Ronnie Duman
Ronald B. Duman (February 12, 1929 – June 9, 1968), was an American racecar driver.
Born in Dearborn, Michigan, Duman died in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, during a fatal crash in the Rex Mays 150 at the Milwaukee Mile. He drove in the USAC Championship Car series, racing in the 1961-1968 seasons, with 63 career starts, including the 1964-1968 Indianapolis 500 races. He finished in the top ten 27 times, with his best finish in 3rd in 1965 at Phoenix.
In the 1964 500 he was involved in the fiery crash that took the lives of David MacDonald and Eddie Sachs. Duman ducked to the inside to miss both Sachs & MacDonald. However the Novi of Bobby Unser knocked Ronnie around and he hit the inside wall erupting the tail tank in fire. Duman was hospitalized and missed about 2 1/2 months of racing while he recovered.[1]
Only Championship Car driver to driver a front-engine upright 'dirt-style' car on a road course track (USAC Championship Car race 1965) and a rear-engine car in a USAC championship dirt car race (1966).
He was inducted into the Michigan Motor Sports Hall of Fame in 1985.[2] He is buried at Crown Hill Cemetery in Indianapolis.[3]
Indy 500 results
| Year | Chassis | Engine | Start | Finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1961 | Kurtis Kraft | Offy | Failed to Qualify | |
| 1962 | Elder | Offy | Failed to Qualify | |
| 1963 | Trevis | Offy | Practice Crash | |
| 1964 | Trevis | Offy | 16th | 31st |
| 1965 | Gerhardt | Offy | 25th | 22nd |
| 1966 | Eisert | Ford | 33rd | 33rd |
| 1967 | Shrike | Offy | 17th | 23rd |
| 1968 | Brabham | Offy | 26th | 6th |
References
- ↑ https://www.facebook.com/pages/Ronnie-Duman-Tribute-Page/361130545199
- ↑ http://www.mmshof.org/inductees/Duman_Ronnie.html
- ↑ "Indianapolis Auto greats" (PDF). Celebrating Automotive Heritage at Crown Hill Cemetery (Crown Hill Cemetery). 2011. Retrieved 2012-09-10.
External links
- Ronnie Duman driver statistics at Racing-Reference
- Ronnie Duman at Find a Grave
- Entry at Michigan Motor Sports Hall of Fame