Dan Gurney at 80:

Built and drove both his Indy car and F1 car to victory.

It'll never happen again.

 

I first met Dan when I was 11 and he was piloting the Eagle Weslake around British circuits. While I haven't spoken with him in 10 years, I had spent many hours talking with him between 1968 and 2000. Let me be concise in saying that in a world of phonies and pretenders, Dan Gurney is the real deal. Innovator, flag - waiver, brilliant driver, great raconteur ... 1st class by any possible yardstick. When I picked him as my hero (age 10), I hit the bullseye.
Happy 80th Dan!

 

Amazing career.

Every time a winner sprays the champagne, we should thank Gurney for starting that tradition: http://www.allamericanracers.com/just-flows.html

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Such an incredible man.
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A true american hero. What a life. Happy birthday, sir!

 

Dan is the best... and his F1 Eagle car is probably the prettiest ever to hit the track.

How I wish he was the first step for other US manufacturers and drivers to follow. But, even if they did, Dan would still rate a cut above.

Happy Birthday Dan Gurney.

Signed...A fan.

 

While watching F1 qualifying tonight/this morning the BBC commentators made reference to the Gurney Flap.

 

I met Mr. Gurney a few years ago at the Crystal Cove car show. He was driving his Alligator motorcycle. I was surprised at how tall he is. A very nice man.

Also, his Ford GT has a bowl on the roof because he is so tall.


12 cyclinders or walk

 

Missed it by two days. Dan out for a jaunt in some foreign crate. Happy 86th, Champ!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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Champ and legend.

Happy 86th birthday Mr. Gurney.

 

Got the Gurney Eagle on sons gokart.

Gurney rocks !!!!

 

Dan Gurney was hardly ever in the top team during his career.

Had he stayed in F1 at Brabham instead of creating his own team, he may have reached the summit when the new 3L formula came about. Instead, he departed, and Jack Brabham and Dennis Hulme became WDC in 66 and 67 with a simple V8 Repco engine whilst the American was battling with the complex V2 Weslake on his Eagle.

 

Yea, he head a knack of not picking top flight teams... but always going where the potential was there.

He's also the driver that gave Porsche its only F-1 victory under its own name.

Jim Clark's father told him at Jim's funeral that he was the only driver that Clark really "feared" and that he knew that if his car stayed together that Gurney would be right there.

Bob Varsha tells the story of a race at Spa - I think it was 67 there about, when Gurney was leading and Stewart was catching him... and as they exited the Stavelot bend, Gurney's car started to falter... so Gurney loosened his seat belts, and sat up, and put his arm out of the car with a low wave to Stewart as if to say "here you go -its all yours!"....

 

As you probably know the H16 did win a race in the Lotus 43 of Jim Clark, USGP 1966. Not a BRM chassis however.

 

Good old Long Island boy from Port Jefferson.