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Post by Deleted on Jan 14, 2018 23:25:45 GMT
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Post by Carl on Jan 15, 2018 1:15:16 GMT
Thank you Lucio. The normal media may or may not inform about this abnormally great man. I had a short conversation with Dan Gurney at Long Beach the year Clay Regazzoni was paralyzed. My friend and I were sitting at the exit of the Queen's Hairpin and saw the Ensign pass by at impossible speed and crash heavily in the inadequate escape road. His brake pedal had simply snapped! Dan Gurney, retired and involved with the Long Beach Grand Prix Association, had also seen the frightening crash from inside the hairpin. He instantly vaulted the barrier and sprinted across the wide expanse of track into the escape road and was the first to reach Clay. After the race, we noticed Gurney near the infield race headquarters and asked about Regazzoni. While someone else might have answered indifferently or not at all, he could not have been more gracious, responding to a shared concern by telling us Clay had been badly hurt but was able to talk. I've never forgotten the kindness shown to two ordinary race fans by an extraordinary legend. Rest in peace, Dan Gurney Attachment Deleted Attachment Deleted |
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Post by mikael on Jan 15, 2018 2:14:03 GMT
Sad to read this; rest in peace, Dan Gurney. What a full and rich life this great man has had - active and innovative to the very last. A look at the homepage of the still very active "All American Racers", allamericanracers.com/ shows a large array of innovations by Gurney himself, latest a "moment-cancelling 4-stroke engine", patented by D. S. Gurney in 2015 and up-and-running just here in December 2017. Wonderful that he was so sharp and active to the very last. |
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Post by Carl on Jan 15, 2018 5:11:17 GMT
Dan Gurney's return to racing at 50, after ten years of retirement, demonstrated that his remarkable driving skills were undiminished. "In 1980, Gurney came out of a 10-year retirement to help old friend Les Richter, the president of Riverside. (Gurney's adoption of the number that became most closely identified with his career, 48, was a nod to Richter's NFL number.) Gurney agreed to drive a second Rod Osterlund Chevrolet for one NASCAR race as teammate to a rising young star named Dale Earnhardt. As a condition of allowing Gurney to drive in the race after a 10-year layoff, Richter insisted that Gurney attend the racing school run by former teammate and friend Bob Bondurant (Gurney and Bondurant had shared the GT-class-winning Cobra Daytona coupe at Le Mans in 1964). After Gurney's refresher session, Richter called Bondurant and asked how Gurney had done. "He didn't need a refresher," Bondurant reportedly told Richter. "He was faster than me then, and he still is." Ticket sales surged upon the announcement of Gurney's return. In a car painted blue and white and carrying his famed number 48, Gurney easily ran with the leaders. Displaying his usual fluid style, Gurney was running third when the transmission let go." -Quote from Wikipedia Attachment Deleted Attachment Deleted |
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Post by chrisb on Jan 15, 2018 5:34:12 GMT
very sad to hear the passing of someone who really was a legend when he was racing, if ever anyone wanted an example as to how to behave and be 'someone' Danial Sexton Gurney was such an example- rest in peace and thank you
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Post by robmarsh on Jan 15, 2018 7:24:28 GMT
Rest In Peace Dan Gurney. A true Gentleman and Racer. So sad, he was always my favourite American driver and the only guy that Jim Clark really feared as competition in a race car.
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Post by René on Jan 15, 2018 8:34:08 GMT
What a sad news to start the week with. But what an amazing life this man had!
I was aware of many of his achievements but after reading on him this morning I realized I only knew a fraction. What a special person with so many outstanding skills.
Rest in peace, Dan Gurney.
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Post by Deleted on Jan 15, 2018 10:24:48 GMT
In another forum someone wrote, which I think says it all really:
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Post by charleselan on Jan 15, 2018 10:49:42 GMT
I can add little to the wonderful words written by others above. My sadness at the loss of such a legend as Daniel Sexton Gurney is profound. Without any doubt in my mind the greatest American race driver of all time, and true gentleman.
Thank you Dan for everything you have brought to motor sport, we are the richer for your presence.
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Post by René on Jan 15, 2018 17:09:23 GMT
The passing of Dan Gurney was even on the tv news here today with footage of his Le Mans win and the Eagle F1 car. They also mentioned he was Jan Lammers's boss for a brief moment in 1986 when Jan tried to qualify for Indy.
I must say I was a bit surprised by the fact it was on the news but it felt very good. No question he deserves international recognition.
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Post by Jamie on Jan 15, 2018 20:08:29 GMT
I couldn’t add anything more to the lovely comments from you guys, but what a driver Dan was......a giant driving talent and a hell of an engineer as well.
Perhaps most tellingly, he appears to have generated genuine respect and affection amongst his peers.....I’ve certainly never read or heard of a bad word said about him.
What a man and what a life....a long life lived well. RIP Mr Gurney.
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Post by mikael on Jan 16, 2018 7:01:58 GMT
Dan Gurney and the 2005 Ford GT For various reasons I have “always” had a weak spot for the Ford GT40; so when a modernized version appeared in 2005 as the “Ford GT” I was quite a bit obsessed with it. I never had any interest in “super cars” – but this, for me, was something else! But …unable to buy one … I had to be content with a couple of books (and a die-cast model). The book “Ford GT – The Legend Comes to Life” (2004) by L. Edsall contains an Epilogue entitled “Lapping Laguna with Dan Gurney”. Here the author describes his experience of being in the passenger seat of a then (in 2004) brand-new GT with Dan Gurney – then aged 72 – behind the wheel by a test-drive at Laguna Seca Raceway. I hope you all find it to be amusing (I did!) and find it appropriate for inclusion here. (P.S. Maybe the scans are easier to read by clicking on the attachments in the three following posts -- or maybe they can be read directly as they are, without clicking.)    |
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Post by mikael on Jan 16, 2018 7:17:40 GMT
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Post by mikael on Jan 16, 2018 7:18:21 GMT
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Post by mikael on Jan 16, 2018 7:19:04 GMT
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