Daniel Sexton Gurney (born April 13, 1931) is a retired American racing driver, race car constructor, and team owner who reached racing's highest levels starting in 1958.
The son of a Metropolitan Opera star, he was born in Port Jefferson, New York, but moved to California as a teenager.
Gurney won races in the Formula One, Indy Car, NASCAR, Can-Am, and Trans-Am Series. Gurney is the first of three drivers to have won races in Sports Cars (1958), Formula One (1962), NASCAR (1963), and Indy Car (1967) (the other two being Mario Andretti and Juan Pablo Montoya).
In 1967, after winning the 24 Hours of Le Mans together with A. J. Foyt, he spontaneously sprayed champagne while celebrating on the podium. As owner of All American Racers, he was the first to put a simple right-angle extension on the upper trailing edge of the rear wing. This device, called a Gurney flap, increases downforce and, if well designed, imposes only a relatively small increase in aerodynamic drag. At the 1968 German Grand Prix he became the first driver ever to use a full face helmet in Grand Prix racing.
source: Wikipedia
Brooks had two Formula 1 seasons under his belt when he signed with Ferrari for 1959, a year in which he would finish second in the World Championship. He was soon joined by F1 rookie Gurney, who had won the 12 Hours of Sebring for the Italian marque in March. Team owner Enzo Ferrari was so impressed that he then sent Gurney to Europe to compete in four championship grands prix – he ...
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Perhaps Dan Gurney will always be most famous for winning the 1967 Formula 1 Belgian Grand Prix in the exquisite Eagle-Weslake, a car of his own creation. But his engineering acumen, his quest for innovative solutions, his can-do attitude and his constant drive should not overshadow his magnificent ability behind the wheel. Gurney wasn’t just one of the greatest drivers America has ...
Across social media Sunday night, the motorsports world reacted to the loss of Gurney, taking a moment to remember the American racing icon. ...
Virtuoso Gurney won at the sport’s very highest echelons in Formula 1, Le Mans, IndyCar and NASCAR. He also ran a racing car manufacturer team, All American Racers, using the Eagle name – winning the 1967 Belgian GP driving his own machinery. Gurney won four Grands Prix from 86 starts for Ferrari, BRM, Porsche, Lotus, Brabham, Eagle and McLaren. He won the 1967 Le Mans 24 Hours for ...
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