Dan Gurney and A.J.Foyt have been awarded a special trophy by Le Club des Pilotes des 24 Heures du Mans in honor of their 1967 Le Mans win behind the wheel of a Ford GT40 Mk IV.
The trophy has been presented by Harley Cluxton (who had bought the Mirage racing team to Gulf Oil for his company, Grand Touring Cars, which entered the Mirages between 1976 and 1982) during the annual gala of the Road Racing Drivers Club (RRDC) on April 6th at Long Beach.
Dan Gurney and A.J. Foyt are two legends of motorsport racing. Dan Gurney, in addition to his Le Mans win, scored their first Formula 1 win for three different makes : Porsche, Brabham and Eagle, the make he had founded himself, Eagles having been winners too in the Indy500, in the IMSA Championship -GTP and GTU- in the Can-Am Championship, in Formula 5000….
A.J. Foyt is a four-times winner of the Indy 500 (recordman with 35 starts), he has won twice the 24 Hours of Daytona, has also been a winner in the 12 Hours of Sebring, having so one of the best endurance racing records while he was more considered as an open-wheel driver, as illustrated by his seven USAC titles…
Dan Gurney was very moved, as he has told Gérard Larrousse, Club des Pilotes des 24 Heures du Mans President :
« What a sensational surprise. Our friend Harley presented A.J. Foyt and me with a beautiful trophy by the Club des Pilotes des 24 Heures du Mans / RRDC friends in honor of the 50th anniversary of our Le Mans 1967 Ford victory. It was presented in grand style during the RRDC gala in Long Beach last week. We also received a plaque making us ” membres a vie” , at my advanced age that is especially sweet. I would have very much enjoyed visiting the race this year and seeing you again but unfortunately some health issues make that not possible.
I know there have been many people involved in making this honor and trophy possible , I would like to thank them all from the bottom of my heart especially Marie-reine Beaumesil, Pierre Pelosi, Thierry Perrier and Manou. We have taken a few photos of our front office where the trophy is displayed at the moment, not sure whether this is the final display space but thought you might like to see it there anyway. Above the reception desk is a rotating computer screen showing hundreds of photos of my and our race team’s career, here are some from Le Mans 1967. People in our waiting room never want to leave and now with the trophy there even less so! »
Amicalement,
Dan
