DaN Gurney

Biography

Californian of adoption, daN Gurney launches out in the automobile sport as of its return of the war of Korea. It engages its Triumph TR2 in various tests run on road circuits, rather rare thing in the United States where the young pilots are generally made the hand on the oval tracks covered with litharge. Specialist in the races of sport scar, it gains the 12 hours of Sebring and finishes 5th of the 1000 km of Nürburgring, which encourages Commendatore to engage it for the GP of France 1959 on D246. Gurney goes up on the podium twice in four races (and registers 13 points in championship of the world) but decides to leave Scuderia to join the English team BRM.

In 1960, at the wheel of the BRM P48, it receives the flag with checkerworks only once (in 10th position) in 7 departures. Its 6 abandonments all are owed with a mechanical failure of its single-seater. Its only notable result is taken down out-championship, with the GP of Buenos Aires, which it finishes in the second place. It is comforted by gaining, in endurance, the 1000 km of Nürburgring. To forget this frustrating season, Gurney turns to Porsche, which, attracted by the new technical regulation decides to launch out in Formula 1.

In 1961, Gurney leaves to Porsche and, at the wheel of the 787 (not very powerful) then 718 with the engine flat 4 of 1500 Cm3 (news regulation), it registers the majority of the points of its team (21 points out of 23). Gurney misses the victory with the GP of France vis-a-vis Giancarlo Baghetti and finishes again 2nd in Italy and in the USA. In 8 GP, it takes down sufficient points to finish in the 3rd place of the championship.

the following season, at the wheel of Porsche 804 moult by a flat 8, Gurney begins the championship by two abandonments before taking down its first victory Formulates of them 1 (and the first of Porsche as a manufacturer) with the GP of France, with a turn in advance on the second. He signs the pole and finishes on the podium with the GP of Germany then finishes 5th of his national GP. At this point in time Porsche decides to withdraw championship, leaving free Gurney join the young stable Brabham.

In spite of a material seldom with the height of what is done best at this period, Gurney, at the wheel of the BT7-Climax multiplies the prowesses at the wheel. In 1963, it finishes 3rd in Belgium then second in the Netherlands and South Africa. It still takes down some places of honors and, with 19 points the championship in the 5th place finishes. It does not gain victories because it runs up against Jim Clark, author of 7 victories in the season, which regarded Gurney as its best adversary. Clark will reveal thus into private which Gurney is the only pilot who it fears truly in track.

In 1964, always on Brabham BT7, it signs two pole-positions before gaining the GP of France again then to gain the last GP of the season in Mexico. On the 30 points registered by Brabham-MRD, Gurney marked some 19 (and 6th pilot championship finishes). The greatest satisfaction of the season remains however the fact that, as it had done at Porsche, Gurney offered to Brabham its first victory in championship of the world.

In 1965, in spite of its new BT11, Gurney still sees the way of the victory barred by Jim Clark. It returns in the points only with the fourth GP (6th to Great Britain) then consecutively carries out an end of impressive season while assembling five times on the podium. With 25 points, Gurney finishes 4th championship of the world. Then, at the end of 1965, whereas Brabham approaches slowly but surely the tops, daN Gurney however decides to give up the anglo-Australian stable to found its own structure, thus following the way traced before him by Jack Brabham and Bruce McLaren. This new stable, called AAR (for All American Racers or Anglo American Racers according to the side of the Atlantic where she exerts), will make run a baptized single-seater Eagle.

In 1966, daN Gurney thus engages Eagle T1F-Climax in championship of the world. It is a good car, powerful, but suffering of an unreliability (4 points registered in championship). While 1 of them he Formulates does not manage to finish better than 5th (with the GP of France then to the GP of Mexico, its GP of predilection), he takes down a victory at the time of his second participation in Edge-Am.

In 1967, at the wheel of beautiful Eagle T1G blue-marine, motorized by V12 Weslake (sometimes replaced by the Climax), Gurney off takes down the first victory of Eagle at the time of the Race Champions, a test out-championship disputed in Brands Hatch. In championship of the world, it carries out prowesses in qualifications before gaining the GP of Belgium 1967, a few days only after seeing gained the 24 hours of Mans at the side of its compatriot A.J. Foyt. Gurney finishes later on the podium of the GP of Canada and, with 13 points finishes in the 8th place of the championship.

In 1968, AAR, in prey with insoluble budgetary problems disengages little by little Formula 1. DaN Gurney disputes the first two GP of the year with the T1G (two abandonments), then short the GP of the Netherlands on Brabham- Repco BT24 (abandonment there still). Eagle is committed at the time of the four following GP, always without any success. Disappointed by the bad results of Eagle growing old, Gurney leaves its T1G to the hands of its fellow-member " Al Pease and buys for the account of AAR a Mc Laren M7A-customer. This single-seater is committed with three recoveries and finally makes it possible Gurney to take down its only points of the season at the time of its national GP (4th). Gurney makes the choice then give up Formula 1 and center the activities of AAR on the ground States-Unien. By doing this, the stable does not disperse any more its financial means and finds its competitiveness: thus Gurney finishes 2nd 500 miles of Indianapolis and gains 3 victories in championship USAC while its pilot Bobby Unser gains 4 races with Eagle-USAC what enables him to gain the championship.

In 1969, Gurney runs out of Edge-Am in the stable of Bruce McLaren (3rd in Michigan). It also disputes the 500 miles of Indianapolis where it is again 2nd then it gains 2 races in championship USAC where the fight is harder but makes it possible Eagle to gain 4 races. In championship Edge-Am, the McLaren stable exerts a strong domination (Bruce Mc Laren gains it in 1967 and 1969) but, by testing one of its prototypes, McLaren kills on June 2nd, 1970. The death of McLaren then leads daN to a transitory return in F1 to the wheel of the M14A for the last three GP of the season 1970. At the time of the GP of France which often succeeded to him, Gurney registered its last point Formulates 1 of them.

In the years 1970, whereas it puts a term at its career of pilot after having gained his last victory with Sears Point, Gurney, with the head of AAR, continuous to take down good performances in championship USAC: Bobby Unser gains two races in 1971 then three tests in 1972. In 1973, Eagle-Offenhauser gain 8 tests including 500 miles of Indianapolis (victory of Gordon Johncock). In 1974, Eagle gain 8 more tests, which makes it possible Unser (4 victories) to take down the title again. In 1975 and 1976, AAR takes down three successes per season (including 500 miles of Indianapolis 1975 by Bobby Unser). Then it is the beginning of the decline of the stable, Eagle do not gain more any race in USAC until the exit of the championship 1979.

At the end of 1978, Gurney is one of the leaders of the sling which ends in dead of the USAC and the creation of the championship CART. But vis-a-vis the Penske, Eagle make pale figure and the stable of daN Gurney gains only one victory, in 1981 in Milwaukee. At the end of 1986, for lack of results, Gurney withdraw its team of the CART and are devoted then to the championship of Endurance (IMSA), where it takes down excellent results in partnership with Toyota. It is besides with the assistance of Toyota that AAR and Eagle carry out their return in CART at the end of the years 1990. But this return shows one cooking failure and leads to the disappearance of AAR. DaN Gurney lives today in California and takes part occasionally in demonstrations and races of vehicles of collection.

Results in F1

Anecdotes

daN Gurney made it possible three different stables to gain their first victory as a manufacturer in championship of the world: Porsche in 1962, Brabham in 1964 and AAR- Eagle in 1967.

In 1967, daN Gurney, for the first time, shakes the bottle of champagne traditionally offered to the winners of the 24 hours of Mans. Since, the champagne shower spread on almost all the podiums of mechanical sport (apart from the milk bottle of the 500 miles of Indianapolis).

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