Maurice Rose (May 26, 1906 – January 1, 1981) was an American racing driver. He won the Indianapolis 500 in 1941, 1947, and 1948, becoming the race's third three-time winner. He also won the AAA National Championship in 1936.
| Mauri Rose | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | |||||||
| Born | Maurice Rose May 26, 1906 Columbus, Ohio, U.S. | ||||||
| Died | January 1, 1981 (aged 74) Royal Oak, Michigan, U.S. | ||||||
| Championship titles | |||||||
| AAA Championship 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 | 1951 Indianapolis 500 (Indianapolis) | ||||||
| First win | 1932 Detroit 100 (Detroit) | ||||||
| Last win | 1948 Indianapolis 500 (Indianapolis) | ||||||
| |||||||
| Formula One World Championship career | |||||||
| Active years | 1950–1951 | ||||||
| Teams | Diedt | ||||||
| Entries | 2 | ||||||
| Championships | 0 | ||||||
| Wins | 0 | ||||||
| Podiums | 1 | ||||||
| Career points | 4 | ||||||
| Pole positions | 0 | ||||||
| Fastest laps | 0 | ||||||
| First entry | 1950 Indianapolis 500 | ||||||
| Last entry | 1951 Indianapolis 500 | ||||||
Racing career
editIndianapolis 500 career
edit
Although Rose had driven in every Indianapolis 500 since 1933, he earned his first pole position when he put his Maserati on the pole for the 1941 Indianapolis 500;[1] but spark plug problems sidelined his car after sixty laps. He then took over the Wetteroth/Offenhauser car being driven by Floyd 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 the Diedt/Offenhauser Blue Crown Spark Plug Specials, owned and prepared by veteran driver/car owner Lou Moore.[1]
Late in the 1947 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 in California. For the 1967 race, officials of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway invited him to drive the pace car.
World Drivers' Championship career
editThe AAA/USAC-sanctioned Indianapolis 500 was included in the FIA World 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 the AAA/USAC National Championship.
Rose participated in two World Drivers' Championship races at Indianapolis. He finished in the top three once,[3] and scored four World Drivers' Championship points.
Post-racing career and life
editRose worked for General Motors both during and after his racing career. He was heavily involved in the development of the Chevrolet Corvette into a competitive racing machine.[4]
Both of Rose's children were disabled by polio. 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]
Awards and honors
editRose has been inducted into the following halls of fame:
- Auto Racing Hall of Fame (1967)[5]
- Michigan Sports Hall of Fame (1972)[6]
- Michigan Motor Sports Hall of Fame (1982)[7]
- Eastern Motorsports Press Association Hall of Fame (1989)[8][9]
- International Motorsports Hall of Fame (1994)[10]
- Motorsports Hall of Fame of America (1996)[11]
- International Jewish Sports Hall of Fame (2007)[12]
Rose has been awarded the following honors:
- Automotive Hall of Fame Distinguished Service Citation (1966)[13]
Motorsports career results
editAAA Championship Car results
edit| 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 |
- 1946 table only includes results of the six races run to "championship car" specifications. Points total includes the 71 races run to "big car" specifications.[14][15]
Indianapolis 500 results
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FIA World Drivers' Championship results
edit(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position, races in italics indicate fastest lap)
| Year | Entrant | Chassis | Engine | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | WDC | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950 | Howard Keck | Diedt | Offenhauser 4.5 L4 | GBR | MON | 500 3 |
SUI | BEL | FRA | ITA | 12th | 4 | |
| 1951 | Howard Keck | Diedt | Offenhauser 4.5 L4 | SUI | 500 14 |
BEL | FRA | GBR | GER | ITA | ESP | NC | 0 |
References
edit- ^ a b c "Mauri Rose". database.motorsportmagazine.com. Retrieved June 4, 2020.
- ^ "Bill Holland". www.sprintcarhof.com. Retrieved 2023-10-03.
- ^ "Mauri Rose". www.champcarstats.com. Retrieved 2024-03-14.
- ^ a b Schreiber, Ronnie (2020-01-13). "Mauri Rose: The unsung hero of the Corvette's racing legacy". Hagerty Media. Retrieved 2023-10-03.
- ^ "Mauri Rose". IMS Museum. Retrieved 2023-10-03.
- ^ "Maurice (Mauri) Rose". Michigan Sports Hall of Fame. Retrieved 2023-10-03.
- ^ "Michigan Motor Sports Hall of Fame - Rose, Mauri 1982 *". www.mmshof.org. Retrieved 2023-10-03.
- ^ "Eastern Motorsports Press Association - Hall of Fame M thru Z". empamedia.com. Retrieved 2023-10-03.
- ^ "Eastern Motorsports Press Association - Hall of Fame". empamedia.com. Retrieved 2023-10-03.
- ^ "Mauri Rose". International Motorsports Hall of Fame. Retrieved 2023-10-03.
- ^ "Mauri Rose". www.mshf.com. Retrieved 2023-10-03.
- ^ "Mauri Rose". www.jewishsports.net. Retrieved 2023-10-03.
- ^ "» Mauri Rose | Automotive Hall of Fame". www.automotivehalloffame.org. Retrieved 2023-10-03.
- ^ "1946 AAA National Championship Trail". www.champcarstats.com. Retrieved 2023-10-02.
- ^ Capps, Capps (October 2009). "The Curious Case of the 1946 Season: An Inconvenient Championship" (PDF). Rear View Mirror. 7 (2): 1–16.
- ^ Mauri Rose Indy 500 Race Stats
External links
edit- Mauri Rose - ChampCarStats.com
- Mauri Rose at Find a Grave
- Mauri Rose driver statistics at Racing-Reference