Earl Cooper
Earl Cooper (born December 2, 1886 in Broken Bow , Nebraska , † October 22, 1965 in Atwater , California ) was an American racing driver .
Career
Cooper began his racing career in San Francisco in 1908 with a borrowed vehicle. He won the race but then lost his job as a mechanic because he defeated one of his superiors in this race. In 1912 he joined the Stutz team. In 1913 he won seven of the eight most important races of the year and was second for the rest. Cooper also won the AAA National Championship . In the film The Speed Kings he appeared on the side of Mabel Normand as himself. In 1914 he did not take part in any races due to an injury. He also had to take a break in the first months of the 1915 season, but still won the championship for the second time. In 1916, too, he could not be there from the start, since Stutz left racing, and thus only finished fifth in the championship.
In 1917, Earl Cooper won his third championship in a season shortened due to the United States' entry into World War I. He then retired from full-time racing and only occasionally competed in races in the years to come. He started at the Indianapolis 500 in 1919 and replaced Joe Thomas in 1921 , who broke an arm in October of that year. As a substitute, he won a 200-mile race in Fresno .
Cooper returned to full-time racing in 1922, winning five races in the 1923 season. In 1924 he led the Indianapolis 500 after 400 miles when he had to make a pit stop because of a flat tire. He came back on track in second and regained the lead when there were only 30 miles to go. Just as he passed Joe Boyer , a tire burst again and the associated pit stop forced him to be content with second place. Cooper also started in Indianapolis in 1925 and on his last start in 1926 he was able to conquer the pole position . In 1928 he retired from racing.
literature
- Rick Popely, L. Spencer Riggs: Indianapolis 500 Chronicle. Publications International Ltd., Lincolnwood IL 1998, ISBN 0-7853-2798-3 .
Web links
Individual evidence
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Cooper, Earl |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | American racing car driver |
| DATE OF BIRTH | December 2, 1886 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Broken Bow, Nebraska , USA |
| DATE OF DEATH | October 22, 1965 |
| Place of death | Atwater (California) , USA |