Ralph Hepburn was a pioneer of
AmericanThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
motorcycle racing champion and an
Indianapolis 500The Indianapolis 500-Mile Race, also known as the Indianapolis 500, the 500 Miles at Indianapolis, the Indy 500 or The 500, is an American automobile race, held annually, typically on the last weekend in May at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana...
racing driver.
Born in
Somerville, MassachusettsSomerville is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States, located just north of Boston. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 75,754 and was the most densely populated municipality in New England. It is also the 17th most densely populated incorporated place in...
, Hepburn's family moved to
Los Angeles, CaliforniaLos Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
when he was ten years old. He began riding motorcycles as a teen and his skills led to him signing on with a cycle performing group in 1914 that toured the
West CoastWest Coast or Pacific Coast are terms for the westernmost coastal states of the United States. The term most often refers to the states of California, Oregon, and Washington. Although not part of the contiguous United States, Alaska and Hawaii do border the Pacific Ocean but can't be included in...
and parts of the American Midwest. He then began competing in on
board trackBoard track, or motordrome, racing was a type of motorsport popular in the United States between the second and third decades of the 20th century. Competition was conducted on oval race courses with surfaces composed of wooden planks...
s, then on
dirtDirt track racing is a type of auto racing performed on oval tracks. It began in the United States before World War I and became widespread during the 1920s and 30s. Two different types of racecars predominated—open wheel racers in the Northeast and West and stock cars in the South...
. His racing career was interrupted during 1917 and 1918 due to
World War IWorld War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
.
In June 1919, Hepburn came to national prominence when he won the 200 mi (321.9 km) National Championship at Ascot Park in Los Angeles riding for the
Harley-DavidsonHarley-Davidson , often abbreviated H-D or Harley, is an American motorcycle manufacturer. Founded in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, during the first decade of the 20th century, it was one of two major American motorcycle manufacturers to survive the Great Depression...
factory. He began winning consistently thereafter and in 1921 won the "Dodge City 300 National Championship" while breaking all existing 300 mi (482.8 km) records. In 1922 he dominated professional track racing for the
Indian
Ralph Hepburn (April 11, 1896 - May 16, 1948) was a pioneer of AmericanThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
motorcycle racing champion and an
Indianapolis 500The Indianapolis 500-Mile Race, also known as the Indianapolis 500, the 500 Miles at Indianapolis, the Indy 500 or The 500, is an American automobile race, held annually, typically on the last weekend in May at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana...
racing driver.
Born in
Somerville, MassachusettsSomerville is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States, located just north of Boston. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 75,754 and was the most densely populated municipality in New England. It is also the 17th most densely populated incorporated place in...
, Hepburn's family moved to
Los Angeles, CaliforniaLos Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
when he was ten years old. He began riding motorcycles as a teen and his skills led to him signing on with a cycle performing group in 1914 that toured the
West CoastWest Coast or Pacific Coast are terms for the westernmost coastal states of the United States. The term most often refers to the states of California, Oregon, and Washington. Although not part of the contiguous United States, Alaska and Hawaii do border the Pacific Ocean but can't be included in...
and parts of the American Midwest. He then began competing in on
board trackBoard track, or motordrome, racing was a type of motorsport popular in the United States between the second and third decades of the 20th century. Competition was conducted on oval race courses with surfaces composed of wooden planks...
s, then on
dirtDirt track racing is a type of auto racing performed on oval tracks. It began in the United States before World War I and became widespread during the 1920s and 30s. Two different types of racecars predominated—open wheel racers in the Northeast and West and stock cars in the South...
. His racing career was interrupted during 1917 and 1918 due to
World War IWorld War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
.
In June 1919, Hepburn came to national prominence when he won the 200 mi (321.9 km) National Championship at Ascot Park in Los Angeles riding for the
Harley-DavidsonHarley-Davidson , often abbreviated H-D or Harley, is an American motorcycle manufacturer. Founded in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, during the first decade of the 20th century, it was one of two major American motorcycle manufacturers to survive the Great Depression...
factory. He began winning consistently thereafter and in 1921 won the "Dodge City 300 National Championship" while breaking all existing 300 mi (482.8 km) records. In 1922 he dominated professional track racing for the
Indian
Ralph Hepburn (April 11, 1896 - May 16, 1948) was a pioneer of AmericanThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
motorcycle racing champion and an
Indianapolis 500The Indianapolis 500-Mile Race, also known as the Indianapolis 500, the 500 Miles at Indianapolis, the Indy 500 or The 500, is an American automobile race, held annually, typically on the last weekend in May at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana...
racing driver.
Born in
Somerville, MassachusettsSomerville is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States, located just north of Boston. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 75,754 and was the most densely populated municipality in New England. It is also the 17th most densely populated incorporated place in...
, Hepburn's family moved to
Los Angeles, CaliforniaLos Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
when he was ten years old. He began riding motorcycles as a teen and his skills led to him signing on with a cycle performing group in 1914 that toured the
West CoastWest Coast or Pacific Coast are terms for the westernmost coastal states of the United States. The term most often refers to the states of California, Oregon, and Washington. Although not part of the contiguous United States, Alaska and Hawaii do border the Pacific Ocean but can't be included in...
and parts of the American Midwest. He then began competing in on
board trackBoard track, or motordrome, racing was a type of motorsport popular in the United States between the second and third decades of the 20th century. Competition was conducted on oval race courses with surfaces composed of wooden planks...
s, then on
dirtDirt track racing is a type of auto racing performed on oval tracks. It began in the United States before World War I and became widespread during the 1920s and 30s. Two different types of racecars predominated—open wheel racers in the Northeast and West and stock cars in the South...
. His racing career was interrupted during 1917 and 1918 due to
World War IWorld War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
.
In June 1919, Hepburn came to national prominence when he won the 200 mi (321.9 km) National Championship at Ascot Park in Los Angeles riding for the
Harley-DavidsonHarley-Davidson , often abbreviated H-D or Harley, is an American motorcycle manufacturer. Founded in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, during the first decade of the 20th century, it was one of two major American motorcycle manufacturers to survive the Great Depression...
factory. He began winning consistently thereafter and in 1921 won the "Dodge City 300 National Championship" while breaking all existing 300 mi (482.8 km) records. In 1922 he dominated professional track racing for the
Indian {{not a typoIndian is an American brand of motorcycles. Indian motorcycles were manufactured from 1901 to 1953 by a company in Springfield, Massachusetts, USA, initially known as the Hendee Manufacturing Company but which was renamed the Indian Manufacturing Company in 1928. The Indian factory team took the...
company. That year, he rode to his second victory in the 300 mi (482.8 km) National Championship motorcycle race, this time at Meridian Speedway in
Wichita, KansasWichita is the largest city in the U.S. state of Kansas.As of the 2010 census, the city population was 382,368. Located in south-central Kansas on the Arkansas River, Wichita is the county seat of Sedgwick County and the principal city of the Wichita metropolitan area...
.
At the end of the 1924 American racing season, and after competing in special events in
AustraliaAustralia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, Hepburn began his
auto racingAuto racing is a motorsport involving the racing of cars for competition. It is one of the world's most watched televised sports.-The beginning of racing:...
career.
In 1925, he competed in a car built by
Harry MillerHarry Arminius Miller was an influential and famous American race car builder, most active in the 1920s and 1930s...
in the first of fifteen appearances at the
Indianapolis 500The Indianapolis 500-Mile Race, also known as the Indianapolis 500, the 500 Miles at Indianapolis, the Indy 500 or The 500, is an American automobile race, held annually, typically on the last weekend in May at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana...
. Later that year, during practice for the AMA 100 miles (160.9 km) championship race at
AltoonaAltoona, a variant of "Altona", is the name of several municipalities in the United States of America:*Altoona, Alabama*Altoona, Florida*Altoona, Iowa*Altoona, Kansas*Altoona, Pennsylvania*Altoona, Washington*Altoona, Wisconsin...
, he crashed his Harley-Davidson racing motorcycle and damaged his hand. Hepburn then lent the motorcycle to Indian rider Joe Petrali, who won the race and shared the prize money with him. This began Petrali's association with Harley-Davidson.
In 1929 he qualified third at Indianapolis, but gear problems resulted in him having to drop out after only fourteen laps. He finished third in 1931, and although he led the famous race three times in three different decades and had four finishes in the top five, his best result came in 1937 with a second place finish 2.16 seconds behind
Wilbur ShawWarren Wilbur Shaw was a noted American racing driver and president of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway from 1945 until his death. Shaw was the automotive test evaluator for Popular Science magazine...
, the closest ever at that time.
For a time, Hepburn served as president of the American Society of Professional Automobile Racers. In 1946, at the age of fifty, Hepburn qualified
Novi- Places:In Bosnia and Herzegovina:* Bosanski Novi, a town in northwestern region of the country.In Italy:* Novi di Modena, a commune in the province of Modena...
Governor Special at of 134.449 mi/h. He led forty-four laps in the race before the car stalled on Lap 121.
In 1947, Hepburn joined
Preston TuckerPreston Thomas Tucker was an American automobile designer and entrepreneur.He is most remembered for his 1948 Tucker Sedan , an automobile which introduced many features that have since become widely used in modern cars...
and Tucker Corporation and drove the prototype Tucker onstage when it was unveiled to the public on June 19, 1947. He served as West Coast Regional Manager for Tucker Corporation.
Ralph Hepburn died during qualifying practice for the 1948 Indianapolis 500 while driving for Tucker Corporation. He was survived by his wife Ida Mae Hepburn and one daughter Joanne Hepburn. He was buried at Forest Lawn Memorial Park Cemetery in
Glendale, CaliforniaGlendale is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. As of the 2010 Census, the city population is 191,719, down from 194,973 at the 2000 census. making it the third largest city in Los Angeles County and the 22nd largest city in the state of California...
.
In 1998, Hepburn was inducted into the
AMAThe American Motorcyclist Association is an American not-for-profit organization of more than 300,000 motorcyclists that organizes numerous motorcycling activities and campaigns for motorcyclists' legal rights...
Motorcycle Hall of FameThe Motorcycle Hall of Fame Museum is an offshoot of the American Motorcyclist Association that recognizes individuals who have contributed to motorcycle sport, motorcycle construction and motorcycling in general. It displays motorcycles and riding gear and memoribilia. The museum is located in...
.
Indy 500 results
| Year |
Car |
Start |
Qual |
Rank |
Finish |
Laps |
Led |
Retired |
| 1925 Results of the 1925 Indianapolis 500 held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Saturday, May 30, 1925....
|
17 |
6 |
108.489 |
7 |
16 |
144 |
15 |
Gas tank |
| 1926 Results of the 1926 Indianapolis 500 held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Monday, May 31, 1926. "Twenty-eight cars, groomed to mirror brilliance, wheeled in behind Louis Chevrolet and his Chrysler pace car for the start." -Footnotes:...
|
19 |
15 |
102.517 |
14 |
8 |
151 |
0 |
Flagged |
| 1927 Results of the 1927 Indianapolis 500 held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Monday, May 30, 1927....
|
19 |
5 |
114.209 |
5 |
24 |
39 |
0 |
Fuel tank leak |
| 1928 Results of the 1928 Indianapolis 500 held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Wednesday, May 30, 1928....
|
16 |
6 |
116.354 |
6 |
24 |
48 |
0 |
Timing gears |
| 1929 Results of the 1929 Indianapolis 500 held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Thursday, May 30, 1929.*Ray Keech reigned as champion for only 17 days; he was killed at Altoona Speedway June 15, 1929....
|
18 |
3 |
116.543 |
3 |
31 |
14 |
0 |
Transmission |
| 1931 Results of the 1931 Indianapolis 500 held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Saturday, May 30, 1931....
|
19 |
10 |
107.933 |
18 |
3 |
200 |
0 |
Running |
| 1933 Results of the 1933 Indianapolis 500 held at Indianapolis on Tuesday, May 30, 1933. Louis Meyer defeated Wilbur Shaw by a time of 401.89 seconds . The average speed of the race was while Bill Cummings achieved the pole position with a speed of ....
|
23 |
41 |
110.001 |
32 |
38 |
33 |
0 |
Rod bearing |
| 1934 The 22nd running of the Indianapolis 500 took place on May 30, 1934. The winner was the number seven car driven by Bill Cummings, an Indianapolis native, at an average speed of 104.863 miles per hour. Cummings led for 57 laps total, including the last 26. Of the 33 cars that began the race, only 12...
|
31 |
11 |
114.321 |
10 |
14 |
164 |
0 |
Connecting rod |
| 1935 The 1935 Indianapolis 500 held at Indianapolis on Thursday, May 30, 1935. Despite attempts to improve participant safety by requiring crash helmets and installing green and yellow lights around the track, the event that year would prove to be one of the worst in terms of fatalities.-Pre-race and...
|
21 |
7 |
115.156 |
13 |
5 |
200 |
0 |
Running |
| 1936 Results of the 1936 Indianapolis 500 held at Indianapolis on Saturday, May 30, 1936....
|
9 |
24 |
112.673 |
28 |
12 |
196 |
0 |
Flagged |
| 1937 The 25th International 500-Mile Sweepstakes was held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Monday, May 31, 1937.Late in the race, Wilbur Shaw held a comfortable lead, and had lapped second place Ralph Hepburn. With about 20 laps to go, however, Shaw's car had been leaking oil, and had nearly lost...
|
8 |
6 |
118.809 |
15 |
2 |
200 |
9 |
Running |
| 1939 The 27th Indianapolis 500 took place May 30, 1939. The race was won by the number two car of Wilbur Shaw, who started in the third position. The race was notable for a three car accident on lap 109, when Floyd Roberts the reigning champion, was killed when his car went through the wooden outer wall...
|
25 |
13 |
122.204 |
22 |
22 |
107 |
0 |
Crash BS |
| 1940 The 28th running of the Indianapolis 500 took place on May 30, 1940. The winner was Wilbur Shaw in the number one car Maserati 8 CTF, the same car Shaw had driven to victory in 1939. Shaw became the first driver in the history of the race to win in consecutive years. It also marked Shaw's third...
|
54 |
21 |
123.860 |
9 |
29 |
47 |
0 |
Steering |
| 1941 Results of the 1941 Indianapolis 500 held at Indianapolis on Friday, May 30, 1941.Notes*Floyd Davis was the starting driver for the #16 car. On lap 72, Davis came in for a pit stop, and was relieved by Mauri Rose. Rose had started the race in another car and dropped out earlier. Rose went on to...
|
54 |
10 |
120.653 |
28 |
4 |
200 |
0 |
Running |
| 1946 Results of the 1946 Indianapolis 500 held at Indianapolis on Thursday, May 30, 1946....
|
2 |
19 |
133.944 |
1 |
14 |
121 |
44 |
Stalled |
| Totals |
1864 |
68 |
|
|
| Starts |
15 |
| Poles |
0 |
| Front Row |
1 |
| Wins |
0 |
| Top 5 |
4 |
| Top 10 |
5 |
| Retired |
9 |
|
External links
{{commons category|Ralph Hepburn}}
{{Persondata
| NAME = Hepburn, Ralph
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES =
| SHORT DESCRIPTION =
| DATE OF BIRTH = April 11, 1896
| PLACE OF BIRTH =
| DATE OF DEATH = May 16, 1948
| PLACE OF DEATH =
}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hepburn, Ralph}}