20 replies to this topic

[Vitesse2]

What's Vitesse2 doing asking a simple question like that, you might ask? The answer's obvious isn't it? It's Jim Clark ....

Well, until a few days ago that's what I thought too, until I was browsing through a book I picked up at Goodwood on the 500 and in the report for 1946 the words "British native" jumped out at me. Not only that, it turns out that somewhat derogatory description is referring to the winner: George Robson.

A bit of further research courtesy of the guys at TrackForum revealed that Robson was indeed born in Britain (Newcastle-upon-Tyne in fact) in 1909 and emigrated to Canada with his family in 1917. In 1924 he moved to the US and started racing in 1930 at Chowchilla, California on the "outlaw" circuit.

George and his young brother Hal were consistent winners on Californian tracks prior to the war and George Robson's first attempt at Indy was 1939 in which he failed to qualify. In 1940 he retired on the 67th lap with a broken shock absorber. In 1941 he retired on lap 66 with an oil leak.

1946 was his victory year when he won the 500 from 15th on the grid in the Thorne Engineering Special. Unfortunately, George never had the chance to defend his crown at Indy, as he was killed in a multi-car pile-up at Lakewood Speedway, Atlanta on September 2nd 1946, along with George Barringer. In that race, Robson was driving Cliff Bergere's car, the Burd Piston Ring Special, which won the 500 in 1938 in the hands of Floyd Roberts and in which Roberts was killed the following year. Coincidentally Barringer was driving the ex-Wilbur Shaw 1937 winning car.

When the wreckage of Robson's car was returned Bergere was so upset at the deaths of both Robson and Roberts in the same car that he took an acetylene torch to it and cut it into pieces, saying "Two of my best friends have been killed in that thing, and that's two too many".

Altogether Robson entered 17 championship races in the US, starting 12 times and placing second twice and winning just once (but what a race to win!!)

George's brother Hal was also a regular competitor at Indy during this time, competing in 1946,1947 and 1948. He failed to qualify in 1949 and 1953.

Now, I'll be the first to admit that my knowledge of US racing is pretty rudimentary, so has anyone else come across this before? It's usually said that Clark and Hill were the only two British-born winners of the 500 and that they were the first European winners since Dario Resta in 1916: Resta was a naturalised British citizen but was born in Italy, so technically Robson was the first Briton to win the 500. I haven't been able to establish whether he took either Canadian or American citizenship - can anyone expand on that or add any more details about him?

[Darren Galpin]

Peter Higham's "A Guinness guide to International Motor Racing" claims that he was American, but that's all I have to go on at the moment.

[Vitesse2]

Blimey Darren, that was quick!! I should have mentioned that myself, as I'd checked Higham in case he'd picked it up. Nothing I've found, apart from the book I mentioned (Indianapolis 500 Chronicle by Rick Popely) says anything about him being anything other than American.

[Kpy]

I have a book which has been a mine of information to me since 1974 - a present from a friend in Canada. It's "Encyclopedia of Auto Racing Greats" by Robert Cutter and Bob Fendell, published by Prentice-Hall in 1973. At 674 pages with loads of 'photos, it's a mine of information and invaluable for history of the sport in USA.

The entry for George Robson confirms Vitesse2's biographical details, but also reveals the tale that Joel Thorne had signed Rudi Caracciola for the '46 500. Originally it was planned that he would race his own Mercedes (type number ?) which had been smuggled into Switzerland during the war. Shipping delays put paid to that, so Rudi was entered in a Thorne Engineering Special, but was hit on the head by a flying "rock" and hit the wall coming into the South Turn, thrown out of the car to hit the track head first. It was some time before he was fully recovered.

[Vitesse2]

Popely gives a slightly different version of the Caracciola story: according to his version, Caracciola was invited to Indy by Tony Hulman and Wilbur Shaw: the car was held up in customs, but Rudi decided to go to Indy anyway and was hired by Thorne when he arrived.

Caracciola soon got the measure of the car and was running at very respectable speeds in qualifying but crashed coming out of Turn 2. Popely says the cause of the accident was never confirmed, although he mentions a probable bird strike: shades of Alan Stacey and Jim Clark.

[fines]

I believe the Mercedes Rudi entered at Indy in 1946 would've been one of the two W165 that were kept in custody by the Swiss government. They wouldn't release them, and afaik they were still there in 1950, when Rudolf Fischer asked Daimler-Benz for permission to purchase them. Fischer wanted a deal whereby D-B would eventually get hold of the cars in exchange for a works drive in one of them. I'd need to look the details up in my magazines of the time.

[Roger Clark]

W165s?

[David J Jones]

Fines / Roger

I believed the Mercedes that went to the US was a W154. I believe a Mercedes went up for auction last month - it gave a chasis no - I meant to check out which one it was.

As far as I know the W165s stayed in Switzerland until they were returned to Daimler-Benz. I remember seeing one on display at a racing car show in London around 63.
Last Saturday on TV one was shown at Goodwood Festival. It appeared to decked out as the Lang car.

[Vitesse2]

The W165 at Goodwood was stated to be chassis number 449557, if that helps you David.

And from the look of the very small pictures I have the 1947-8 Mercedes at Indy was a W154.

[fines]

Of course, the Don Lee Mercedes was a W154 (or W154/163, if that designation is still allowed ;)), but Caracciola was never scheduled to drive that. Somewhere I should have the c/n, have to check that (but I don't remember where ). I also don't know when it went to the US, all I know is that it was reportedly "found in hiding in Europe", whatever that means (probably some kind of "war reparation" ). And yes, the W165s went straight from Switzerland to Stuttgart, but they were talked about a lot during the immediate post-war era.

[Gerr]

The 1946 Clymer yearbook supplement has a few bits about RudiC.
Peter dePaolo's "Behind the Pits" reported 5/14/46:Cablegram
"Arriving New York by air thursday...Without car..Keep reservations Indianapolis. Greetings to all" ...Caracciola
Nice picture of RC,Peter Depaolo and Joel Thorne.
Also a pic of RCs MB testing in Zurich. With this quote:
"Also entered was a a Caracciola Special powered by a 91.5 cu in. Mercedes-Benz engine.Much interest was centered in this entry and it is indeed regrettable that it was scratched due to shipping difficultes.By all accounts it would have been a most formidable competitor as well as a subject of of intense interest to american designers and engineers." Etc.
Somewhere I read that RC recovered from his injuries at the Hulman house in Terre Haute....
I was at the Speedway Museum in 1998 and the major display was Caracciola's trophies,and a very large display it was.

[David McKinney]

The “American W154” was c/no.9, driven in 1938 by Lang (winning the Coppa Ciano) and Caracciola, and in 1939 mainly by von Brauchitsch. When the allies advanced towards the factory at the end of the war, the car was sent to Czechoslovakia. Found in a barn in the mountains in 1945, it was taken over by the Czech Automobile Club and acquired by English performance-car traders Rowland Motors the following year. Unsurprisngly perhaps, they were unable to find a buyer in the UK and the car was sold to Tommy Lee in Los Angeles later in 1946. It ran in the next two Indianapolis 500s (and was still trying to qualify as late as 1957). The Merc returned to the UK in the 1960s and was restored at length over the next 20 years. In 1990 Neil Corner raced it at the Silverstone Historic Festival, and it was sold to a German collector four years later.

[fines]

Thanks David! It should be noted, however, that the car did not run for ten years between 1947 and 1957, and that in the latter year it was fitted with a Jaguar XK engine.

I am surprised to learn that the W165 was tested at Zürich in 1946, I always thought they were idling away in Switzerland...

[Tim Murray]

I'm reviving this old thread because of a discussion Arttidesco and I were having on our way back from our visit to Colin Bennett yesterday. If we accept that George Robson was the first British-born Indy 500 winner, how should we then regard Dario Resta? We know that he was born in Italy but lived in England from the age of two. At some stage he became a naturalised British citizen, but was this before or after his Indy win? If before, then surely he should be credited as the first British Indy 500 winner. As far as I can see, this rarely seems to be the case.

More on Resta in this thread:

Dario Resta

[Vitesse2]

This looks like him - naturalisation record from December 1908:

http://www.nationala...;accessmethod=0

[Tim Murray]

Excellent - thank you Richard. I think that settles it, doesn't it?

[Lemnpiper]

Excellent - thank you Richard. I think that settles it, doesn't it?

Yep , since the question was " british born " not naturalized british it seem george Robson was the 1st british born Indy 500 winner while Resta is the 1st from great britian to win. Sorta like how we consider Mario Andretti who was born in Italy

[Vitesse2]

Pretty much. I did later discover that both Robson brothers became US citizens in the mid-1930s, so just to top and tail everything:

Dario Resta was the first British driver to win the Indianapolis 500.

George Robson was the first British-born driver to win the Indianapolis 500.

Jim Clark was the first British-born British driver to win the Indianpolis 500.

[arttidesco]

Dang ! If I ever win the Indy 500 I will be the first registered British at birth, born outside the UK driver to win it ;) I wonder if my land lady will lend her Passat t/d next May ?

[mikeC]

and does that make Graham Hill the first Englishman to win the Indiapolis 500?

[David McKinney]

No - the third Englishman, but the first English-born English driver