American motorsport legend Daniel Sexton Gurney, also known as “The Eagle”, died on Sunday night. He was 86 year old. The former driver, team owner, engineer and innovator, who is considered one of the greatest all-around racing drivers, died due to complications related to pneumonia.
Evi, Gurney’s wife in a statement said, “With one last smile on his handsome face, Dan drove off into the unknown just before noon today, Jan. 14, 2018. In deepest sorrow, with gratitude in our hearts for the love and joy you have given us during your time on this earth, we say ‘Godspeed.”
Gurney began his racing career in the year 1995 and has won in nearly every racing series. He is one among the other three drivers including Juan Pablo Montoya and Mario Andretti to have won races in sports cars, Formula One, NASCAR and IndyCar. He drove for Ferrari, BRM, Porsche and Brabham in Formula One and later formed his own team. In the year 1967, he won the Belgian Grand Prix by driving his own car. That was the first and only time an American won an F1 race in a car self-designed car.
In the same year, Gurney teamed up with AJ Foyt to win the 24 Hours of Le Mans in a Ford GT40. He is became the first person to begin the tradition of spraying the champagne from the podium after that race. In 1970, he retired from his driving career with 51 victories.
AJ Foyt said in a statement, “I never use the word legend. But in the case of Dan, he was a true legend of our sport.”
Even though Gurney never won a Formula One World Championship, Andretti said that he would always remember Gurney as his champion. Gurney has won five NASCAR races and also boasts a resume in IndyCar and at the Indianapolis 500.
