April 13, 1931
Dan Gurney
The son of a Metropolitan Opera star, he moved to California as a teenager. He has been a driver, a car manufacturer, and a team owner at racing's highest levels since 1958.
Gurney was the first driver to win races in Sports Cars, Formula One, NASCAR, and Indy Car, the other two being Mario Andretti and Juan Pablo Montoya. He also won races in the Can-Am and Trans-Am Series. In 1967, after winning the 24 hours of Le Mans together with A.J. Foyt, he spontaneously sprayed champagne while celebrating on the podium. Apart from starting this tradition, he also 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.
For more see; Dan Gurney - Tribute Page
Gurney was the first driver to win races in Sports Cars, Formula One, NASCAR, and Indy Car, the other two being Mario Andretti and Juan Pablo Montoya. He also won races in the Can-Am and Trans-Am Series. In 1967, after winning the 24 hours of Le Mans together with A.J. Foyt, he spontaneously sprayed champagne while celebrating on the podium. Apart from starting this tradition, he also 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.
For more see; Dan Gurney - Tribute Page
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