William Alan Horstmeyer (July 4, 1930 – August 22, 1964) was an American
racing driver
Auto racing (also known as car racing, motor racing, or automobile racing) is a motorsport involving the racing of automobiles for competition.
Auto racing has existed since the invention of the automobile. Races of various sorts were organise ...
.
The 34 year old Horstmeyer was an experienced
midget car
Midget cars, also speedcars in Australia, is a class of racing cars. The cars are very small with a very high power-to-weight ratio and typically use four cylinder engines. They originated in the United States in the 1930s and are raced on most ...
and
sprint car
Sprint cars are high-powered open-wheel race cars, designed primarily for the purpose of running on short oval or circular dirt or paved tracks. Sprint car racing is popular primarily in the United States and Canada, as well as in Australia, New ...
racer when he made his
Championship Car
American open-wheel car racing, also known as Indy car racing, is a category of professional automobile racing in the United States. As of 2022, the top-level American open-wheel racing championship is sanctioned by IndyCar.
Competitive events ...
debut at the
Illinois State Fairgrounds Racetrack
Illinois State Fairgrounds Racetrack is a one mile long clay oval motor racetrack on the Illinois State Fairgrounds in Springfield, the state capital. It is frequently nicknamed The Springfield Mile. Constructed in the late 19th century and reco ...
for the Tony Bettenhausen Memorial in August 1964. On lap 24 his car brushed the outside wall entering the front stretch and lost a wheel, which caused that corner to dig into the dirt, flipping the car several times. The car landed upside down and on fire with Horstmeyer trapped inside. Horstmeyer died of burn injuries later that day.
References
External links
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Horstmeyer, Bill
1930 births
1964 deaths
Racing drivers who died while racing
Racing drivers from Wisconsin
Sportspeople from Madison, Wisconsin
Sports deaths in Illinois