Gil Andersen

Gilbert J. Andersen (born Gulbrand, November 27, 1879^[1] – September 20, 1930) was an American racing driver active during the formative years of auto racing.

Gil Andersen
Andersen at the 1915 Indianapolis 500
Born	Gulbrand J. Andersen (1879-11-27)November 27, 1879 Horten, Vestfold, Norway
Died	September 20, 1930(1930-09-20) (aged 50) Logansport, Indiana, U.S.
Champ Car career
31 races run over 8 years
First race	1910 Remy Brassard #1 (Indianapolis)
Last race	1917 Uniontown Race #3 (Uniontown)
First win	1913 Elgin National Trophy (Elgin)
Last win	1915 Astor Cup (Sheepshead Bay)
Wins Podiums Poles 3 10 0

Biography

Andersen was born on November 27, 1879, in Horten, Vestfold county, Norway.^[2] Andersen and his family emigrated to Chicago, Illinois, in 1895, whereupon Andersen took the name Gilbert. He became a citizen of the United States in 1900.^{[citation needed]} He married Elsie Olsen on March 3, 1909, in Minneapolis, Minnesota.^[3] He competed in the first six Indianapolis 500 races, appearing in annual races from 1911 through 1916.^[2]

One of Andersen's major victories was in the 1913 Elgin National Road Races, which he won at an average speed of 71 mph.^[4] On October 9, 1915, he set a new auto speed record of 102.6 mph, winning the first Astor Cup race at Sheepshead Bay. New York.^[5] In 1928, Andersen established a new American stock car speed record, when he clocked 106.52 mph in a Stutz Blackhawk on the measured mile at Daytona Beach, Florida.^[6]

Andersen worked as an engineer for the Stutz Motor Company. Stutz was in operation from 1911 and continued through 1935. He also was an engineer for the ReVere Motor Company,^[7] located in Logansport, Cass County, Indiana.^[8]

Andersen died of pulmonary tuberculosis on September 20, 1930, in Logansport, Indiana, at age 50.^[2]

Motorsports career results

Indianapolis 500 results

Year Car Start Qual Rank Finish Laps Led Retired 1911 10 10 — — 11 200 0 Running 1912 1 1 80.930 12 16 80 0 Crash T3 1913 3 14 82.630 11 12 187 18 Camshaft gears 1914 24 16 90.490 11 26 42 0 Cylinder bolts 1915 5 5 95.140 5 3 200 26 Running 1916 28 3 95.940 3 13 75 0 Oil line Totals 784 44

Starts 6 Poles 1 Front Row 2 Wins 0 Top 5 1 Top 10 1 Retired 4

^[9]

Gallery

• 
  Gil Andersen's crashed Stutz at T3 in the 1912 Indianapolis 500
• 
  Gil Andersen at the 1915 Indianapolis 500
• 
  Andersen's #28 car (second from left), preparing for the 1916 Indianapolis 500