Gravely injured in the 1973 Indy 500, when he lost control of his car and it disintegrated into flames and fibre, 'Swede' passed away about a month later, from pneumonia, after his kidneys failed. Real name was David. Swede started racing quarter-midgets when only nine years old, before becoming a works rider for Harley Davidson's off-road team, winning the Californian Championship. Savage then worked for a bike dealership which was owned by Dan Gurney and via the great man started car racing. After a spell in NASCAR, Savage appeared in Can-Am with Gurney's team before winning in Indycar in 1970 at Phoenix. Named as Gurney's replacement, a couple of big crashes in 1971 and 1972 derailed his career somewhat.

Biography last updated 17 Feb 2016