1916 Indianapolis 500

Sixth running of the Indianapolis 500 February 2025 6th Indianapolis 500 1916 Indianapolis 500 program cover.jpg AAA May 30, 1916 Dario Resta Bob Dahnke 3:34:17 Peugeot 84.001 mi/h km/h on Johnny Aitken 96.69 mi/h km/h on Dario Resta (103) Premier 6 (Model 6-56) Frank E. Smith George M. DicksonFox Jack C. The Illustrated History of the Indianapolis 500 1911-1994 Carl Hungness Publishing 4th 1994 22 en 0-915088-05-3 Howard Carpenter Marmon 83,000Driver For Peugot Victor At Average of 84 Miles An Hour https://www.newspapers.com/clip/11445988/ A.B. Blakely The Indianapolis Star 1 Newspapers.com May 31, 1916 June 3, 2017 1915 1919 The 6th International 300-Mile Sweepstakes Race was the sixth running of the Indianapolis 500. It was held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Tuesday, May 30, 1916. The management scheduled the race for 120 laps, 300 mi km, the only Indianapolis 500 scheduled for less than 500 mi km. Although the common belief is that the race distance was changed due to the onset of World War I, it was in fact Speedway management that changed the distance in an attempt to make the race shorter and more appealing to fans. Despite the one-time altered distance, the race is still considered part of the continuous lineage of the Memorial Day classic, known as the Indianapolis 500."The Talk of Gasoline Alley" - WFNI: May 5, 2012 In addition to the altered distance, the start time was moved from 10:00 a.m. to the early afternoon (1:30 p.m.)Fleet Field Attune For Sixth Race https://www.newspapers.com/clip/2081533/information_about_the_1916_indianapolis/ The Indianapolis Star May 30, 1916 1 Newspapers.com March 27, 2015 Seven of the cars were entered by the Speedway or its owners, in order to ensure a strong field during the war. None of them finished in the top five. Despite the promoter's entries, the field consisted of only 21 cars, the smallest in Indy history. 1915 winner Ralph DePalma withheld his entry for 1916, demanding $5,000 in appearance money from Speedway management. Carl Fisher refused to accede to the demand, and DePalma's subsequent entry blank, filed after the deadline, was rejected. Eddie Rickenbacker took the lead at the start, and led the first nine laps until dropping out with steering problems. Dario Resta led 103 of the 120 laps, and claimed the victory. Resta was accompanied by riding mechanic Bob Dahnke. Three months after the 1916 race, on the weekend after Labor Day, the Speedway held a second event, with three short races as the Harvest Auto Racing Classic. World War I thumb|left|200px The 1917 race was scheduled to return to 500 miles, but a dispute with the local hoteliers and the escalation of World War I intervened. On March 23, 1917, Speedway management cancelled the 1917 Indianapolis 500, and halted racing at the facility for both 1917 and 1918. The track was offered as a landing strip and maintenance/refueling station for military aircraft traveling between Wilbur Wright Field and Chanute Air Force Base. It was referred to as the Speedway Aviation Repair Depot, and the 821st Aero Repair Squadron was stationed there.http://www.indianapolismotorspeedway.com/indy500/news/show/36808-speedway-has-plenty-of-connections-to-first-100-years-of-flight/ Speedway Has Plenty Of Connections To First 100 Years Of Flight Indianapolis Motor Speedway Dick Mittman 2003-12-17 2014-02-18821st Areo Squadron, Aviation Repair Depot, Speedway, Indiana, December 1918 In addition, several experimental aircraft were tested at the grounds. At least one test pilot was fatally injured in a plane crash at the track.The Talk of Gasoline Alley - 1070-AM WIBC, June 15, 2005 No racing of any kind took place at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in 1917–1918. Likewise, the National Championship was suspended in both 1917 and 1918. There were, however, AAA races (non-championship races) conducted during the war years at other tracks. On Memorial Day 1917, a 250-mile race was held at Cincinnati.1917 Sharonville Sweepstakes The Indianapolis 500 resumed after the war in 1919. Starting grid RowInsideInside CenterOutside CenterOutside 118 USA 1912 Johnny Aitken5 USA 1912 Eddie Rickenbacker28 USA 1912 Gil Andersen17 GBR Dario Resta 215 USA 1912 Barney Oldfield29 USA 1912 Howdy Wilcox27 USA 1912 Tom Rooney orange R silver19 USA 1912 Charlie Merz 34 CAN 1868 Pete Henderson orange R silver1 USA 1912 Wilbur D'Alene orange R silver7 USA 1912 Arthur Chevrolet21 USA 1912 Jules Devigne orange R silver 49 USA 1912 Ora Haibe orange R silver14 BEL Josef Christiaens24 USA 1912 Billy Chandler23 USA 1912 Aldo Franchi orange R silver 526 USA 1912 Art Johnson orange R silver25 USA 1912 Dave Lewis orange R silver12 USA 1912 Tom Alley10 USA 1912 Ralph Mulford 68 USA 1912 Louis Chevrolet orange R Indianapolis 500 rookie solid 1px darkgray Box score thumb|right|200px|1916 Indianapolis 500 winning car FinishStartNoNameEntrantChassisEngineQualRankLapsStatus1417GBR Dario RestaPeugeot Auto Racing CompanyPeugeotPeugeot94.4004120 84.00 mph2101USA 1912 Wilbur D'Alene orange R silverDuesenberg BrothersDuesenbergDuesenberg90.87011120 +1:5832010USA 1912 Ralph MulfordRalph MulfordPeugeotPeugeot91.09010120 +3:3941414BEL Josef ChristiaensSunbeam Motor Car CompanySunbeamSunbeam86.08016120 +12:195515USA 1912 Barney OldfieldBarney OldfieldDelageDelage94.3305120 +13:02694CAN 1868 Pete Henderson orange R silver(Eddie Rickenbacker Laps 52–120)Prest-O-Lite Racing TeamMaxwellMaxwell91.3309120 +15:397629USA 1912 Howdy Wilcox(Gil Andersen)Indianapolis Speedway Team CompanyPremierPremier93.8106120 +20:3781726USA 1912 Art Johnson orange R silverWilliam ChandlerCrawfordDuesenberg83.69019120 +27:3791524USA 1912 Billy Chandler(Frank Elliott)William ChandlerCrawfordDuesenberg84.84017120 +28:2610139USA 1912 Ora Haibe orange R silverS. OstewegOstewegWisconsin87.08015120 +28:53111912USA 1912 Tom AlleyOgren Motor Car CompanyDuesenbergDuesenberg82.04021120 +30:3012218USA 1912 Louis ChevroletChevrolet BrothersFrontenacFrontenac87.6901382Rod13328USA 1912 Gil AndersenIndianapolis Speedway Team CompanyPremierPremier95.940375Oil line141825USA 1912 Dave Lewis orange R silverWilliam ChandlerCrawfordDuesenberg83.1202071Gas tank15118USA 1912 Johnny AitkenIndianapolis Speedway Team CompanyPeugeotPeugeot96.690169Valve161221USA 1912 Jules Devigne orange R silver(Jack LeCain)Harry HarknessDelageDelage87.1701461Crash NC17727USA 1912 Tom Rooney orange R silverIndianapolis Speedway Team CompanyPremierPremier93.390748Crash T118117USA 1912 Arthur ChevroletChevrolet BrothersFrontenacFrontenac87.7401235Magneto19819USA 1912 Charlie MerzIndianapolis Speedway Team CompanyPeugeotPeugeot93.330825Lubrication2025USA 1912 Eddie RickenbackerPrest-O-Lite Racing TeamMaxwellMaxwell96.44029Steering211623USA 1912 Aldo Franchi orange R silverAldo FranchiPeugeotSunbeam84.120189Engine trouble Indianapolis 500 1916 http://www.ultimateracinghistory.com/race.php?raceid=19995 Ultimate Racing History 15 January 2012 https://web.archive.org/web/20141230133554/http://www.ultimateracinghistory.com/race.php?raceid=19995 30 December 2014 live The Indianapolis 500 Chronicle Publications International, Ltd. Rick Popely L. Spencer Riggs 1998 0-7853-2798-3 Lincolnwood, Illinois Note: Relief drivers in parentheseshttps://www.champcarstats.com/races/191602.htm International 300 Mile Sweepstakes – May 30, 1916 ChampCarStats.com orange R silver Indianapolis 500 Rookie Race statistics 30% Lap Leaders Laps Leader1–9 Eddie Rickenbacker10–17 Johnny Aitken18–120 Dario Resta 70% Total laps led Laps Leader Dario Resta 103 Eddie Rickenbacker 9 Johnny Aitken 8 Race details For 1916, riding mechanics were required.Blazier, John E. Rollings, Tom Forgotten Heroes of the Speedways: The Riding Mechanics 1994 In the weeks and months leading up to the race, Speedway president Carl G. Fisher had expressed concern and disdain over the local hoteliers' practice of price gouging customers during the race week. It reached a boiling point where Fisher threatened to move the 1916 and/or 1917 Memorial Day 500-mile race to a board track in Cincinnati, Ohio. Ultimately, a truce was reached, and the race(s) were not moved. Apropos to that, the 1917 Indianapolis 500 was cancelled anyway shortly after the entry blanks were mailed out, due to the escalation of World War I.The Talk of Gasoline Alley - WFNI, May 23, 2013 Driver Jack LeCain was forced to miss the race due to a broken crankshaft suffered during a practice run two days before the race. He drove relief for Delage teammate Jules Devigne, taking over shortly beyond the 100-mile mark. After 61 laps, he suffered a serious crash, leaving him critically injured.Four Are Injured on Track; LeCain Hovering Near Death https://www.newspapers.com/clip/2081651// The Indianapolis Star May 31, 1916 1 Newspapers.com March 27, 2015 Notes Works cited "New Planes for Old" - The Work of the Aviation Repair Depots: Aerial Ace Weekely, 1 September 1919 References 1915 Ralph DePalma 1916 Dario Resta 1919 Howdy Wilcox The Indianapolis 500 was not run in 1917 or 1918 due to World War I. Category:Indianapolis 500 races Indianapolis 500 Indianapolis 500 Indianapolis Category:1916 in American motorsport Category:May 1916 sports events in the United States Category:20th century in Indianapolis