Ronnie Bucknum (April 5, 1936 – April 23, 1992) was an American race car driver, born in
Alhambra, California
Alhambra (, , ; from " Alhambra") is a city located in the western San Gabriel Valley region of Los Angeles County, California, United States, approximately eight miles from the Downtown Los Angeles civic center. It was incorporated on July ...
.
Bucknum participated in 11
Formula One
Formula One (also known as Formula 1 or F1) is the highest class of international racing for open-wheel single-seater formula racing cars sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). The World Drivers' Championship ...
World Championship Grands Prix, debuting on August 2, 1964. He scored a total of two championship points. At the
1964 German Grand Prix
The 1964 German Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Nürburgring on 2 August 1964. It was race 6 of 10 in both the 1964 World Championship of Drivers and the 1964 International Cup for Formula One Manufacturers. The 15-lap race was wo ...
, he became the first person to drive a Honda-engined car in Formula One.
After Formula One, Bucknum drove in the
USAC Championship Car series, racing in the 1967–1970 seasons with 23 starts, including the
Indianapolis 500
The Indianapolis 500, formally known as the Indianapolis 500-Mile Race, and commonly called the Indy 500, is an annual automobile race held at Indianapolis Motor Speedway (IMS) in Speedway, Indiana, United States, an enclave suburb of India ...
in 1968–1970. He finished in the top ten 10 times, with his one victory coming at Michigan International Speedway in 1968.
He was the father of
Jeff Bucknum, an
Indy Racing League and
American Le Mans Series
The American Le Mans Series (ALMS) was a sports car racing series based in the United States and Canada. It consisted of a series of Endurance racing (motorsport), endurance and sprint races, and was created in the spirit of the 24 Hours of Le M ...
driver. Ronnie Bucknum died in
San Luis Obispo, California
San Luis Obispo (; Spanish for " St. Louis the Bishop", ; Chumash: ''tiłhini'') is a city and county seat of San Luis Obispo County, in the U.S. state of California. Located on the Central Coast of California, San Luis Obispo is roughly h ...
following complications from diabetes.
Complete Formula One World Championship results
(
key)
Complete 24 Hours of Le Mans results
Complete USAC Championship Car results
Indianapolis 500 results
1936 births
1992 deaths
24 Hours of Le Mans drivers
American Formula One drivers
Indianapolis 500 drivers
Sportspeople from Alhambra, California
Racing drivers from California
Trans-Am Series drivers
Honda Formula One drivers
World Sportscar Championship drivers
24 Hours of Daytona drivers
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