Cliff Bergere

Cliff Bergere (December 6, 1896 Toledo, Ohio – June 18, 1980 Dade City, Florida) was an American stuntman and racecar driver.

Bergere did stunt driving for movies, including the 1923 film The Eagle's Talons, before embarking on a racing career. From 1927 to 1947, he started the Indianapolis 500 sixteen times, missing only the 1930 race. He started the race from the front row three times and won the pole in 1946. At age 49, he was the oldest pole winner ever. He finished third in 1932 and 1939 and completed the 1941 race without making a pit stop, finishing fifth.

Bergere had the distinction of the most starts in Indy 500 history at the time of his career (16), a record he held until 1974.

Indianapolis 500 results

Year Car Start Qual Rank Finish Laps Led Retired 1927 25 14 108.820 19 9 200 0 Running 1928 21 3 119.956 3 28 7 0 Supercharger 1929 25 32 103.687 32 9 200 0 Running 1931 28 14 106.781 23 9 200 0 Running 1932 22 10 111.503 16 3 200 0 Running 1933 6 9 115.643 11 11 200 0 Running 1934 22 18 115.243 8 7 200 0 Running 1935 15 16 114.162 23 13 196 0 Out of gas 1936 42 7 113.377 22 22 116 0 Engine support 1937 45 16 117.546 24 5 200 0 Running 1938 9 32 114.464 32 20 111 0 Piston 1939 54 10 123.835 15 3 200 0 Running 1940 5 6 123.673 10 27 51 0 Oil line 1941 34 7 123.890 13 5 200 10 Running 1946 3 1 126.471 3 16 82 2 Out of oil 1947 18 2 124.957 4 21 62 23 Piston Totals 2425 35

Starts 16 Poles 1 Front Row 3 Wins 0 Top 5 4 Top 10 8 Retired 7

References

External links

• Cliff Bergere and Americas Safest Tire
• The Greatest 33: Cliff Bergere
• IMDB page
• Indy 500 history: Cliff Bergere
• Racing-Reference page