Lyle Kurtenbach's Fatal Crash @ Indianapolis 1987
- 4 months ago
On lap 131 of the 1987 Indianapolis 500, Tony Bettenhausen, Jr.'s 1986 March - Cosworth #16 lost a wheel in turn 3, and Roberto Guerrero hit it head-on at full speed with the nose cone of his '87 March - Cosworth #4. The loose wheel was thrown over the safety fence and fatally struck Lyle Kurtenbach, a spectator who was watching the race from the top row of Grandstand K. He was the first spectator to die at the Speedway since 1960.
Both drivers involved in the accident were able to continue in the race. Roberto Guerrero finished in second place; Bettenhausen finished in tenth. Al Unser won the race, tying the record of four wins in the Indianapolis 500.
Kurtenbach was an avid fan of the Indy 500. He had attended the race regularly. He and his wife had traveled to Indianapolis in a van, and were enjoying a reunion with ten relatives from North Dakota, Minnesota and Kansas. He was a cement additives salesman, residing in Rothschild, Wisconsin.
R.I.P
Both drivers involved in the accident were able to continue in the race. Roberto Guerrero finished in second place; Bettenhausen finished in tenth. Al Unser won the race, tying the record of four wins in the Indianapolis 500.
Kurtenbach was an avid fan of the Indy 500. He had attended the race regularly. He and his wife had traveled to Indianapolis in a van, and were enjoying a reunion with ten relatives from North Dakota, Minnesota and Kansas. He was a cement additives salesman, residing in Rothschild, Wisconsin.
R.I.P