Ronald Griffith "Bon" MacDougall (August 4, 1901 – December 11, 1970) was a Canadian

racing driver Auto racing (also known as car racing, motor racing, or automobile racing) is a motorsport involving the racing of automobiles for competition. In North America, the term is commonly used to describe all forms of automobile sport including non ...

and a founding member of the

13 Black Cats The 13 Black Cats, also known as the 13 Flying Black Cats or simply the Black Cats, was a 1920s group of Los Angeles–based performers who would do stunts, primarily using airplanes and also including motorcycles and automobiles, for a set price. ...

aerial stunt group, established in 1924.

Biography

One day in Los Angeles, an airshow was scheduled at the Burdette Airport and School of Aviation. When the performers did not show up, MacDougall, a part-owner of the airport, persuaded

Spider Matlock William Earnest "Spider" Matlock (June 30, 1901, St. Joseph, Missouri – January 27, 1936) was an American stuntman, stunt pilot, car racing promoter, driver and mechanic. Stunt flying One day, an airshow was scheduled at the Burdette Air Po ...

and Ken Nichols, two friends who had come to watch the show, to help him. According to Nichols, after five minutes of instruction, the pair performed as wing walkers, with MacDougall flying the airplane. The burgeoning field of

aviation Aviation includes the activities surrounding mechanical flight and the aircraft industry. ''Aircraft'' include fixed-wing and rotary-wing types, morphable wings, wing-less lifting bodies, as well as lighter-than-air aircraft such as h ...

reached Hollywood, and stunt pilots were needed. In 1924, MacDougall, Nichols and Matlock formed a group called the Black Cats, later renamed the

, to perform aerial stunts for movies. Each of the Black Cats was supposed to have a name that was 13 letters long, which is how MacDougall acquired the nickname "Bon". The group lasted five years, but eventually succumbed to increased safety regulations and cut-rate competition. 13 Black Cats

MacDougall competed in the

1926 Indianapolis 500 The 14th International 500-Mile Sweepstakes Race was held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Monday, May 31, 1926. Louis Chevrolet drove the Chrysler Indianapolis 500 pace cars, pace car for the start. Rain halted the race at lap 72, and off ...

, driving a

Miller A miller is a person who operates a mill, a machine to grind a grain (for example corn or wheat) to make flour. Milling is among the oldest of human occupations. "Miller", "Milne" and other variants are common surnames, as are their equivalents ...

car. He completed 19 laps before retiring due to a water leak. MacDougall won $512 in that race. According to the Internet Pinball Database, he designed five pinball games for the Pacific Amusement Manufacturing Company of Chicago and Bally Manufacturing Corporation in 1934 and 1935. He received several patents for pinball game features during this period. He became a US citizen in 1940.

Motorsports career results

Indianapolis 500 results

Source:Bon McDougall Official Indy 500 Career Stats

References

External links

ChampCarStats

Internet Pinball Database
{{DEFAULTSORT:MacDougall, Bon 1901 births 1970 deaths Canadian racing drivers Racing drivers from Manitoba Canadian emigrants to the United States Sportspeople from Winnipeg Indianapolis 500 drivers

Biography

Motorsports career results

Indianapolis 500 results

See also

References

External links