Cliff Bergere

Cliff Bergere
Bergere, circa 1940
Born	(1896-12-06)December 6, 1896 New York, New York, U.S.
Died	June 18, 1980(1980-06-18) (aged 83) Dade City, Florida, U.S.
Champ Car career
22 races run over 16 years
Best finish	4th (tie) (1939, 1941)
First race	1927 Indianapolis 500 (Indianapolis)
Last race	1947 Indianapolis 500 (Indianapolis)
Wins Podiums Poles 0 3 1

Cliff Bergere (December 6, 1896 – June 18, 1980) was an American stuntman and racing 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 Indianapolis 500 history at the time of his career (16), a record he held until 1974.

Motorsports career results

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

External links

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