50th Anniversary of Historic F1 Victory & Season

50th Anniversary of the Historic F1 Victory with the All American Racers Eagle in the Grand Prix of Belgium at Spa-Francorchamps

Print by Michael Turner

2017 marks the anniversary year of Dan Gurney's historic F1 victory with the All American Racers Eagle in the Grand Prix of Belgium at Spa-Francorchamps on June 18, 1967. In the 100 year history of Grand Prix Racing he remains the only American who managed to put an American Formula 1 car of his own construction in the winner's circle of a World Championship Grand Prix.

It is also the 50th anniversary of Ford’s all-American win at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, where Dan co-drive the winning car with AJ Foyt.

While these two outstanding victories remain the highlights of Gurney’s 1967 racing season, his whole year was one for the record books and quite typical of his schedule during the preceding 8 years.

In 1967 he crossed the Atlantic several times starting the season at the F1 Grand Prix of South Africa in Kyalami on New Years Day and ending it at the Rex Mays 300 for Indy cars in Riverside, California in November. When all was said and done he had participated in 27 major events driving Stock cars, Sports cars, Indy cars, Formula 1 cars, CanAm and TransAm machines. He had put his car among the first three on the grid no less than 18 times, leading many races but suffering a multitude of mechanical breakdowns.

In February he set the fastest qualifying time for the 24 Hours of Daytona in a Ford MK II.

In March he won the pole and all three heats of the Formula 1 Race of Champions at Brands Hatch, England, giving his Eagle and the new purpose built Gurney-Weslake V 12 engine its first victory.

In April he won by inches (over Parnelli Jones) the 4.5-Hour TransAm 113° (in the shade) heat marathon at Green Valley, Texas in a Ford Mercury Cougar.

In May he put his new Indy Eagle - Ford on the front row of the Indy 500, between Mario Andretti and Gordon Johncock. A week later he debuted his brand-new Titanium F1 Eagle at the Dutch Grand Prix at Zandvoort putting it on the front row between Graham Hill and Jack Brabham,

In June he won the 24-Hours of Le Mans (with A.J.Foyt) driving a Ford GT 40 Mark IV, establishing a new race record and starting the champagne spraying tradition in the winner's circle.

One week later he scored his historic victory at the Grand Prix of Belgium at Spa with the fastest race speed ever recorded for a Grand Prix at that time.

In August he was leading the Grand Prix of Germany at the Nuerburgring by 42 seconds when a broken U-joint took him and the Eagle out of the race two laps before the finish.

In September he got a podium at the F1 Grand Prix of Canada at Mosport.

In October he put his Lola CanAm machine on the pole at the CanAm Race at Riverside leading this race until mechanical trouble took him out.

In November he won the Rex Mays 300 for Indy cars at Riverside in a legendary come-from-behind battle considered by many "Dan Gurney's finest Drive."

Not resting on his laurels for long: In January, driving a Wood Brothers Ford stock car, he won the NASCAR Motor Trend 500 at Riverside for the fifth time!