Beardsley died when he was driving a motor-boat. Bad weather caught Ralph and his two companions out, forcing the boat to capsize, with all three men perishing. Beardsley was a millionaire, who funded his racing for fun, and started racing in the late 1900's. He primarily raced in dirt track racing, and was based in New Brunswick. Ralph, largely due to his tall height was officially, albeit a rather dubious honour, the heaviest driver in the very first Indianapolis 500 at 202 pounds - 14 and a half stone.

Biography last updated 19 Jun 2015