Dan Gurney

Daniel Sexton Gurney (born April 13, 1931) is one of the most important figures in the history of American auto racing. He was born in Port Jefferson, New York, but moved to California as a teenager. He has been a driver, a car manufacturer and a team owner at racing's highest levels since 1958. He is one of only five American drivers to win a Formula One Grand Prix, and the only one to win in a car of his own manufacture. He also won the 24 hours of Le Mans and races in the Indy Car, NASCAR, Can-Am and Trans-Am Series.

Formula One Career

Driver

After driving a Ferrari at Le Mans in 1958, Gurney was invited to take a test run in a works Ferrari, and his Formula One career began with the team in 1959. In just four races that first year, he earned two podium finishes, but the team's strict management style did not suit him. In 1960 he had six non-finishes in seven races behind the wheel of a privately-entered BRM, then teamed with Jo Bonnier for the first full season of the factory Porsche team in 1961. After three second places the first year, he broke through in 1962 at the French Grand Prix with his first World Championship victory and the only GP win for Porsche. One week later, he repeated the win in a non-Championship F1 race in front of Porsche's home crowd at Stuttgarts Solitude race track. Due to the high costs of racing in F1, Porsche packed up after the 1962 season, though. In turn, Gurney married a Porsche management employee named Evi.

Related Topics:
Ferrari - 1959 - 1960 - BRM - Jo Bonnier - Porsche - 1961 - 1962 - French Grand Prix - Stuttgart - Solitude

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Gurney was the first driver hired by Jack Brabham to drive with him for the Brabham Racing Organisation. While Brabham himself scored the maiden victory for his car at the 1963 Solitude race, it was Gurney again who took the team's first win in a championship race, in 1964, and again in Rouen. In all, he earned two wins (in 1964) and ten podiums (including five consecutive in 1965) for Brabham before leaving to start his own team.

Related Topics:
Jack Brabham - Brabham Racing Organisation - Solitude - 1964 - 1965

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Manufacturer

In 1962, Gurney and Carroll Shelby began dreaming of building an American racing car to compete with the best European makes. Shelby convinced Goodyear, who wanted to challenge Firestone's domination of American racing at the time, to sponsor the team, and Goodyear's president Victor Holt suggested the name, "All American Racers", and the team was formed in 1965.

Related Topics:
Carroll Shelby - Goodyear - Firestone

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Their initial focus was Indianapolis and Goodyear's battle with Firestone, but Gurney's first love was road racing, especially in Europe, and he wanted to win the Formula One World Championship while driving an American Grand Prix Eagle. Partnered with British engine maker Weslake, the Formula One effort was called "Anglo-American Racers." The Weslake V12 engine was not ready for the 1966 Grand Prix season, so the team used outdated four-cylinder 2.7-liter Coventry-Climax engines and made their first appearance in the second race of the year in Belgium. Gurney scored the team's first Championship points by finishing fifth in the French Grand Prix at Reims.

Related Topics:
Indianapolis - Eagle - Weslake - 1966

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The next season, the team failed to finish any of the first three races, but on June 18, 1967, Gurney took a historic victory in the Belgian Grand Prix. Starting in the middle of the first row, Gurney initially followed Jim Clark's Lotus and the BRM of Jackie Stewart. Clark encountered problems on Lap 12 that dropped him down to ninth position. Having moved up to second spot, Gurney set the fastest lap of the race on Lap 19. Two laps later, he and his Eagle took the lead and came home over a minute ahead of Stewart.

Related Topics:
June 18 - 1967 - Belgian Grand Prix - Jim Clark - Lotus - Jackie Stewart

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

This win came just a week after his surprise victory with A.J. Foyt at Le Mans, where Gurney spontaneously began the now-familiar winner's tradition of spraying champagne from the podium to celebrate.

Related Topics:
A.J. Foyt - Champagne

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Unfortunately, the victory in Belgium was the high point for AAR as engine problems continued to plague the Eagle. He lead the 1967 German GP at the Nürburgring before the V12 failed again. After a third place finish in Canada that year, the car would finish only one more race. By the end of the 1968 season, Gurney was driving a McLaren-Ford. His last Formula One race was the 1970 British Grand Prix.

Related Topics:
Nürburgring - Canada - 1968 - McLaren - Ford - 1970 - British Grand Prix

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Grand Prix Victories

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Year

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Country (Track)

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Car

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Date

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

1962

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

French Grand Prix (Rouen)

Related Topics:
French Grand Prix - Rouen

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Porsche

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

July 8

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

1964

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

French Grand Prix (Rouen)

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Brabham-Climax

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

June 28

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

1964

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Mexican Grand Prix (Hermanos Rodriguez)

Related Topics:
Mexican Grand Prix - Hermanos Rodriguez

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Brabham-Climax

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

October 25

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

1967

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Belgian Grand Prix (Spa-Francorchamps)

Related Topics:
Belgian Grand Prix - Spa-Francorchamps

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Eagle-Weslake

Related Topics:
Eagle - Weslake

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

June 18

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Legacy

Among American drivers, his 86 Grand Prix starts ranks third, and his total of four GP wins is second only to Mario Andretti. Perhaps the greatest tribute to Gurney's driving ability, however, was paid by the father of Scottish World Champion Jim Clark when he took Gurney aside at his son's funeral in 1968 and told Gurney that he was the only driver Clark had ever feared on the track. (Horton, 1999).

Related Topics:
Mario Andretti - Jim Clark - 1968

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~