Dan Gurney

Dan Gurney
Gurney at the 1970 Dutch Grand Prix
Born	Daniel Sexton Gurney (1931-04-13)April 13, 1931 Port Jefferson, New York, U.S.
Died	January 14, 2018(2018-01-14) (aged 86) Newport Beach, California, U.S.
Spouse	Evi Butz ​ (m. 1969)​
Children	6, including Alex
Formula One World Championship career
Nationality	American
Active years	1959–1968, 1970
Teams	Ferrari, BRM, Porsche, privateer Lotus, Brabham, Eagle, McLaren
Entries	87 (86 starts)
Championships	0
Wins	4
Podiums	19
Career points	133
Pole positions	3
Fastest laps	6
First entry	1959 French Grand Prix
First win	1962 French Grand Prix
Last win	1967 Belgian Grand Prix
Last entry	1970 British Grand Prix
Champ Car career
28 races run over 9 years
Best finish	4th (1969)
First race	1962 Indianapolis 500
Last race	1970 California 500 (Ontario)
First win	1967 Rex Mays 300 (Riverside)
Last win	1970 Golden Gate 150 (Sonoma)
Wins Podiums Poles 7 16 10
NASCAR driver
NASCAR Cup Series career
16 races run over 10 years
Best finish	77th (1962)
First race	1962 Daytona Qualifier #1 (Daytona)
Last race	1980 Winston Western 500 (Riverside)
First win	1963 Riverside 500 (Riverside)
Last win	1968 Motor Trend 500 (Riverside)
Wins Top tens Poles 5 10 3
24 Hours of Le Mans career
Years	1958–1967
Teams	NART, Ferrari, Cunningham, Porsche, Serenissima, Shelby, Ford
Best finish	1st (1967)
Class wins	2 (1964, 1967)
Championship titles
1959 1958	12 Hours of Sebring USAC Road Racing

Daniel Sexton Gurney (April 13, 1931 – January 14, 2018) was an American racing driver, engineer and motorsport executive, who competed in Formula One from 1959 to 1970. Widely regarded as one of the most influential figures in the history of motorsport,^[a] Gurney won four Formula One Grands Prix across 11 seasons. In endurance racing, Gurney won the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1967 with Ford, as well as the 12 Hours of Sebring in 1959 with Ferrari.

Born in Long Island, Gurney was the son of bass-baritone John R. Gurney and born into a family of engineers. Interested by California hot rod culture, Gurney built his first car aged 19 and became an amateur drag racer. After serving in the United States Army as an artillery mechanic during the Korean War, Gurney entered the 1957 Riverside Grand Prix, beating numerous established drivers including Phil Hill and attracting the attention of Luigi Chinetti, who organised his professional debut at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1958 with NART. His performance at Le Mans prompted Ferrari to sign Gurney for the 1959 season, making his Formula One debut at the French Grand Prix after winning the 12 Hours of Sebring with the team two months prior. After achieving two podiums in only four races at Ferrari, Gurney joined BRM in 1960. Following a non-classified championship finish with BRM, Gurney moved to Porsche, where he scored frequent podiums and finished fourth in the 1961 World Drivers' Championship. He took his maiden win at the 1962 French Grand Prix, which remains Porsche's only victory as a constructor in Formula One.

Gurney moved to Brabham in 1963 as their first-ever driver, taking multiple wins in three seasons at the team, including another fourth-placed championship finish in 1965. Alongside Carroll Shelby, Gurney had founded All American Racing in 1964, entering Formula One with Gurney at the wheel in 1966 under the chassis name Eagle.^[b] Despite struggling for reliability with the Len Terry-designed Eagle T1, Gurney took his final victory at the 1967 Belgian Grand Prix, before leaving the sport at the end of 1968. He returned at three Grands Prix in 1970 for McLaren, following the death of Bruce McLaren. Gurney achieved four wins, three pole positions, six fastest laps and 19 podiums in Formula One, amongst winning the non-championship 1967 Race of Champions.

Outside of Formula One, Gurney entered 10 editions of the 24 Hours of Le Mans from 1958 to 1967, winning the latter alongside A.J. Foyt in the Ford GT40 Mk IV. His celebration upon winning Le Mans—spraying champagne on the podium—has since become a custom throughout global motorsport. Gurney was a record five-time winner of the Winston Western 500 in the NASCAR Grand National Series and, in American open-wheel racing, was a six-time race winner in USAC Championship Car and twice runner-up in the Indianapolis 500 in 1968 and 1969. He was also a race-winner in the Canadian-American Challenge Cup, the Trans-Am Series and the British Saloon Car Championship. In aerodynamics, he is remembered for his invention of the Gurney flap, and became the first Formula One driver to wear a full-face helmet at the 1968 German Grand Prix. His All American Racers team won 78 official races, including the Indianapolis 500 and the 24 Hours of Daytona. Gurney was inducted into the International Motorsports Hall of Fame in 1990.

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