When I was 18 a friend and I were wondering the Laguna paddock late one night.... We came across seemingly the only other two people around in the emptiness. Dan hovering over one of his company Indy cars discussing setup with it's Vermont Tools sponsored driver Dick Simon.
We stood by in amazement as we could not believe we were standing there, close up, with a "fly on the wall" perspective of one of the greats of all time.
i met Dan Gurney and Carroll Shelby at Hilltop raceway in the late sixties and was hooked on cars after that fun day. i missed having lunch with him two years ago in Westlake Village CA by one day and deeply regretted it. He was one of the greats and will be missed. RIP
Met Dan Gurney at Amelia Island....he was always willing to give anyone his time and he could light up a room when he smiled. A true loss of a great man in Motorsport.
Its all been said, I last spoke to him as well a couple years back at Amelia Island.
Sitting in the main hallway just relaxing before a round table discussion, he was ALWAYS a gentleman.
R.I.P. my friend , theres a GT40 waiting for you up there.......
GTJOEY1314
In 2003, I stumbled across Dan Gurney giving an interview at the Henry Ford Museum while sitting in front of J5 (the infamous Gurney bubble is visible).
I posted some of this over on the SAACForum, however this is not the same audience, but if it’s repetitive my apologies! Stopped by The Henry Ford Museum just about the same time the Rolex 24 Hrs at Daytona was starting and was a bit surprised to see 2 things;
A car that had not reached the usual 25 yr.age criterion ( I suspect it’s a short term addition),
A 2nd tribute to Dan was at the Detroit North American International Auto Show;
Raj Nair, President of Ford North America and the man who spearheaded the GT project and Ford's return to Le Mans, today placed a Gurney tribute on the flanks of the Ford GT gracing the automaker's stand at the Detroit Auto Show.