84 replies to this topic

[AustinF1]

Per Bobby Rahal , IMS Museum, and others on twitter, Dan Gurney has passed at age 86.

 

https://twitter.com/...666258129981447

 

https://twitter.com/...676609919602688

 

 

[H0R]

 

[RoseTinted]

Awful news, thoughts are with his nearest family and friends. A true gentleman.

[loki]

That was a good, long run.  He made a big impact on the lives of many people.

[Spillage]

The first man to win in F1 championship races for Porsche, Brabham and his own Eagle team. Supposedly the first man to spray champagne and reportedly the only man Jim Clark really worried about.

A pioneer, a brilliant racing driver and by all accounts, a lovely chap. A real star goes out.

[SKL]

Just heard this from a friend-  not surprised unfortunately... the last few pictures I saw of him weren't promising.    What a legend!!!     And a total class act.

 

RIP.

[AustinF1]

Dan Gurney, 1931-2018 http://www.racer.com...ortugal_Ferrari

[Pat Clarke]

RIP Dan.  I will reminisce with Ron Tauranac when I call him later in the day. Ron had a lot of respect for DSG. 

 

So, now all three men who won GPs in cars bearing their own name have left us :-(

 

Pat

[jonpollak]

I loved that man..

 

Jp

Edited by jonpollak, 14 January 2018 - 23:44.

[JHSingo]

Not a shock, given reports he'd been suffering with ill health for some time, but still sad to hear. A true legend of motorsport, and a name I'm sure all of us here will have heard of.

 

RIP, Dan Gurney.

[paulb]

RIP, Dan Gurney. A class act and gentleman always. Thanks for your skill, creativity, spirit, and many, many memories.

[Bloggsworth]

Sad news indeed - We know our heroes aren't immortal, so why does it surprise us so when they leave...

 

 

1964 - Loading Dan's car at Delemare Road - Me sitting on the right - It was an honour to be involved.

[AustinF1]

I always loved these shots...

 

 

[LeClerc]

A life well lived.

[BuddyHolly]

Sad news, another legend leaves us and passes on.   RIP Dan, what an amazing life he had.

[InSearchOfThe]

R.I.P Dan Gurney

[paulb]

Sentiments can be sent to eagleracingcarsusa@aarinc.com .

Edited by paulb, 15 January 2018 - 00:39.

[MKSixer]

RIP Dan Gurney.  Truly the end of an era.  

[Andretti Fan]

RIP Mr. Gurney! Thanks for the memories and for being an inspiration to us all!😕

Edited by Andretti Fan, 15 January 2018 - 01:12.

[Marc Sproule]

rip dsg

 

as a tv guy long beacfh '77

 

https://www.flickr.c...57623311357576/

 

with james hunt laguna seca '75

 

https://www.flickr.c...57623311357576/

Edited by Marc Sproule, 15 January 2018 - 19:13.

[PeterScandlyn]

The likes of this great racer will never be seen again.

RIP Mr Gurney.

Condolences to the family.

[Afterburner]

No longer living, but undisputedly a legend. Rest in peace.

[AustinF1]

[AustinF1]

Dave Despain‏ 

@DaveDespain

The inscription reads, “Two early downforce demos.”  The  Speedster goes airborne at Mockingbird Canyon near Riverside in ‘57.  The F1 car flies at Nurburgring ‘67.  Rest easy Big Eagle.

 

[RacingGreen]

Another from the generation of heroes takes the checkered flag and crosses the finish line a champion.

 

RIP Dan

[teejay]

One of the greats.

[Peat]

A man truly worthy of the label 'Legend'.

RIP Dan.

[StraightEdge]

RIP Dan Gurney. The Eagle will fly again

[Victor_RO]

Every word that needed to be said about the man has been said multiple times. I don't know when someone else will do so much for and in motorsport and be remembered in the same bracket as Mr. Gurney.

 

"Legend" surely isn't enough.

[FredrikB]

The best looking race car of all times. Condolences to the family, rest in peace champ   

 

[SophieB]

This is a lovely and moving piece from David Malsher:
 
https://www.autospor...gurney-19312018

 

Gurney was more humble than such a high-achiever has any right to be and he was as happy asking questions about the current IndyCar or F1 scene as he was answering enquiries about his matchless career.
Dan was a true gentleman who tried to avoid speaking ill of anyone, but his thoroughly reasoned philosophies left listeners in no doubt about his opinions, and it was hard not to believe he had double the brain capacity of the rest of us. And behind those professorial spectacles, his eyes would gleam with delight and enthusiasm when relating a funny story - often involving Bobby Unser, it seemed - and he had an anecdote for every one of the hundreds of photos that lined the corridors at AAR.
 
But what was truly mind-blowing about Gurney was that well into his 80s, he was still so enthusiastic about the present and future. As he'd reach the end of the corridor that was a tribute to his epic history in the sport as well as his best friends and rivals, his pace would quicken on the approach to his busy, noisy workshop.
While there were plenty of AAR's significant cars out the back, this little corner of Santa Ana was no mausoleum. Next to the mid-restoration GT40 in which he won Le Mans, for example, Dan's employees would also be constructing the legs for the SpaceX rocket. Truly, AAR has remained relevant for more than 50 years.

Legendary racing journalist Robin Miller long ago coined the term 'US motorsport's Mt. Rushmore,' for Gurney, Mario Andretti, AJ Foyt and Parnelli Jones. And while this tribute has focused primarily on Dan's often under-appreciated driving skills, what marks him out from the other three gentlemen on that fictional rock face was that his engineering skills and free thinking went beyond the mechanical knowledge and understanding that was part of any great driver's make-up in the 50s, 60s and 70s.
Had Gurney not blessed racing with his presence, it's easy to imagine him working alongside Clarence "Kelly" Johnson at Lockheed's Skunk Works, or heading up a team to develop a world-beating America's Cup yacht. Or both.

The news of Dan's passing is so sad, primarily because he was a gentleman and a gentle man. But we can at least find some comfort in the fact that his great legacy will be remembered for as long as cars are raced.

[ensign14]

Dan Gurney shows the flaws in relying on the world championship as the be-all and end-all.  This is the man who won the Le Mans 24 Hour race in an era in which nearly every serious F1 driver raced there.  He won a Grand Prix in his own car.  He won in NASCAR.  He won in Indycar.  How many others have done that?  Answer: none. 

 

Yet he is obscured under such legends as Nico "who" Rosberg because DSG never accumulated enough stochastically-allocated points in a selected series of races run under one very specific set of regulations.  Had Gurney stayed at Brabham to 1969 he would surely have won two.  But then he would never have started a Grand Prix and Indy 500 winning marque. 

 

Instead he has the highest accolade that can ever be paid to a driver.  Jim Clark thought he was the best.

[taran]

RIP Dan.  I will reminisce with Ron Tauranac when I call him later in the day. Ron had a lot of respect for DSG. 

 

So, now all three men who won GPs in cars bearing their own name have left us :-(

 

Pat

 

Never heard of a Gurney F1 car .

Did he make Gurneys before establishing Anglo-American Racers with the Eagle car?

[Owen]

From McLaren: @McLarenF1

We are very saddened to hear that US racing pioneer and former McLaren driver, Dan Gurney has passed away. Our thoughts with his family and friends.

 

From Ivan Roldan (at McLaren): @ivanlda

He cheekily (claiming structural reasons) came up with an aero artefact that is used on every racing car, regardless the formula, ever since. Huge legacy. RIP. #GurneyFlap

[WOT]

Never heard of a Gurney F1 car .

Did he make Gurneys before establishing Anglo-American Racers with the Eagle car?

 

Seriously? 

 

It just shows how humble and unassuming this great man was, in that he called his car "Eagle" instead of Gurney.

[phrank]

Sad day, true legend of this sport

[Tarvoke]

R.I.P. Mr. Gurney

[taran]

 

Seriously? 

 

It just shows how humble and unassuming this great man was, in that he called his car "Eagle" instead of Gurney.

 

 

So he didn't win in a car bearing his own name as Pat Clarke claims.

[WOT]

So he didn't win in a car bearing his own name as Pat Clarke claims.

 

I don't think today is the day for pedantic antics!! 

 

For correctness, would you accept that he won GPs in a car of his own construction, alongside Brabham and McLaren...

[spacekid]

The racing drivers racing driver.

It's sad news, but what a life.

[taran]

 

I don't think today is the day for pedantic antics!! 

 

For correctness, would you accept that he won GPs in a car of his own construction, alongside Brabham and McLaren...

 

 

Yes. But I feel that if a person want to express sadness at his passing, a simple R.I.P. Dan Gurney will do nicely.

Adding remarks as 'winning in a car bearing his name' when there is no such thing hurts his legacy. Not everybody is intimately familiar with his career so why not get it right? 

[P123]

Farewell to a true motor racing legend.

[Risil]

Aw. A racer who made unique and great achievements on both sides of the Atlantic.

[WOT]

Yes. But I feel that if a person want to express sadness at his passing, a simple R.I.P. Dan Gurney will do nicely.

Adding remarks as 'winning in a car bearing his name' when there is no such thing hurts his legacy. Not everybody is intimately familiar with his career so why not get it right? 

 

As I said, you are being pedantic, any normal person would have understood the intent of Pat Clarke's sentiment. In fact, the car did bear his name, he just decided to call it "Eagle". I'm sure if you investigated the designs you would see his name there....

 

You're pushing a bad point.

[The Kanisteri]

Lepää rauhassa, Dan

Edited by The Kanisteri, 15 January 2018 - 10:31.

[noriaki]

Every time I see the title it makes me sad.

You probably don't "get" the guy with just a simple overlook on his f1 career stats. I first did not. But having delved deeper into the era and racing scene, I too have realized that Mr Gurney is in very, very select company in the entire history of motor sport: don't think I have heard or read anything but admiration and glowing acclaim about him from any of his rivals and contemporaries. Something that truly says all about the man.

RIP

[WOT]

Every time I see the title it makes me sad.

You probably don't "get" the guy with just a simple overlook on his f1 career stats. I first did not. But having delved deeper into the era and racing scene, I too have realized that Mr Gurney is in very, very select company in the entire history of motor sport: don't think I have heard or read anything but admiration and glowing acclaim about him from any of his rivals and contemporaries. Something that truly says all about the man.

RIP

 

This^

 

The man's design and construction even went into space, and returned...

[cpbell]

What dreadfully sad news; even the weather here (wet, overcast and chilly) seems to match the sombre nature of his passing.

[taran]

As I said, you are being pedantic, any normal person would have understood the intent of Pat Clarke's sentiment. In fact, the car did bear his name, he just decided to call it "Eagle". I'm sure if you investigated the designs you would see his name there....

 

You're pushing a bad point.

 

This is a sad day but Gurney doesn't need puffing up. His achievements stand on their own. Clarke got it wrong. No terribly big deal, just admit it and we can all move on.

 

Instead, my request for a clarification (perhaps he did win in a Gurney?) is ‘pedantic’. Pat Clarke could have said “Gurney won in his own car” or “with his own team” or something similar. Instead, he claimed he won in a car which bore his name. That’s pretty specific and in this case incorrect as any normal person would agree. Only Jack Brabham and Bruce McLaren have done this.

[jonpollak]

http://www.racer.com...erican-treasure