| Ronnie Duman | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nationality |  American | ||||||
| Born | (1929-02-12)February 12, 1929 Dearborn, Michigan | ||||||
| Died | June 9, 1968(1968-06-09) (aged 39) West Allis, Wisconsin | ||||||
| Champ Car career | |||||||
| 62 races run over 8 years | |||||||
| Years active | 1961-1968 | ||||||
| Best finish | 13th -1962 USAC season | ||||||
| First race | 1961Rex Mays Classic | ||||||
| Last race | 1968Rex Mays Classic | ||||||
| |||||||
Ronald Barth Duman (February 12, 1929 – June 9, 1968),[1] was an American racing driver who competed in theUSACChampionship Car series and theIndianapolis 500. Duman was an accomplished driver insprints andmidgets,[2] and won the prestigiousLittle 500 atAnderson Speedway in 1959 and 1960.[3]
Born inDearborn, Michigan, Duman later moved toSpeedway, Indiana and lived practically across the street from theIndianapolis Motor Speedway.[4][5] He drove in theUSACChampionship Car series from 1961 to 1968. He had 63 career starts, including theIndianapolis 500 from 1964 to 1968. Duman had 27 top-ten finishes in Champ Car competition, with a best finish of third in 1965 atPhoenix.
Duman was fatally injured in a crash at the1968Rex Mays Classic at theMilwaukee Mile.
After passing his rookie test in 1961,[3] Duman made an attempt to qualify with the Ray Brady Special but the run was incomplete. In 1962, he qualified the Stearly Motor Freight Special, but was bumped and wound up as the second alternate.[6] In 1963, he was entered in the Federal Engineering Special, but crashed during practice.
Duman finally qualified for the Indianapolis 500 in1964.[7] Driving a sponsor-less pink and blackTrevis-builtWatson/Offy entered by Nick Fulbright and Dave Paul. It was the same car driven byAllen Crowe in the1963 race. Duman qualified 16th on pole day, but ended up the 32nd-overall fastest qualifier. He narrowly held on to make the lineup on bump day, as the second-slowest car in the field. The team received sponsorship from the Clean Wear Service Company - a local laundry service that was frequented by the drivers and crews during the month of May - just prior to the race.[5][6]
Duman was involved in the fiery crash that took the lives ofDave MacDonald andEddie Sachs. The accident happened in front of Duman, and as he approached the crash scene, he attempted to miss both Sachs and MacDonald. However, in the fiery melee, theNovi ofBobby Unser knocked Duman's car from behind, and sent the car spinning to the inside wall.[8] The car erupted in flames, but not before Duman was able to climb out and escape to the grass infield. Duman was hospitalized with second and third degree burns, and missed over two months of racing while he recuperated.[5][6]
After recovering from his injuries, Duman qualified for the1965 race in the Travelon Trailer Special. He ran as high as 12th before dropping out.[3] In1966 race, he started last (33rd) and became involved in the opening lap crash, finishing last. In1967 race, he finished 23rd driving the REV 500 Special forJ. C. Agajanian.
Duman's final Indy 500 start came in1968 race. On the final turn of the final lap, Duman's engine blew coming out of turn four, and he coasted across the finish line to finish 6th.[4][5] The 1968 race would be his best result at Indianapolis, as just over a one-week later, Duman was killed in a crash atMilwaukee.
His son Rick is a championship-winning mechanic who won the 2005Clint Brawner Award at the Indianapolis 500, currently owning Turn 4 Restorations that restores vintage Indy cars.[9]
| Year | Chassis | Engine | Start | Finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1961 | Kurtis Kraft | Offy | Failed to Qualify | |
| 1962 | Elder | Offy | Bumped | |
| 1963 | Trevis | Offy | Practice crash | |
| 1964 | Trevis | Offy | 16th | 31st |
| 1965 | Gerhardt | Offy | 25th | 22nd |
| 1966 | Eisert | Ford | 33rd | 33rd |
| 1967 | Shrike | Offy | 17th | 23rd |
| 1968 | Hayhoe | Offy | 26th | 6th |
Duman was the only USAC Champ Car driver to race a front-engine upright 'dirt-style' car on a road course (1965) and a rear-engine car in a USAC championship dirt car race (1966).
Less than two weeks after he finished 6th at the1968 Indianapolis 500, Duman was at the next race of theUSAC Championship season, theRex Mays Classic atMilwaukee. Duman started 14th in the 24-car field, driving the Central Excavating Gerhardt Turbocharged Offy. On the third lap, the cars ofBay Darnell and Norm Brown reportedly got tangled in turn one. Both cars slid towards the outside wall, collecting Duman in the process. Duman's car tipped over and began barrel-rolling before it flew into the catchfence cockpit first. After Duman's car bounced back down the track, both Darnell and Brown's car slammed the outside wall and the three cars came to rest on fire. Darnell and Brown suffered minor burn injuries, but Duman was killed instantly from massive head injuries when the cockpit of his car struck the catchfence. His helmet had been shattered and pulled from his head. Eight spectators were also injured by the flying debris which cleared the catchfence.[11][12]
Ronnie Duman is interred atCrown Hill Cemetery inIndianapolis.[13]
