John Donald Aitken (May 3, 1885 – October 15, 1918) was an American

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 ...

from

Indianapolis Indianapolis ( ), colloquially known as Indy, is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Indiana, most populous city of the U.S. state of Indiana and the county seat of Marion County, Indiana, Marion ...

, who was active in the years prior to

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

. Aitken competed in the

Indianapolis 500 The Indianapolis 500, formally known as the Indianapolis 500-Mile Race, and commonly shortened to Indy 500, is an annual automobile race held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana, United States, an enclave suburb of Indian ...

three times. He started the race twice, in

1911 Events January * January 1 – A decade after federation, the Northern Territory and the Australian Capital Territory are added to the Commonwealth of Australia. * January 3 ** 1911 Kebin earthquake: An earthquake of 7.7 m ...

and

1916 Events Below, the events of the First World War have the "WWI" prefix. January * January 1 – The British Empire, British Royal Army Medical Corps carries out the first successful blood transfusion, using blood that has been stored ...

. He led the first lap of the first race (1911). Aitken captured the pole position in 1916, but ended up in 15th place (his best finish) that year. In the

1915 Indianapolis 500 The 5th International 500-Mile Sweepstakes Race was held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Monday, May 31, 1915. The traditional race date of May 30 fell on a Sunday, but race organizers declined to schedule the race for Sunday. The race was ...

, Aitken drove relief for two drivers, Gil Anderson and Earl Cooper (who ultimately finished 3rd and 4th).

Biography

Aitken competed in the

three times. He started the race twice, in

and

. He led the first lap of the first race (1911). Aitken captured the pole position in 1916, but ended up in 15th place (his best finish) that year. In the

, Aitken drove relief for two drivers, Gil Anderson and Earl Cooper (who ultimately finished 3rd and 4th). While Aitken never won the Indianapolis 500 as a driver, he did serve as team manager for two winning efforts, Joe Dawson’s victory in

1912 This year is notable for Sinking of the Titanic, the sinking of the ''Titanic'', which occurred on April 15. In Albania, this leap year runs with only 353 days as the country achieved switching from the Julian to Gregorian Calendar by skippin ...

, and Jules Goux’s win in

1913 Events January * January – Joseph Stalin travels to Vienna to research his ''Marxism and the National Question''. This means that, during this month, Stalin, Hitler, Trotsky and Tito are all living in the city. * January 3 &ndash ...

. Aitken’s activity at the

Indianapolis Motor Speedway The Indianapolis Motor Speedway is a motor racing circuit located in Speedway, Indiana, United States, an enclave suburb of Indianapolis, Indiana. It is the home of the Indianapolis 500 and the Brickyard 400, and and formerly the home of the U ...

was not limited to the Indianapolis 500. He won a total of 15 races at IMS, the most of any driver in the 100-year history of the track. Aitken was the only driver to win races in each of the four automobile race weekends that were held during the track’s “pre-500” years of 1909–1910. He also won all three races which comprised the Harvest Auto Racing Classic, in September 1916. (The driver with the second-greatest number of wins at IMS is Ray Harroun, with 8 wins in 1909–1911.) Aitken started a total of 41 races at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, which is, again, the most of any driver in the track's history. (The driver with the second-greatest number of starts at IMS is A. J. Foyt, who started a total of 36 races from 1958 to 1994.) Outside of his participation at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Aitken is known to have started at least 33 AAA-sanctioned races, from 1907 to 1916, and to have driven relief in at least three others. He won seven of these races, including the 1916 1st International Sweepstakes race (300 miles, Sept 14, at th
Cincinnati Motor Speedway
), the 1916 Astor Cup Race (250 miles, Sept 30, at the Sheepshead Bay Speedway), and the 1916 Harkness Trophy Race (100 miles, Oct 28, also at Sheepshead Bay). 1916Indianapolis500Field

Aitken is credited as co-winner of the American Grand Prize, which was held at the Santa Monica Road Race Course on Nov 18, 1916. He started the race, but was the first driver to drop out, when his car suffered a broken piston after one lap. On Lap 21, he took over the car which had started the race being driven by

Howdy Wilcox Howard Samuel "Howdy" Wilcox (June 24, 1889 – September 4, 1923) was an American racing driver active in the formative years of auto racing. He won the 1919 Indianapolis 500. Formative years and family Wilcox was born in Crawfordsville, In ...

. Aitken drove that car for the remainder of the race, completing 28 of the total 48 laps, finishing first. Aitken, therefore, was credited with both first and last place. (Such scoring would not take place under the current rules of most racing series.) Despite this, the

AAA Contest Board The AAA Contest Board was the motorsports arm of the American Automobile Association. The contest board sanctioned automobile races from 1904 until 1955, establishing American Championship car racing. Modern-day Indy car racing traces its roots d ...

ruled him ineligible for points, and he finished second overall in the 1916 season. Aitken died on October 15, 1918, of bronchopneumonia from the Influenza pandemic of 1918.Historical Motorsports Stories: Johnny Aitken: Indy 500 Pioneer - Pandemic Victim
Racing-Reference

Motorsports career results

Indianapolis 500 results

References

* Scott, D. Bruce; ''INDY: Racing Before the 500''; Indiana Reflections; 2005; . * Galpin, Darren; ''A Record of Motorsport Racing Before World War I.'' * http://www.motorsport.com/stats * http://www.champcarstats.com * Dill, Mark; "A Forgotten Classic;" ''2006 Allstate 400 at the Brickyard Official Program;'' Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Aitken, Johnny 1885 births 1918 deaths Racing drivers from Indianapolis Indianapolis 500 drivers Indianapolis 500 polesitters Deaths from the Spanish flu pandemic in Indiana AAA Championship Car drivers 20th-century American sportsmen