Ralph R. Hepburn (April 11, 1896 – May 16, 1948) was a pioneer

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champion and an

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 ...

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 organis ...

. Born in

Somerville, Massachusetts Somerville ( ) is a city located directly to the northwest of Boston, and north of Cambridge, Massachusetts, Cambridge, in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. As of the 2020 United States Census, the city had a total population of 81, ...

, Hepburn's family moved to

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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

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and parts of the

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. He then began competing in on board tracks, then on

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. His racing career was interrupted during 1917 and 1918 due to

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

. In June 1919, Hepburn came to national prominence when he won the National Championship at Ascot Park in Los Angeles riding for the

Harley-Davidson Harley-Davidson, Inc. (H-D, or simply Harley) is an American motorcycle manufacturer headquartered in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States. Founded in 1903, it is one of two major American motorcycle manufacturers to survive the Great Depressi ...

factory. He began winning consistently thereafter and in 1921 won the "Dodge City 300 National Championship" while breaking all existing records. In 1922 he dominated professional track racing for the Indian company. That year, he rode to his second victory in the National Championship motorcycle race, this time at

Meridian Speedway The Meridian Speedway is a span of railroad track between Meridian, Mississippi, and Shreveport, Louisiana. An important rail link between the Southeast and Southwest U.S., it is owned by the Meridian Speedway LLC (MSLLC), a joint venture of Kan ...

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. At the end of the 1924 American racing season, and after competing in special events in

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, Hepburn began his

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career. In 1925, he competed in a car built by Harry Miller in the first of fifteen appearances at the

. Later that year, during practice for the AMA championship race at

Altoona Speedway Altoona is a city in Blair County, Pennsylvania. It is the principal city of the Altoona Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA). The population was 43,963 at the time of the 2020 Census, making it the eighteenth most populous city in Pennsylvania. ...

, 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.Motorcycle Hall of Fame - Joe Petrali
/ref> 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 Shaw Warren Wilbur Shaw (October 31, 1902 – October 30, 1954) was an American racing driver. He was president of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway from 1945 until his death in 1954. Shaw was the automotive test evaluator for ''Popular Science'' magazin ...

, 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'' ''Governor Special'' at of . He led forty-four laps in the race before the car stalled on Lap 121. In 1947, Hepburn joined

Preston Tucker Preston Thomas Tucker (21 September 1903 – 26 December 1956) was an American automobile entrepreneur. He is most remembered for his Tucker 48 sedan, initially nicknamed the "Tucker Torpedo", an automobile which introduced many features t ...

and Tucker Corporation and drove the prototype Tucker 48 onstage when it was unveiled to the public on June 19, 1947. He served as West Coast Regional Manager for Tucker Corporation. Hepburn died practicing for the

1948 Indianapolis 500 The 32nd International 500-Mile Sweepstakes was held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Monday, May 31, 1948. For the second year in a row, the Blue Crown Spark Plug teammates Mauri Rose and Bill Holland finished 1st-2nd. Rose became the seco ...

while driving a Novi Special for Tucker Corporation. He was survived by his wife Ida Mae Hepburn and one daughter Joanne Hepburn. He is buried at

Forest Lawn Memorial Park Cemetery Forest Lawn Memorial-Parks & Mortuaries is an American corporation that owns and operates a chain of cemeteries and mortuaries in Los Angeles, Orange, and Riverside counties in Southern California. History The company was founded by a group of ...

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. In 1970, Hepburn was inducted into the

Indianapolis Motor Speedway Hall of Fame The Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum is an automotive museum on the grounds of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana, United States, which houses the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Hall of Fame. It is intrinsically linked to the Indi ...

, and in 1998, he was inducted into the AMA

Motorcycle Hall of Fame The AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame Museum is an offshoot of the American Motorcyclist Association, recognizing individuals who have contributed to motorcycle sport, motorcycle construction, or motorcycling in general. It also displays motorcycles ...

Indianapolis 500 results

References

External links

Motorcycle Hall of Fame
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hepburn, Ralph 1896 births 1948 deaths Sportspeople from Somerville, Massachusetts Motorcycle racers from Los Angeles Racing drivers from Massachusetts Racing drivers from California Racing drivers from Los Angeles American motorcycle racers Indianapolis 500 drivers AAA Championship Car drivers Racing drivers who died while racing Sports deaths in Indiana Burials at Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Glendale)