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Riley Brett

Riley Brett, Indianapolis 500, 1921. Photo is part of the Bruce R. Craig Photo collection at the Stanford University Library Collection, however photo taken pre-1923, so copyright lapsed. JPEG copyright, Richard Jenkins, 2016.

Riley Brett, Indianapolis 500, 1921. Photo is part of the Bruce R. Craig Photo collection at the Stanford University Library Collection, however photo taken pre-1923, so copyright lapsed. JPEG copyright, Richard Jenkins, 2016.

Born:

11 Jun 1895
McAlester, Oklahoma

Died:

05 Feb 1982
Los Angeles, California

Nationality:

United States

Indy 500s:

2 (1920-1921)

Better known as a mechanic in the 1930's. Pete dePaolo's racing mechanic, Brett was involved in the sport for many years, initially working as a mechanic, before becoming a riding mechanic and relief driver for a number of drivers, including W W Brown and John Boling as well as dePaolo. Riley also helped Herschel McKee progress in his career after McKee started off as Riley's riding mechanic. Brett also worked for Alden Sampson in developing his racing car, the Sampson IC30, followed by the Sampson IC39, which went on to race for most of the 1930's and 1940's. Brett also designed his own Indy cars in the 1920's and was an accomplished aircraft pilot.

Biography last updated 16 Jul 2017