A naturalised American by the time of his racing days, Kurt later ran an insurance company in Illinois and twelve other states across America, becoming one of the first insurers to insure black drivers and taxi drivers. Hitke made his name as a riding mechanic. For three seasons Hitke occupied the seat alongside Ralph Mulford, Wilbur D'Alene and Earl DeVore when they drove Duesenbergs and in 1917 he was with Pete Henderson in the Mercer. He also supported Tommy Milton. Kurt worked, during his racing days, as a superintendent of the Roamer factory at Kalamazoo, Michigan. Indeed, his Indy 500 debut occurred when he was signed to drive the car by C. Y. Kenworthy, the Chicago distributor of the Roamer car, when the latter bought it from racer Eddie Hearne.

Biography last updated 19 Jan 2023