Erwin Baker
Erwin "Cannon Ball" Baker | |||||||
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Champ Car career | |||||||
1 race run over 1 year | |||||||
First race | 1922 Indianapolis 500 (Indianapolis) | ||||||
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Erwin George "Cannon Ball" Baker (March 12, 1882 – May 10, 1960) was an American
Baker was also famous for his record-setting point-to-point drives, in which he was paid to promote the products of various motorcycle and automobile manufacturers. In all, he made 143 cross-country motorcycle speed runs totaling about 550,000 miles (890,000 km).
In 1908, Baker purchased an
Life
Baker was born in
Records
Baker set 143 driving records from the 1910s through the 1930s. His first was set in 1914, riding coast to coast on an Indian motorcycle in 11 days. He normally rode to sponsor manufacturers, guaranteeing them "no record, no money".[6]
In 1915, Baker drove from Los Angeles to New York City in 11 days, 7 hours and fifteen minutes in a Stutz Bearcat, and the following year drove a Cadillac 8 roadster from Los Angeles to Times Square in 7 days, 11 hours, and 52 minutes, while accompanied by an Indianapolis newspaper reporter. For ReVere, he drove a car that might have been the first work's prototype vehicle on a very extended reliability, endurance, and promotion run. The trip took about four months from June to September 1918, went over 16,234 miles and connected the 48 state capitals.[7] In 1924, he made his first midwinter transcontinental run in a stock Gardner sedan at a time of 4 days, 14 hours, and 15 minutes. He was so impressed by the car that he purchased one thereafter.[8] In 1926, he drove a loaded two-ton truck from New York to San Francisco in a record 5 days, 17 hours, and 30 minutes, and in 1928, he beat the 20th Century Limited train from New York to Chicago. Also in 1928, he competed in the Mount Washington Hillclimb Auto Race, and set a record time of 14:49.6 seconds, driving a Franklin.[9]
His best-remembered drive was a 1933 New York City to Los Angeles trek in a Graham-Paige model 57 Blue Streak 8, setting a 53.5 hour record that stood for nearly 40 years. This drive inspired the later Cannonball Baker Sea-to-Shining-Sea Memorial Trophy Dash, better known as the "Cannonball Run", which itself inspired at least five movies and a television series.[10] In 1941, he drove a new Crosley Covered Wagon across the nation in a trouble free 6,517-mile (10,488 km) run to prove the economy and reliability characteristics of Crosley automobiles. Other record and near-record transcontinental trips were made in Model T Fords, Chrysler Imperials, Marmons, Falcon-Knights, and Columbia Tigers, among others.
Death
Baker died of a heart attack at Community Hospital in Indianapolis, Indiana, on May 10, 1960, at age 78. He is buried at Crown Hill Cemetery in Indianapolis.[11]
Historical marker
In 2017, an Indiana state historical marker commemorating "Cannon Ball" Baker was installed by the
Car and Driver "Cannonball Run"
In the 1970s, Car and Driver magazine reporter Brock Yates and editor Steve Smith conceived the idea of an unsanctioned, informal race across the country, replicating the 53.5-hour transcontinental drive made by Baker in 1933. The New York to Los Angeles Cannonball Baker Sea-to-Shining-Sea Memorial Trophy Dash, later shortened to the "Cannonball Run", was staged in 1971, 1972, 1975, and 1979. The stunt served as the inspiration for several Hollywood movies, such as Cannonball!, The Gumball Rally, The Cannonball Run, Cannonball Run II, and Cannonball Run III.
Motorsports career results
Indianapolis 500 results
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See also
References
- ^ Brown, Allen. "Erwin 'Cannonball' Baker". OldRacingCars.com. Retrieved 2024-01-16.
- ^ "Cannonball Baker". www.champcarstats.com. Retrieved 2024-01-16.
- ^ "Cannon Ball" (PDF), 2008 Indianapolis 500 flyer, Indianapolis Motor Speedway, p. 192, 2008, archived from the original (PDF) on March 22, 2012
- Hemmings Classic Car, July 2013
- ^ "AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame: Erwin 'Cannonball' Baker". Motorcycle Hall of Fame. Pickerington, OH USA: American Motorcyclist Association. Retrieved October 22, 2011.
- ^ "'Cannon Ball' Baker Set Records on Two and Four Wheels in Early Days".
- Hemmings Classic Car, February 2006
- ^ "Cannonball Baker Run of 1924". GarnderMotorCars.com. Retrieved April 18, 2018.
- ^ "The Climb to the Clouds Vintage Hillclimb at the Mt. Washington Auto Road at the base of Mt. Washington, Pinkham Notch New Hampshire". Archived from the original on December 16, 2007.
- ISBN 978-0-7603-1633-7.
- ^ "Indianapolis Auto Greats" (PDF). Celebrating Automotive Heritage at Crown Hill Cemetery. Crown Hill Cemetery. 2011. Archived from the original (PDF) on September 13, 2012. Retrieved September 10, 2012.
- Indiana Historical Bureau. Retrieved April 18, 2018.