While working as a road tester for the Jackson Automobile Co. in 1906 he got the opportunity to enter several races, in which he performed well.

[2] In 1908 William C. Durant, the founder of General Motors, brought Burman and the Chevrolet brothers on as drivers for the newly formed Buick racing team.

[4] Racing for promoter Ernest Moross, Burman set a land speed record at an average of 141.732 miles per hour (228.096 km/h) over distance of 0.625 miles (1 kilometer) in his 200-horsepower Blitzen Benz on the sands of Daytona Beach on April 23, 1911; however this record was not officially recognized by the AIACR in Paris.

On April 8, 1916, Burman was killed during a non-championship Corona road race when one of his rear tires exploded, causing his open-cockpit Peugeot car to roll over, along with his riding mechanic Erick Schrader and a policeman on duty.

[7][failed verification] His death caused his friends Barney Oldfield and Harry Arminius Miller to join forces to build a race car that incorporated a roll cage inside a streamlined driver's compartment that completely enclosed the driver.