Caleb Bragg

{{Infobox racing driver

| name = Caleb Bragg

| image = CalebBragg1912.jpg

| caption = Bragg at the 1912 Indianapolis 500

| birth_name = Caleb Smith Bragg

| birth_date = {{Birth date|1885|11|23}}

| birth_place = Cincinnati, Ohio, U.S.

| death_date = {{Death date and age|1943|10|24|1885|11|23}}

| death_place = Manhattan, New York, U.S.

| module1 =

{{Infobox Champ Car driver|embed=yes

| Total_Champ_Races = 7

| Years_In_Champ = 5

| First_Champ_Race = 1911 Indianapolis 500 (Indianapolis)

| Last_Champ_Race = 1915 Vanderbilt Cup (Panama–Pacific)

| Champ_Wins = 0

| Champ_Podiums = 1

| Champ_Poles = 0

}}}}

Caleb Smith Bragg (November 23, 1885 – October 24, 1943) was an American racing driver, speedboat racer, aviation pioneer, and automotive inventor. He participated in the 1911, 1913 and 1914 Indianapolis 500. In speedboat racing, Caleb won three consecutive APBA Challenge Cup races in Detroit from 1923 to 1925.{{cite web |url=http://www.earlyaviators.com/ebragg.htm |title=Caleb Smith Bragg |accessdate=2011-04-23 |publisher=Early Aviators |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171108144745/http://www.earlyaviators.com/ebragg.htm |archive-date=2017-11-08 |url-status=dead }} He was a co-inventor of the Bragg-Kliesrath brake.

Early life

Bragg was born on November 23, 1885, in Cincinnati, Ohio, to Cais C. Bragg and Eugenia Hofer who were wealthy.{{cite book|last=Kellow|first=Brian|title=Ethel Merman : a life|year=2008|publisher=Penguin Books|location=New York|isbn=9780143114208|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=OJK5VL5dr8IC&pg=PT24 }}

Education

While at Yale University, Bragg became interested in automobile racing. Bragg graduated from Yale in 1908 and took a post-graduate engineering course at Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1909.

Racing career

On October 5, 1912, Bragg driving a 14 liter F.I.A.T. S74 took 1st place at the 1912 American Grand Prize race, the seventh and final race of the 1912 Grand Prix season. It was held at the Wauwatosa Road Race Course near Milwaukee, Wisconsin and was sanctioned by the Automobile Club of America.Ward, Harry (October 6, 1912). "Young millionaire racing driver is winner of classic". The Washington Times. Archived from the original on 2018-07-31. Caleb Bragg won by over 15 minutes over Erwin Bergdoll and his 9.5 liter 37/90 hp Benz. Bragg's average speed was 68.397 mph (110.074 km/h)."American Grand Prize". ChampCarStats.com. Archived from the original on 2017-10-10. Retrieved 2010-06-26.

Later career

During World War I Bragg became interested in flying airplanes and in 1916 he flew his first solo flight; he later set airplane records for speed and altitude.

Bragg developed a braking system with Victor William Kliesrath called the Bragg-Kliesrath brake. They formed a company in 1920 and Ethel Merman was his personal secretary before she became famous. They sold the company to Bendix Corporation in the late 1920s.{{cite book|last=Schoneberger|first=L.A. "Pat" Hyland; edited by W.A.|title=Call me Pat : the autobiography of the man Howard Hughes chose to lead Hughes Aircraft|year=1993|publisher=Donning Co./Publishers|location=Virginia Beach, VA|isbn=9780898658736|pages=147|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=5aznAAAAMAAJ&q=Bragg-Kliesrath+brake}}

In speedboat racing, Bragg won three consecutive APBA Challenge Cup races in Detroit from 1923 to 1925, in 1923 with Packard Chriscraft and the 1924-1925 races with Baby Bootlegger, the 29-foot mahogany wooden speedboat designed for him in 1924 by George Crouch and built by Henry Nevins.

Personal life

Bragg died on 24 October 1943 in New York City, New York.{{cite news |title=Caleb Smith Bragg, Dies. Flier, Auto Racer, Pioneer in Automotive Field. Also Noted as an Inventor and Speedboat Pilot |url=http://www.earlyaviators.com/ebragg.htm |newspaper=The New York Times |date=October 25, 1943 |accessdate=2011-04-23 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171108144745/http://www.earlyaviators.com/ebragg.htm |archive-date=November 8, 2017 |url-status=dead }}

Motorsports career results

= Indianapolis 500 results =

---- valign="top" \| {\|class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
Year !Car !Start !Qual !Rank !Finish !Laps !Led !Retired
1911 \|39 \|\|35 \|\|— \|\|— \|\|37 \|\|24 \|\|0 \|\|Crash in pits
1913 \|19 \|style="background:green;color:white"\|1 \|87.340 \|\|2 \|\|15 \|\|128 \|\|1 \|\|Pump shaft
1914 \|21 \|\|9 \|\|92.970 \|\|7 \|\|19 \|\|117 \|\|1 \|\|Camshaft
colspan="6"\|Totals	269	2

---- valign="top"

{|class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"

Year

!Car

!Start

!Qual

!Rank

!Finish

!Laps

!Led

!Retired

1911