Joel Wolfe Thorne Jr. (October 16, 1914 – October 17, 1955) was an American racing driver,[1][2] engineer, and playboy. Thorne raced his own cars in the Indianapolis 500, and later went on to attempt to design aircraft. He died after a plane crash in North Hollywood.
Joel Thorne | |||||||
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Thorne, circa 1938
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Born | Joel Wolfe Thorne Jr. (1914-10-16)October 16, 1914 New York, New York, U.S. | ||||||
Died | October 17, 1955(1955-10-17) (aged 41) North Hollywood, California, U.S. | ||||||
Champ Car career | |||||||
8 races run over 12 years | |||||||
Best finish | 5th (1940) | ||||||
First race | 1936 Vanderbilt Cup (Westbury) | ||||||
Last race | 1950 Pikes Peak Hill Climb (Pikes Peak) | ||||||
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The 1946 Indianapolis 500 was won by a car owned by Thorne and driven by George Robson.[3] One of Thorne's cars also won the pole position and finished second in the 1939 Indianapolis 500 with Jimmy Snyder behind the wheel.[4]
Thorne died after crashing his private plane, during what witnesses described as "stunting",[5] into an apartment building, killing three residents including a two-month-old baby.[6][7]
A small plane piloted by wealthy playboy Joel W Thorne crashed into a two-story apartment house Monday night bringing flaming death to himself and two others — one a newly christened baby. Nine persons were injured including the infant's parents who were holding a christening party. Two other children were critically burned. Thorne' single-engine plans plummeted out of the overcast less than 12 minutes after taking off from Lockheed Air Terminal in nearby Burbank. An eyewitness said a wing dropped off before the craft plunged into the building. A small plane piloted by wealthy playboy Joel W Thorne crashed into a two-story apartment house Monday night bringing flaming death to himself and two others — one a newly christened baby. Nine persons were injured including the infant's parents who were holding a christening party. Two other children were critically burned. Thorne' single-engine plans plummeted out of the overcast less than 12 minutes after taking off from Lockheed Air Terminal in nearby Burbank. An eyewitness said a wing dropped off before the craft plunged into the building. [8]