American motor racing great Dan Gurney has died, aged 86, as a result of complications related to pneumonia.
Gurney enjoyed a long career in the sport both as a driver and as an entrant/constructor.
In a Formula 1 career that spanned 1959 through to 1970, Gurney won four grands prix, including the 1967 Belgian GP at the wheel of an Eagle, for Gurney’s own racing car manufacturer team, All American Racers.
After exiting F1 Gurney would continue with the AAR/Eagle team for many years in Indycar and NASCAR racing.
Gurney was also successful in sports car racing. Among his many sports car victories was in the 1967 Le Mans 24 Hours for Ford with fellow American AJ Foyt.
Such was Gurney’s elation at having defeated Ferrari in the gruelling French enduro that he spontaneously decided to spray champagne on the podium – thereby creating a winners’ tradition on motorsport.
Among many other achievements in the sport, Gurney created the aerodynamic device that has since become known as the ‘Gurney flap’.
