Joseph W. Jagersberger (14 February 1884 in

Wiener Neustadt, Austria Wiener Neustadt (; ; Central Bavarian: ''Weana Neistod'') is a city located south of Vienna, in the state of Lower Austria, in northeast Austria. It is a self-governed city and the seat of the district administration of Wiener Neustadt-Land Distr ...

– 5 October 1952 in Racine, Wisconsin) was an

Austrian-American Austrian Americans (, ) are Americans of Austrian descent, chiefly German-speaking Catholics and Jews. According to the 2000 U.S. census, there were 735,128 Americans of full or partial Austrian descent, accounting for 0.3% of the population. The ...

racecar 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 organi ...

Background

Jagersberger immigrated to the United States in 1902, and settled in Racine, Wisconsin. He married Amanda Olle in 1919. He started working at

Case Corporation The Case Corporation was a manufacturer of agricultural machinery and construction equipment. Founded, in 1842, by Jerome Increase Case as the J. I. Case Threshing Machine Company, it operated under that name for most of a century. For anot ...

in Racine to develop a car racing program.

Racing and car designer

1911 Indianapolis 500

He started eighth in the first

Indianapolis 500 The Indianapolis 500, formally known as the Indianapolis 500-Mile Race, and commonly called the Indy 500, is an annual automobile race held at Indianapolis Motor Speedway (IMS) in Speedway, Indiana, United States, an enclave suburb of Indi ...

1911 A notable ongoing event was the Comparison of the Amundsen and Scott Expeditions, race for the South Pole. Events January * January 1 – A decade after federation, the Northern Territory and the Australian Capital Territory ...

in a Case chassis. The steering knuckle on his car broke and he had to bow out of the race after 87 laps, and finished 31st. The spinning car veered back and forth across the track, down the pit lane, and back on the track. It hit the judges stand, and the judges fled their posts. Jagerberger's riding mechanic flew out of the car and on the track. The next driver on the scene had to avoid the riding mechanic. Several drivers were taken out in the melee, including Harry Knight, Herber Lytle, and

Eddie Hearne Edward Ames Hearne (March 1, 1887 – February 9, 1955) was an American racecar driver from Kansas City, Kansas who was active in the formative years of auto racing. Biography He was born on March 1, 1887. He participated in the inaugural Ind ...

. Knight's riding mechanic was the only person who suffered an injury, but his back fully recovered. The leaders of the race safely navigated through the wrecked cars. The judges milled around the accident scene and did not score. Around this time

Ray Harroun Ray Harroun (January 12, 1879 – January 19, 1968) was an American racecar driver and pioneering constructor most famous for winning the inaugural Indianapolis 500 in 1911. He is the inventer of the open-wheel car. Biography He was born on Janua ...

did a driver exchange. The incident caused a controversy about if Harroun actually won the race.

Career-ending accident

He continued to race and in November 1911, in

Columbia, South Carolina Columbia is the List of capitals in the United States, capital of the U.S. state of South Carolina. With a population of 136,632 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is List of municipalities in South Carolina, the second-largest ...

, he struck a fence due to a broken

steering knuckle 300px, Double Wishbone Suspension In automotive suspension, a steering knuckle or upright is that part which contains the wheel hub or spindle, and attaches to the suspension and steering components. The terms ''spindle'' and ''hub'' are someti ...

. He was in the hospital for several months, and his right leg was amputated, which ended his racing career.

Motor company

He continued to design

cylinder head In an internal combustion engine, the cylinder head (often abbreviated to simply "head") sits above the cylinders and forms the roof of the combustion chamber. In sidevalve engines, the head is a simple sheet of metal; whereas in more modern ...

s and peripheral equipment and he started his own company, Rajo Motor and Manufacturing, several years later.

Career awards

*In June 2006, he was inducted into the Model T Ford Club Speedster and Racer Hall of Fame, in

San Jose, California San Jose, officially San José (; ; ), is a major city in the U.S. state of California that is the cultural, financial, and political center of Silicon Valley and largest city in Northern California by both population and area. With a 2020 popu ...

. *In April 2007, he will be inducted into the Chevy Sprints Association. *Jagersberger was inducted in the National Sprint Car Hall of Fame in June 2007 as an engine builder and manufacturer.

Indy 500 results

References

External links

1880s births 1952 deaths Racing drivers from Wisconsin Austrian racing drivers Indianapolis 500 drivers American people of Austrian descent Sportspeople from Wiener Neustadt Sportspeople from Racine, Wisconsin Austro-Hungarian emigrants to the United States {{Europe-autoracing-bio-stub