Royal Richard "Jim" Rathmann (July 16, 1928 – November 23, 2011), was an American racing driver who competed primarily in Championship Cars. Rathmann is best known for winning the Indianapolis 500 in 1960, emerging victorious after a race-long duel with Rodger Ward – as recently as 2023, a panel of fans and historians voted Rathmann's victory as the greatest '500' of all time. In Europe he is well-known for winning the 1958 Race of Two Worlds.
Rathmann and his older brother swapped names while teenagers. As a 16-year-old going by the name of Dick Rathmann, he wanted to start racing. To enter races, he borrowed his older brother's I.D. and assumed the identity of "Jim Rathmann." The name change stuck for life in public circles.
Driving career
Championship Car career
Rathmann drove in the AAA and USAC Championship Car series in the 1949–1950 and 1952–1963 seasons with 38 starts, including the Indianapolis 500 during each of those seasons. He had two victories in addition to his Indianapolis 500 win, including the USAC Daytona 100.
Rathmann also participated in the two runnings of the Race of Two Worlds at Monza, Italy, winning the 1958 race, a non-championship event.
1960 Indianapolis 500 victory
thumb|left|Rathmann's winning car from the 1960 Indianapolis 500
Starting in the middle of the first row, Rathmann ran in the front the entire race. From the midway point on, Rathmann and fellow driver Rodger Ward were locked in a neck and neck duel for first. Tire wear became an issue as the race wore on and Rathmann was able to keep his wheels fresh long enough to outrace Ward to the finish. The race featured the most recorded lead changes in Indianapolis 500 history, and has often been considered the greatest Indianapolis 500 ever run. Alan Bean recalls Corvettes lined up in the parking lot outside the astronaut offices at the Johnson Space Center in Houston, and friendly races between Shepard and Grissom along the Florida beach roads.
After retiring from the car business, Rathmann lived with his wife, Mary Kay, in Indialantic, Florida.
Death
During the decades after his victory, Rathmann was a regular visitor to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway during May each year. He drove the pace car several times. However, he missed the 100th-anniversary celebration in 2011 due to failing health.
Rathmann died on November 23, 2011. He had reportedly suffered a seizure at his home days earlier and died at a hospice center in Melbourne, Florida.
Awards and honors
Rathmann has been inducted into the following halls of fame:
- Florida Sports Hall of Fame (1978)
- Auto Racing Hall of Fame (1993)
- Motorsports Hall of Fame of America (2007)
Motorsports career results
AAA/USAC Championship Car results
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center; font-size:90%"
! Year
! 1
! 2
! 3
! 4
! 5
! 6
! 7
! 8
! 9
! 10
! 11
! 12
! 13
! 14
! Pos
! Points
|-
! rowspan=1| 1949
| ARL
|style="background:#CFCFFF;"| INDY<br><small>11</small>
| MIL<br>
| TRE<br>
| SPR
| MIL<br>
| DUQ<br>
| PIK
| SYR
| DET
| SPR
| LAN
| SAC<br>
|style="background:#FFCFCF;"| DMR<br><small>DNQ</small>
! style="background:#CFCFFF;"| 39th
! style="background:#CFCFFF;"| 100
|-
! rowspan=1| 1950
|style="background:#CFCFFF;"| INDY<br><small>24</small>
| MIL<br>
| LAN<br>
| SPR<br>
| MIL<br>
| PIK<br>
| SYR<br>
| DET<br>
| SPR<br>
| SAC<br>
| PHX<br>
| BAY<br>
| DAR<br>
|colspan=1|
!-
!0
|-
! 1952
|style="background:#DFDFDF;"| INDY<br><small>2</small>
|style="background:#CFEAFF;"| MIL<br><small>10</small>
|style="background:#DFFFDF;"| RAL<br><small>4</small>
|style="background:#FFCFCF;"| SPR<br><small>DNQ</small>
|style="background:#FFCFCF;"| MIL<br><small>DNQ</small>
| DET<br>
|style="background:#EFCFFF;"| DUQ<br><small>18</small>
| PIK
|style="background:#EFCFFF;"| SYR<br><small>18</small>
|style="background:#FFCFCF;"| DNC<br><small>DNQ</small>
| SJS<br>
| PHX<br>
|colspan=2|
!style="background:#CFEAFF;"| 6th
!style="background:#CFEAFF;"| 1,070
|-
! rowspan=1| 1953
|style="background:#CFEAFF;"| INDY<br><small>7</small>
| MIL<br>
| SPR<br>
| DET<br>
| SPR<br>
| MIL<br>
| DUQ<br>
| PIK
| SYR<br>
| ISF<br>
| SAC<br>
| PHX<br>
|colspan=2|
!style="background:#CFCFFF;"| 26th
!style="background:#CFCFFF;"| 169.5
|-
! rowspan=1| 1954
|style="background:#EFCFFF;"| INDY<br><small>28</small>
| MIL<br>
| LAN
|style="background:#EFCFFF;"|DAR<br><small>27</small>
| SPR
| MIL
| DUQ
| PIK
| SYR
| ISF
| SAC
| PHX<br>
| LVG<br>
|colspan=1|
! -
! 0
|-
! rowspan=1| 1955
|style="background:#CFCFFF;"| INDY<br><small>14</small>
|style="background:#EFCFFF;"| MIL<br><small>20</small>
| LAN
| SPR
| MIL
| DUQ
| PIK
| SYR
| ISF
| SAC
|PHX<br>
|colspan=3|
!-
!0
|-
! rowspan=1| 1956
|style="background:#EFCFFF;"| INDY<br><small>20</small>
|style="background:#EFCFFF;"| MIL<br><small>19</small>
| LAN<br>
|style="background:#CFCFFF;"| DAR<br><small>11</small>
|style="background:#DFFFDF;"| ATL<br><small>4</small>
|style="background:#FFCFCF;"| SPR<br><small>DNQ</small>
|style="background:#CFCFFF;"| MIL<br><small>15</small>
|style="background:#FFDF9F;"| DUQ<br><small>3</small>
|style="background:#FFCFCF;"| SYR<br><small>DNQ</small>
|style="background:#EFCFFF;"| ISF<br><small>15</small>
| SAC<br>
| PHX<br>
|colspan=2|
!style="background:#CFCFFF;"| 23rd
!style="background:#CFCFFF;"| 300
|-
! rowspan=1| 1957
|style="background:#DFDFDF;" | INDY<br><small>2</small>
| LAN<br>
|style="background:#DFFFDF;"| MIL<br><small>5</small>
| DET<br>
| ATL<br>
| SPR<br>
|style="background:#FFFFBF;" | MIL<br><small>1</small>
| DUQ<br>
| SYR<br>
| ISF<br>
|style="background:#CFEAFF;"| TRE<br><small>6</small>
|style="background:#CFCFFF;" | SAC<br><small>12</small>
|style="background:#CFEAFF;"| PHX<br><small>6</small>
|colspan=1|
!style="background:#DFDFDF;" | 2nd
!style="background:#DFDFDF;" | 1,470
|-
! rowspan=1| 1958
| TRE<br>
|style="background:#DFFFDF;"| INDY<br><small>5</small>
|style="background:#CFEAFF;" | MIL<br><small>7</small>
| LAN<br>
| ATL<br>
| SPR<br>
|style="background:#EFCFFF;"| MIL<br><small>23</small>
| DUQ<br>
| SYR<br>
| ISF<br>
| TRE<br>
| SAC<br>
| PHX<br>
|colspan=1|
!style="background:#CFCFFF;"| 14th
!style="background:#CFCFFF;"| 560
|-
! rowspan=1| 1959
|style="background:#ffffbf;| DAY<br><small>1</small>
|style="background:#dfffdf;| TRE<br><small>4</small>
|style="background:#dfdfdf;| INDY<br><small>2</small>
|style="background:#ffcfcf;| MIL<br><small>DNQ</small>
| LAN<br>
| SPR<br>
|style="background:#dfffdf;| MIL<br><small>4</small>
| DUQ<br>
| SYR<br>
| ISF<br>
| TRE<br>
| SAC<br>
| PHX<br>
|colspan=1|
!style="background:#DFFFDF;" | 4th
!style="background:#DFFFDF;" | 1,154.8
|-
! 1960
| TRE
|style="background:#FFFFBF;"| INDY<br><small>1</small>
|style="background:#FFCFCF;"| MIL<br><small>DNQ</small>
| LAN<br>
| SPR
|style="background:#EFCFFF;"| MIL<br><small>18</small>
| DUQ
| SYR
| ISF
|style="background:#EFCFFF;"| TRE<br><small>21</small>
| SAC
| PHX
|colspan=2|
!style="background:#DFFFDF;" | 4th
!style="background:#DFFFDF;" | 1,000
|-
! 1961
|style="background:#FFCFCF;"| TRE<br><small>DNQ</small>
|style="background:#EFCFFF;"| INDY<br><small>30</small>
|style="background:#FFCFCF;"| MIL<br><small>DNQ</small>
| LAN
| MIL
| SPR
| DUQ
|style="background:#FFCFCF;"| SYR<br><small>DNQ</small>
| ISF
| TRE
| SAC
| PHX
|colspan=2|
! -
! 0
|-
! 1962
| TRE
|style="background:#CFEAFF;" | INDY<br><small>9</small>
| MIL<br>
| LAN
| TRE<br>
| SPR
| MIL<br>
| LAN
| SYR<br>
| ISF<br>
| TRE<br>
| SAC<br>
| PHX<br>
|colspan=1|
!style="background:#CFCFFF;"| 19th
!style="background:#CFCFFF;"| 200
|-
! 1963
| TRE
|style="background:#EFCFFF;"| INDY<br><small>24</small>
| MIL<br>
| LAN
| TRE
| SPR
| MIL
| DUQ
| ISF
| TRE
| SAC
| PHX
|colspan=2|
! -
! 0
|}
Indianapolis 500 results
{|class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
!Year
!Car
!Start
!Qual
!Rank
!Finish
!Laps
!Led
!Retired
|-
!1949
|68
|21
|126.516
|29
|11
|175
|0
|Flagged
|-
!1950
|76
|28
|129.959
|24
|24
|122
|0
|Flagged
|-
!1952
|59
|10
|136.343
|7
|style="background:#dfdfdf;"| 2nd
|200
|0
|Running
|-
!1953
|2
|25
|135.666
|28
|7
|200
|1
|Running
|-
!1954
|38
|28
|138.228
|21
|28
|110
|0
|Crash T4
|-
!1955
|33
|20
|138.707
|24
|14
|191
|0
|Flagged
|-
!1956
|24
|2
|145.120
|3
|20
|175
|3
|Rings
|-
!1957
|26
|32
|139.806
|31
|style="background:#dfdfdf;"| 2nd
|200
|24
|Running
|-
!1958
|2
|20
|143.147
|15
|5
|200
|0
|Running
|-
!1959
|16
|3
|144.433
|4
|style="background:#dfdfdf;"| 2nd
|200
|19
|Running
|-
!1960
|4
|2
|146.371
|4
|style="background:#ffffbf;"| 1st
|200
|100
|Running
|-
!1961
|4
|11
|145.413
|13
|30
|48
|6
|Magneto
|-
!1962
|44
|23
|146.610
|21
|9
|200
|0
|Running
|-
!1963
|16
|29
|147.838
|32
|24
|99
|0
|Magneto
|-
|colspan=6|Totals
|2320
|153
|
|}
{|class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
!Starts
|14
|-
!Poles
|0
|-
!Front Row
|3
|-
!Wins
|1
|-
!Top 5
|5
|-
!Top 10
|7
|-
!Retired
|4
|}
FIA World Drivers' Championship results
(key) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center; font-size:95%"
! Year
! Entrant
! Chassis
! Engine
! 1
! 2
! 3
! 4
! 5
! 6
! 7
! 8
! 9
! 10
! 11
! WDC
! Points
|-
| 1950
! Pioneer Auto Repair
! Wetteroth
! Offenhauser L4
| GBR
| MON
|style="background:#CFCFFF;"| 500<br>
| SUI
| BEL
| FRA
| ITA
|
|
|
|
! NC
! 0
|-
| 1952
! Grancor-Wynn's Oil
! Kurtis Kraft 3000
! Offenhauser L4
| SUI
|style="background:#DFDFDF;"| 500<br>
| BEL
| FRA
| GBR
| GER
| NED
| ITA
|
|
|
! 10th
! 6
|-
| 1953
! Travelon Trailer
! Kurtis Kraft 500B
! Offenhauser L4
| ARG
|style="background:#CFCFFF;"| 500<br>
| NED
| BEL
| FRA
| GBR
| GER
| SUI
| ITA
|
|
! NC
! 0
|-
| 1954
! Bardahl
! Kurtis Kraft 500C
! Offenhauser L4
| ARG
|style="background:#CFCFFF;"| 500<br>
| BEL
| FRA
| GBR
| GER
| SUI
| ITA
| ESP
|
|
! NC
! 0
|-
| 1955
! Belond Miracle Power
! Epperly
! Offenhauser L4
| ARG
| MON
|style="background:#CFCFFF;"| 500<br>
| BEL
| NED
| GBR
| ITA
|
|
|
|
! NC
! 0
|-
| 1956
! Hopkins
! Kurtis Kraft 500C
! Offenhauser L4
| ARG
| MON
|style="background:#CFCFFF;"| 500<br>
| BEL
| FRA
| GBR
| GER
| ITA
|
|
|
! NC
! 0
|-
| 1957
! Chiropractic
! Epperly Indy Roadster
! Offenhauser L4
| ARG
| MON
|style="background:#DFDFDF;"| 500<br>
| FRA
| GBR
| GER
| PES
| ITA
|
|
|
! 10th
! 7
|-
| 1958
! Leader Card 500 Roadster
! Epperly Indy Roadster
! Offenhauser L4
| ARG
| MON
| NED
|style="background:#dfffdf;"| 500<br>
| BEL
| FRA
| GBR
| GER
| POR
| ITA
| MOR
! 21st
! 2
|-
| 1959
! Simoniz
! Watson Indy Roadster
! Offenhauser L4
| MON
|style="background:#DFDFDF;"| 500<br>
| NED
| FRA
| GBR
| GER
| POR
| ITA
| USA
|
|
! 11th
! 6
|-
| 1960
! Ken-Paul
! Watson Indy Roadster
! Offenhauser L4
| ARG
| MON
|style="background:#FFFFBF;"| 500<br>
| NED
| BEL
| FRA
| GBR
| POR
| ITA
| USA
|
! 8th
! 8
|}
References
External links
- Jim Rathmann - ChampCarStats.com
- Jim Rathmann - Motorsport Memorial