Dan Gurney

Daniel Sexton "Dan" Gurney (born April 13, 1931, died January 14, 2018) was a former Formula One driver and team owner. He was born in New York state, but spent almost his entire life living in California.'DAN GURNEY'S BIOGRAPHY', allamericanracers.com, (All American Racers, 2016), http://allamericanracers.com/dan-gurney-biography/, (Accessed 04/02/2016) Gurney would develop a cult following during his years in Grand Prix racing, which saw the American take four wins in eighty six starts.'#F1 Cult Heroes: Dan Gurney', formula1.com, (Formula One Administration, 2016), http://www.formula1.com/content/fom-website/en/latest/features/2016/1/f1-hunt-montoya-cult-hero.html, (Accessed 04/02/2016)
After making his début at the 1959 French Grand Prix for Scuderia Ferrari, Gurney drove for a variety of teams, and earned the respect of many competitors in the field. Although Gurney would never win the Championship, the father of Jim Clark revealed to Gurney that he was the only driver that Clark had ever feared, something which Gurney kept quiet for several years. His best career finish would be fourth in 1965, with half the number of points of Champion Clark.
Having won for at the 1962 French Grand Prix, Gurney would go on to take two wins for Brabham, before founding his own team, All American Racers. With the aid of Carroll Shelby, Gurney managed to get his new team into Formula One in 1966, re-branded as Anglo American Racers, although his new cars proved unreliable. Yet, Gurney's greatest achievement was to come for his team, as he won the 1967 Belgian Grand Prix in his own car, a feat matched by few. His three wins were all maiden wins for those constructors, a feat never since equalled.
Gurney was also to be credited with the invention of the now common podium celebration of spraying champagne, having done so after winning the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1967.'F1's Greatest Drivers: Dan Gurney', f1greatestdrivers.autosport.com, (Haymarket Media, 2016), http://f1greatestdrivers.autosport.com/?driver=28, (Accessed 04/02/2016) His name would also become attached to a device known as the "Gurney Flap", used in aerodynamics for race cars to this day. The American would retire from racing in 1970 to focus on building up AAR, which became a dominant force in American racing, but only recorded one victory in Formula One.
Ultimately, having survived the deadliest era of Grand Prix racing, Gurney would die at the age of 86 after complications from pneumonia.Mark Glendenning, 'Dan Gurney, 1931-2018', racer.com, (Racer Media & Marketing, Inc., 14/01/2018), http://www.racer.com/f1/item/146728-dan-gurney-1931-2018#!1959_Portugal_Ferrari, (Accessed 14/01/2018)
==Formula One Career==
Despite being born in New York, Gurney grew up and cut his teeth in motor racing in California, after his parents moved the family to Riverside, a future host to the United States Grand Prix. After using his engineering education to build and drive cars at the Bonneville salt flats, Gurney stepped up as a professional racer in 1955. Spotted by a dealer in 1957, Gurney was handed a factory drive in the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1958, before getting a chance to race for the Scuderia in F1 during 1959.
==Formula One Statistical Overview==
===Formula One Record===
Year	Entrant 	Team	WDC Points	WDC Pos.	Report
 	Scuderia Ferrari 	 	13 	7th 	Report
 	Owen Racing Organisation 	 	0 	NC 	Report
 	Yeoman Credit Racing Team 	 	0 	NC 	Report
 	Porsche System Engineering 	 	21 	4th 	Report
 	Louise Bryden-Brown 	 	21 	4th 	Report
 	Porsche System Engineering 	 	15 	5th 	Report
 	Autosport Team Wolfgang Seidel	 	15 	5th 	Report
 	Brabham Racing Organisation 	 	19 	5th 	Report
 	Brabham Racing Organisation 	 	19 	6th 	Report
 	Brabham Racing Organisation 	 	25 	4th 	Report
 	Anglo American Racers 	 	4 	12th 	Report
 	Anglo American Racers 	 	4 	12th 	Report
 	Anglo American Racers 	 	13 	8th 	Report
 	Anglo American Racers 	 	13 	8th 	Report
 	Anglo American Racers 	 	3 	21st 	Report
 	Anglo American Racers 	 	3 	21st 	Report
 	Brabham Racing Organisation 	 	3 	21st 	Report
 	Motor Racing Developments Ltd.	 	0 	NC 	
 	Bruce McLaren Motor Racing 	 	1 	24th 	Report
*Italics denotes an entrant used only in non-championship races.
===Career Statistics===
===Race Wins===
Win Number	Grand Prix
1 	1962 French Grand Prix
2 	1964 French Grand Prix
3 	1964 Mexican Grand Prix
4 	1967 Belgian Grand Prix
===Career Results===
==References==
Images and Videos:
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Category:1931 births
Category:1959 Début Drivers
Category:2018 deaths
Category:Ferrari Drivers
Category:Porsche Drivers
Category:Brabham Drivers
Category:BRM Drivers
Category:McLaren Drivers
Category:Eagle Drivers
Category:Team Owners
Category:Team principals
Category:United States Drivers
Category:Deceased Drivers