A Cruel Sport

This item was originally published in the May 30, 1911 Indianapolis Sun. In the early days of automobile racing newspapers constantly sensationalized their coverage with reminders that the sport was very dangerous and drivers and their riding mechanics frequently were killed. This item includes the images of four drivers: David Bruce-Brown, Bob Burman, Harry Grant and Louis Chevrolet. The associated caption notes that deaths were expected during the race and infers that these men tempted fate. While none of these drivers lost their lives in the first Indianapolis 500, three of them did die in racing competition. Bruce-Brown was killed the following year in Milwaukee while practicing for the American Grand Prize, Harry Grant lost his life in a firey explosion on the board track at Sheepshead Bay in 1915 and Burman perished in a wreck at the Carona, California road course in 1916.