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Gurney's Eagles
The Sports Car EaglesDan Gurney's roots were in American road racing, and it's no surprise that upon the formation of All American Racers, some effort was given to participation in the popular series of that era, including the U.S. Road Racing Championship and the Can-Am series. In 1964 and 1965, Gurney drove a modified Lotus 19 open cockpit sports car in several USRRC events and in the 1965 Daytona 2000 Km. and Sebring 12-Hour races. In these two FIA championship events, Gurney's role was as a "rabbit" to lead the pack and try to cause the Ferrari and other competitors of Carroll Shelby's Cobras to break early. Of course, the "rabbit" also broke. During 1966 through 1970, AAR was a regular participant in the Can-Am series. In 1966, he won the Bridgehampton Can-Am race in a Lola T-70. In 1968, Gurney and Swede Savage alternated places in a Gurney-modified McLaren -- dubbed the McLeagle -- and a Lola T-160. Gurney also drove a racer owned by long-time friend Bruce McLaren to two Can-Am victories in 1970.
All American Racers also participated in the SCCA Trans-Am series. In 1967, Gurney drove the Bud Moore Mercury Cougar to victory at the War Bonnet race and 3rd place at the Kent race, and ended the Trans-Am Championship in 2nd place, only two points behind Carroll Shelby's Ford Mustangs. In 1970, Gurney and Swede Savage drove two AAR Plymouth Barracuda's in the Trans-Am series, but the results were somewhat less than spectacular, and the team finished 5th in the Trans-Am Championship.
All American Racers' association with Toyota Motorsports began in 1983, with Gurney's entry of Toyotas in the IMSA GTU championship series. In 1987, this participation graduated to the more powerful Toyota Celica GTO cars, where AAR brought Toyota the Manufacturers Championship and Christ Cord the Drivers Championship. The AAR Toyotas and driver Willie T. Ribbs took 3rd place honors in the 1988 GTO championship. In 1989, AAR and Toyota moved up to the top IMSA level, with the GTP Toyota-Eagle, and almost immediately started to show promise, scoring nine top 5 finishes and 4th place in the Manufacturers Championship. 1990 brought four GTP Toyota-Eagle victories and another 4th place in the Manufacturers Championship. For 1991, Gurney rolled out the sleek Eagle Mk. III, which was almost immediately a winner. Only typical Gurney bad luck prevented a victory in the car's first race; but victory came in the car's second outing. The GTP Toyota-Eagles placed 4th in the 1992 24-Hours of Daytona, won the 12-Hours of Sebring, and scored eight more GTP victories on their way to the GTP Manufacturers Championship. 1993 was a complete Toyota-Eagle rout, with Juan Manual Fangio and P.J. Jones sharing ten victories in ten outings. Toyota-Eagle brought the IMSA GTP series to its finale with the Manufacturers Championship and 1st and 2nd place in the Drivers Championship for Fangio and Jones, respectively.
In 2006, the "Gurney" name reappeared in international sports car racing when Dan's son, Alex, co-drove a Riley-Pontiac with Jon Fogarty for the Blackhawk/Bob Stalling Racing team in the Grand-Am series. In the fourteen 2006 races, Gurney and Fogarty earned eight "top 10" finishes, including two 2nd and one 3rd place finishes. The Blackhawk/Bob Stallings team finished 6th in the Grand Am championship. 2007 was an even more successful season, with Gurney and Fogarty earning a Grand-Am record of seven 1st place finishes and five more "top 10" finishes to win the Grand-Am championship by just a few points over the Chip Ganassi team and driver Scott Pruett. In the 2007 races, in March at the Hermanos Rodriquez Autodrome in Mexico City, Gurney and Fogarty took their first victory. After an 11th place finish at the race in Homestead, Florida and 5th and 6th place finishes at Virginia International Raceway and Laguna Seca, respectively, the Gainsco/Bob Stallings Racing team drivers, Gurney and Fogarty, racked up three consecutive victories at Watkins Glen, Mid-Ohio, and Daytona. In the June 2007 Watkins Glen race, Alex Gurney passed road racing veteran Scott Pruett with 15 laps remaining and never looked back. After 3rd place finishes in Iowa and Montreal, Gurney and Fogarty tasted victory again at Birmingham, Watkins Glen (second victory here), and Sears Point. Their 8th place finish in the season finale in Utah was enough to clinch the championship for the drivers and the Bob Stalling Racing team. We congratulate Alex Gurney and Jon Fogarty, and look forward to another winning Grand-Am season for them in 2008! [See Alex Gurney's Grand-Am race record here.]
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1996-2008 Arnold E.
van Beverhoudt, Jr.
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