Dan Gurney

American racing driver, constructor and team owner

Driver, builder and innovator

Dan Gurney gave Porsche its only Formula 1 win, won in a car of his own design at Spa, and left inventions the sport still uses.

Dan Gurney was born in Port Jefferson, on Long Island in the United States, on April 13, 1931. He built his first car at 19, raced hot rods in California, and after army service in the Korean War made his name at the 1957 Riverside Grand Prix. That led to a Le Mans drive in 1958 and a Ferrari contract for 1959, when he won the 12 Hours of Sebring and made his Formula 1 debut at the 1959 French Grand Prix.

After a season at BRM he joined Porsche, finishing fourth in the 1961 championship. At the 1962 French Grand Prix he took his first win, which is still Porsche's only victory as a Formula 1 constructor. He became the first driver for the new Brabham team in 1963 and won the French and Mexican Grands Prix for them in 1964.

In 1964 he founded All American Racers with Carroll Shelby, and from 1966 he raced its own Eagle cars in Formula 1. At the 1967 Belgian Grand Prix he won in an Eagle, his final victory. That same year he won the 24 Hours of Le Mans with A. J. Foyt for Ford and is credited with starting the custom of spraying champagne on the podium. He left Formula 1 after 1968, then returned for three races with McLaren in 1970, ending at the 1970 British Grand Prix.

Our record shows 86 starts, 4 wins, 3 pole positions, 6 fastest laps and 19 podiums across 11 seasons. Beyond Formula 1 he won in NASCAR, USAC and Can Am, was twice second at the Indianapolis 500, gave his name to the Gurney flap, and was the first Formula 1 driver to race in a full face helmet. He died in 2018.

0 world titles, 4 wins, 3 pole positions, 86 starts.

Teams

Victories

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