American Racing Legend Dan Gurney Dies Of Pneumonia Complications At 86

American racing driver Dan Gurney died in Newport Beach, California on Sunday at age 86 from complications related to pneumonia.

Dan Gurney death news

The legend won four Grands Prix in 86 starts for Ferrari, BRM, Porsche, Lotus, Brabham, Eagle and McLaren. He won the 1967 Le Mans 24 Hours for Ford with AJ Foyt, after which he set the now-popular trend of spraying champagne on the podium.

All American Racers, his wife Evi and the Gurney family issued the following statement on his death:

“With one last smile on his handsome face, Dan drove off into the unknown just before noon today, January 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 made only 16 NASCAR Cup Series starts and he won five of them. He made only 28 IndyCar starts and he won seven of them. He never won the Indy 500 as a driver, finishing second twice.

Two-time world champion Jimmy Clark said Gurney was the only driver he ever feared.

Throughout his career, Gurney competed in 312 events in 20 countries.

“What I loved so much about Grand Prix racing was the Olympic element of it,” he explained. “The flags, the pride of representing your home nation, no matter where in the world you were. That unique feeling of never feeling more American than you do when you’re nowhere near the United States. There’s a real sense of pride that comes with that.”

Gurney retired from formal competition in 1970.