DAN GURNEY RECEIVES AWARD
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Bryant Honoree Dan Gurney Receives His Individual Award Santa Ana, Calif. 12.19.16 - - On Saturday evening, August 20, 2016, Dan Gurney's name was added to the honor roll attached to the Peter Bryant Challenger Award. The occasion was the "Tribute to the Can-Am" event held in conjunction with the Monterey Historics event. "In truth, Dan's name should have been put on the Bryant trophy long ago. Dan Gurney has always been celebrated as championship driver," said event organizer and Racing History Project Director Dave Wolin that night. "and now we're very pleased to be able to recognize him for his many contributions to race car engineering with this award." photo: Ed Justice, Jr. Gurney was among the first waves of young American drivers to venture "across the pond" to race in sports cars and Formula One. His abilities behind the wheel and a keen sense of technical inquisitiveness eventually lead him to building and racing cars himself; that adventure seeing him become only the second driver in motorsports history to win a F1 race in a car of his own design and manufacture at the Belgian Grand Prix in 1967. Just to even things out, he teamed up with the legendary A.J.Foyt to win the 24 Hours of Le Mans for Ford. And ... while he was at it, began the racing world's now-de rigueur champagne spraying tradition from the victory stand ... all in that same year. And his work after he hung up his helmet continued that winning streak for his aptly named "Eagle" racing cars. Gurney's strong knowledge of the dynamics of race cars was the perfect complement to his small team of brilliant designers, engineers, and fabricators as his company built a long succession of winning cars for a number of racing disciplines. ... Gurney was not able to attend the Monterey event so he did not pick up his personal "Bryant" memento award that night. Last week John Zimmermann (the Associate Editor of Vintage Racecar/Roadcar and the author of "Dan Gurney's Eagle Racing Cars") who made the original announcement of the honor back in August, was able to catch up with Gurney at his Santa Ana office last week. Luckily Ed Justice, Jr. was there at the same time and got a great shot of Gurney and Zimmermann with the individual trophy. "Finding the right words to describe Dan Gurney is more of a poet's job," Wolin explained, "he's truly American racing royalty, and damn well would have been elected President of the United States some 40+ years ago if Brock Yates and legions of motorsports fans had had their way." Even now, at 85, the man still has that wonderful "All-American Boy" twinkle in his eye. - RHP Photographer Ed Justice, Jr.* had this to say about the man: "Dan Gurney is an American icon in the motorsports world. The Bryant Challenger Award is a fitting tribute to Dan who was never afraid to challenge the status quo in auto racing from any angle. This attitude changed the course of auto racing many times." ABOUT THE AWARD: The "Challenger" award celebrates excellence in motor racing engineering and the sort of spirit that the late Peter Bryant brought to the craft. Howden Ganley, Phil Remington, Bruce Burness, Trevor Harris, Tyler Alexander, Alwin Springer, and Ike Smith are the names that precede Gurney's on the clear Lexan award that features a likeness of Bryant's sleek Ti22 car and pieces of titanium sheet actually sourced from the Timet Company, the original producers of the super-strong/super-light metal for the incredible Can-Am car. (The token award that Gurney received is the original test casting for the Ti22 car that's part of the "Bryant" now.) *also: broadcaster, journalist, and President & CEO of Justice Brothers, Inc ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The next Bryant award is set be presented at the "Tribute to IMSA Dinner" set for Saturday, April 1st at the NHRA Museum in Pomona. www.tributetoimsa.com [http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001bXQHWOyAOenoQyOUKqwylh6Db4w_JfsE94Cr8amFt5LOwffZuFtNNtmpTDnx6Ci_lx3Xkv1Hmda1pnpQfM1d3dLZxnkDCs07aV9fgOGFCRIzEOcdiehNIzOJF8e9vG_jyvn5KUb0y8380fAw9_uXJhSnx3uAzNtvi1KlHZ60UPM=&c=W8iLrH1Spm3flNxIPP_pqCDAVsy3Zg76B2o9l4cRa91Mcq2V1xnoyg==&ch=J6_yfMZmOlNHewlWxfm4YWVWbztwpUldFyqgM5wzDVQj89aSPj9plA==] for details ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ © Copyright 2016 stokescommunications. 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