| Mauri Rose | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Born | Maurice Rose (1906-05-26)May 26, 1906 Columbus, Ohio, U.S. | ||||||
| Died | January 1, 1981(1981-01-01) (aged 74) Royal Oak, Michigan, U.S. | ||||||
| Championship titles | |||||||
| AAAChampionship Car (1936) Major victories Indianapolis 500 (1941,1947,1948) | |||||||
| Champ Car career | |||||||
| 36 races run over 16 years | |||||||
| Best finish | 1st (1936) | ||||||
| First race | 1932 Syracuse 100 (Syracuse) | ||||||
| Last race | 1951Indianapolis 500 (Indianapolis) | ||||||
| First win | 1932 Detroit 100 (Detroit) | ||||||
| Last win | 1948Indianapolis 500 (Indianapolis) | ||||||
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| Formula One World Championship career | |||||||
| Active years | 1950–1951 | ||||||
| Teams | Diedt | ||||||
| Entries | 2 | ||||||
| Championships | 0 | ||||||
| Wins | 0 | ||||||
| Podiums | 1 | ||||||
| Careerpoints | 4 | ||||||
| Pole positions | 0 | ||||||
| Fastest laps | 0 | ||||||
| First entry | 1950 Indianapolis 500 | ||||||
| Last entry | 1951 Indianapolis 500 | ||||||
Maurice Rose (May 26, 1906 – January 1, 1981) was an Americanracing driver. He won theIndianapolis 500 in1941,1947, and1948, becoming the race's third three-time winner. He also won theAAANational Championship in1936.
Although Rose had driven in every Indianapolis 500 since 1933, he earned his first pole position when he put hisMaserati on the pole for the1941 Indianapolis 500;[1] butspark plug problems sidelined his car after sixty laps. He then took over theWetteroth/Offenhauser car being driven byFloyd Davis that had started in 17th place. Rose went on to win. In 1947 and 1948, Rose captured back-to-back Indianapolis 500s driving one of theDiedt/Offenhauser Blue Crown Spark Plug Specials, owned and prepared by veteran driver/car ownerLou Moore.[1]
Late in the1947 race, Rose found himself lying second to his rookie teammate,Bill Holland, when both were given a sign reading "EZY" from pit lane. Holland reduced speed, but Rose ignored the sign and continued on. Rose closed on Holland and to his amazement, Holland gave way without a battle[1] and even gave Rose a friendly wave as he went past on his way to victory. But Holland thought he had more than a lap lead on Rose, instead of just a few seconds. Holland was furious afterward.[2]
In 1949, with Holland leading and Rose again running second late in the race, Rose set out to overtake his now-veteran teammate. Rose again ignored car owner Lou Moore's "EZ" signs from the pits and continued to push in pursuit of Holland. This time, Rose's car broke while Holland cruised home to victory—and Moore fired Rose on the spot after the race for disobeying team orders.
Rose made his fifteenth and final Indianapolis 500 start in the 1951 race. Knocked out from an accident after 126 laps, the forty-five-year-old Rose retired to a home inCalifornia. For the 1967 race, officials of theIndianapolis Motor Speedway invited him to drive thepace car.
TheAAA/USAC-sanctioned Indianapolis 500 was included in theFIAWorld Drivers' Championship from 1950 through 1960. Drivers competing at Indianapolis during those years were credited with World Drivers' Championship participation, and were eligible to score WDC points alongside those which they may have scored towards theAAA/USACNational Championship.
Rose participated in two World Drivers' Championship races at Indianapolis. He finished in thetop three once,[3] and scored four World Drivers' Championship points.
Rose worked forGeneral Motors both during and after his racing career. He was heavily involved in the development of theChevrolet Corvette into a competitive racing machine.[4]
Both of Rose's children were disabled bypolio. While his career in racing was filled with success, he considered his most important accomplishment to be his invention of a device that made it possible for those without the use of their legs to drive an automobile.[4]
Rose has been inducted into the following halls of fame:
Rose has been awarded the following honors:
| Year | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | Pos | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1941 | INDY 1 | MIL 3 | NYS 4 | 9th | 245 | ||||||||||||
| 1946 | INDY 23 | LAN 12 | ATL | ISF 2 | MIL 6 | GOS DNP | 25th | 240 | |||||||||
| 1947 | INDY 1 | MIL DNP | LAN | ATL | BAI | MIL | GOS | MIL | PIK | SPR | ARL | 3rd | 1,000 | ||||
| 1948 | ARL | INDY 1 | MIL | LAN | MIL | SPR | MIL | DUQ | ATL | PIK | SPR | DUQ | 3rd | 1,000 | |||
| 1949 | ARL | INDY 13 | MIL | TRE | SPR | MIL | DUQ | PIK | SYR | DET | SPR | LAN | SAC | DMR | - | 0 | |
| 1950 | INDY 3 | MIL | LAN | SPR | MIL | PIK | SYR | DET | SPR | SAC | PHX | BAY | DAR | 15th | 483 | ||
| 1951 | INDY 14 | MIL | LAN | DAR | SPR | MIL | DUQ | DUQ | PIK | SYR | DET | DNC | SJS | PHX | BAY | - | 0 |
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(key) (Races inbold indicate pole position, races initalics indicate fastest lap)
| Year | Entrant | Chassis | Engine | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | WDC | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950 | Howard Keck | Diedt | Offenhauser 4.5L4 | GBR | MON | 500 3 | SUI | BEL | FRA | ITA | 12th | 4 | |
| 1951 | Howard Keck | Diedt | Offenhauser 4.5L4 | SUI | 500 14 | BEL | FRA | GBR | GER | ITA | ESP | NC | 0 |
| Preceded by | Indianapolis 500 Winner 1941 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Indianapolis 500 Winner 1947–1948 | Succeeded by |