prize money provided them with a modest income.
After World War II , he bought a midget car and dominated the racing scene in this class in the late 1940s.
In 1951 he competed in the Indianapolis 500 for the first time , and although he was eliminated after 29 laps, team boss Howard Keck noticed him and gave him a Kurtis Kraft for 1952 - Offenhauser , at that time the best car in Indianapolis.
The 1952 500-mile race brought about the breakthrough. On the 32nd lap, Vukovich took the lead and held it until eight laps to go when he drove into the lane after a mechanical defect.
In 1953 he was finally able to celebrate the victory he deserved, in a superior manner he led 195 of the 200 laps. In 1954 he repeated his victory. He used the prize money to buy a gas station in Fresno , he still remembered his poor youth and wanted to secure an income for his family.
At the Indianapolis 500 mile race in 1955 , it looked like Vukovich, the first driver to win three times in a row in Indianapolis. But in the 55th lap the tragedy happened: Rodger Ward spun, in the ensuing mass collision, Vukovich suffered fatal skull fractures.
It was one of those accidents that, alongside Alberto Ascari's accidental death and the tragedy at the Le Mans 24-hour race , in which 80 spectators were killed, made the 1955 Automobile World Championship a disaster year in motorsport annals.
Since the Indianapolis 500 was also part of the Formula 1 drivers' championship when he was active , he has also won two Grand Prix victories.
statistics
Grand Prix victories
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Indy 500 results
| year | Start number | begin | Agony (km / h) | Result | Round | guide | failure |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 10 | DNQ | |||||
| 87 | DNQ | ||||||
| 1951 | 81 | 20th | 215.182 | 29 | 29 | 0 | Oil tank |
| 1952 | 26th | 8th | 222.408 | 17th | 191 | 150 | accident |
| 1953 | 14th | 1 | 222.697 | 1 | 200 | 195 | |
| 1954 | 14th | 19th | 222.408 | 1 | 200 | 90 | |
| 1955 | 4th | 5 | 227.010 | 25th | 56 | 50 | deadly accident |
| Legend | ||
|---|---|---|
| colour | abbreviation | meaning |
| gold | - | victory |
| silver | - | 2nd place |
| bronze | - | 3rd place |
| green | - | Placement in the points |
| blue | - | Classified outside the point ranks |
| violet | DNF | Race not finished (did not finish) |
| NC | not classified | |
| red | DNQ | did not qualify |
| DNPQ | failed in pre-qualification (did not pre-qualify) | |
| black | DSQ | disqualified |
| White | DNS | not at the start (did not start) |
| WD | withdrawn | |
| Light Blue | PO | only participated in the training (practiced only) |
| TD | Friday test driver | |
| without | DNP | did not participate in the training (did not practice) |
| INJ | injured or sick | |
| EX | excluded | |
| DNA | did not arrive | |
| C. | Race canceled | |
| no participation in the World Cup | ||
| other | P / bold | Pole position |
| SR / italic | Fastest race lap | |
| * | not at the finish, but counted due to the distance covered |
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| () | Streak results | |
| underlined | Leader in the overall standings | |
Individual results in the sports car world championship
| season | team | race car | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4th | 5 | 6th | 7th |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1953 | Hilton Motors | Lincoln Capri |
SEB
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 MIM
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 LEM
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 SPA
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 ONLY
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 RTT
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 CAP
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| DNF | |||||||||
| 1954 | Lincoln | Lincoln Capri |
 BUA
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SEB
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MIM
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LEM
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RTT
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CAP
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| DNF |
Web links
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Vukovich, Bill |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | American racing car driver |
| DATE OF BIRTH | December 13, 1918 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Fresno , California |
| DATE OF DEATH | May 30, 1955 |
| Place of death | Indianapolis |