Joe Leonard
Joe Leonard (born August 4, 1932 in San Diego , California - † April 27, 2017 ) was an American motorcycle and automobile racer .
Career
Joe Leonard won his first AMA Grand National title , the AMA Grand National Championship is a national American motorcycle championship, 1954. In 1956 and 1957 he was able to secure the overall ranking of this championship again. Overall, he was victorious in 27 races, including 1957 and 1958 at the Daytona 200 miles .
In 1961 Leonard switched to four wheels and between 1964 and 1974 was regularly involved in the USAC series . He started nine times in the Indianapolis 500 . In 1972 he was third on a Parnelli - Offenhauser . In 1968 he started from pole position , but was only able to finish the race on the Turbinen - Lotus 56 - Pratt & Whitney in twelfth place. He led Andy Granatelli's racing car up to 10 laps before the Lotus had a defect in the gas turbine.
In his successful career, Leonard achieved 60 top ten placements. He won six races and won the championship in 1971 and 1972. Besides John Surtees , he is the only racing driver to have won championships as both a motorcycle and a car racing driver. Leonard is a popular figure in the United States and a member of ten Hall of Fames.
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 | Leonard, Joe |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | American racing driver |
| DATE OF BIRTH | 4th August 1932 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | San Diego |
| DATE OF DEATH | April 27, 2017 |