Eastern based racer, who raced in a variety of events. Van Gorder would've likely raced in the first event, but he crashed his Lozier car in practice, when a tire blew at high speed, a few days before the race, leaving the car unrepairable and his riding mechanic, Walter Bardell, in hospital with a broken shoulder. Van Gorder later served in World War 1. Van Gorder started racing as a riding mechanic, as a teenager, in the mid 1900's, and then later worked for Packard as a driver and mechanic.

Biography last updated 19 Jun 2015