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| j3studio | RIP Dan Gurney | ||
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Elite Guru
 
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Dan Gurney passed yesterday, January 14th. He died of complications following pneumonia. He was 86. Though he had finished his racing career by the time I was coherent, he was still a hero of mine. Like Andretti and Foyt, Gurney seemed to move effortlessly between different types of racing. But Dan was more than just a driver: he invented the Gurney flap, was a very early user of full-face helmets, and (of course) created the post-victory champagne spray celebration. Gurney seems a very modern race car driver, though he started racing in the late 1950s. Quite tall for a racer (6 feet 4 inches) and ridiculously good-looking, he became an emblem of California cool to the racing world. The redoubtable Andy Blackmore has quickly produced a commemorative helmet sticker. I hope to see them when we are down at the Rolex at the end of this month. "At no time did we exceed 175 mph."—Dan Gurney following his win of the first Cannonball Run. |
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Posted on: 2018/1/15 15:23
Edited by j3studio on 2018/1/15 15:46:01 |
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Grace, 2003 50th Anniversary Convertible |
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| pianoguy | Re: RIP Dan Gurney | ||
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Guru Emeritus
 
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Jeez, I hadn't heard that - RIP to an icon. He had a mighty fine run.
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Posted on: 2018/1/15 18:04
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1996 LT4 �Before you criticize someone, you should walk a mile in their shoes. That way when you criticize them, you are a mile away from them and you have their shoes.�- Jack Handey |
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| Ultraman | Re: RIP Dan Gurney | ||
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2015 Memorial Day Car Show Winner!
 
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..."at no time did we exceed 175 mph.... Classic....
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Posted on: 2018/1/15 18:28
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2010 Grand Sport Coupe Gone but not forgotten... Vote DeSantis in 2024.... Make the IRS go away... |
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| bogus | Re: RIP Dan Gurney | ||
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Grand Imperial Pooh-Bah
 
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I had the privledge to meet Dan on more than one occasion... the first time was at the 12 Hours of Sebring, March, 1992.
It was the Thursday before the race and I was barely handling a killer case of sensory overload. That morning, a storm blew through the area and a bunch of us too cover in a vendor tent in the paddock, behind the hot pits. I then wandered back to the garage area and found myself at the hauler for the Gurney AAR team. I was staring at the Eagle Mk IV when another storm blew in... A young man was going around, dropping the side panels of the big tent thingy attached to the truck. As he lowered it, Dan stepped out of the trailer and told us (there were three of us standing outside the tent, looking at the car) to step in and wait out the storm in the tent! We stood there, in near silence, about 1' away from the #98 Eagle, driven by JM Fangio, that won the race on Saturday. A memory from a decent human being. He didn't have to do that. I never saw the other men again. I shared this with Dan a few years later and thanked him again. I doubt he remembered doing it... but it just goes to show what type of person he really was. He will be missed. |
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Posted on: 2018/1/16 14:29
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The single biggest problem with communication is the illusion that it has taken place. - George Bernard Shaw Education is the best tool to overcome irrational fear. - me |
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