He was finally reunited with his elusive GT40, and wow, did he have fun tracking this car for the next eight years!, Bob tracked this car at a Shelby reunion on the Fontana Raceway. I had learned how to ride the bike by now. She had a Chrysler. It turned out to be the ATS at Monza, Italy. For the early part of the past year, it appeared that a sorry end awaited the school that had been founded by Robert L. Bondurant, a world champion racer, in 1968 in Orange County, California,. PARADISE VALLEY, Ariz. Bob Bondurant, a champion race car driver who later opened a driving school in 1968 and taught several top actors, died Friday. Racer.com traced his life story: [], [] driving school founder Bob Bondurant died Friday in Paradise Valley, Arizona, at the age of 88,Racerhas [], [] and driving school founder Bob Bondurant died Friday in Paradise Valley, Arizona, at the age of 88, Racer has learned.The son of a car dealer, Bondurant began racing in Corvettes on the West Coast in the [], Bob Bondurant, 1933-2021 RACER - Jakhala.com, Racing legend Bob Bondurant lifeless at 88 Abrar Gadget Shop, Racing legend Bob Bondurant dead at 88 AutoSector.com , BOB BONDURANT 1933-2021 The Road Racing Drivers Club, Racing legend Bob Bondurant dead at 88 - Aftermarket Alloy Wheels, Racing legend Bob Bondurant dead at 88 Born To Be Wild, All contents copyright 2023, Racer Media & Marketing, Inc. All rights reserved. Bondurant raced cars in the 1960s with some success until a crash at Watkins Glen, in New York curtailed his career. He raced the Shelby Cobra CSX2345 through the 1964-1965 racing circuits and locked in more wins than anyone else on Shelby's team. ", Bob knew the circuit well, having raced Le Mans in 1964, winning the GT Class in a Ford Daytona Coupe with Dan Gurney. November 14, 2021 / 2:02 PM Bob raced motorcycles on a regular basis, but he didn't want to be on a first-name basic with his orthopedic surgeon like many he raced against. Be a part of the unmatched history and credibility of the legendary Bondurant Brands and copyrighted teaching methodology. Bob won 18 out of 20 races in 1959 in the '57, which smartly won Bob the "B" Production Championship and "Best Corvette Driver of the Year" in 1959. The name Bob Bondurant is synonymous with the Shelby Cobra. "[4], (key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in italics indicate fastest lap). Is a Ram 1500 TRX the Ideal Winter Vehicle? In 1976, the President of Ford Motor Company convinced Bob to no longer use the Datsun's since he won the World Championship in cars powered by Ford. A buddy had a car so we towed it with a rope around a corner to my house and the rear wheels came off. He was 88. Bob Bondurant, who taught acting techniques for decades at his small-town Southern California race track, died Thursday after his suffering a stroke earlier this month. Bob Bondurant School of High Performance Driving. In 1966 Bondurant served as a technical consultant for John Frankenheimer's film Grand Prix and trained the film's lead actor James Garner to drive Formula cars in the race sequences. In the interim, Bob did get back on track (or the horse so to speak), knowing he had a growing business to fall back on should anything catastrophic happen again, entering a Can-Am race June 1970 driving a Chevy Lola T160. Copyright 2021 Associated Press. I'd never been to one before and I really liked watching them race. That was the beginning of the Nov. 12 walkout, Jason Bondurant said. If youd like to read more about it or cast a bid you can visit the listing here. Temperature-controlledHook up to both your hot and cold water so you can control the temperature plus it comes with a heated seat. "My mom and dad had divorced, then mom died when I was 16. I learned to drive in my buddy's mom's Chrysler," Bob chuckles. He was inducted into the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America in 2003. Of course we're blowing dirt up in the air from the exhaust so you could see us coming. Bob Bondurant stepped back from the school's daily operations because he wanted to do "the fun stuff" later in life, Jason Bondurant said. Bob Bondurant 's wife, Patricia Bondurant, was serving at the school's president and CEO when the company filed for bankruptcy. He was 88. "We still finished 17th, we were that far ahead," Guildstrand laughs. Porsche, after witnessing how the school increased Datsun's profile, supplied Bondurant with Porsche 911s and Porsche 914s. (Photo via Getty Images), Public File for KBCW-TV / KBCW 44 Cable 12. The other dealers weren't racing like we were. "I hadn't seen Don in a few years and told him I'd parked the Vette because I didn't have the money to fix it. Here are a few of the claims, via the ClassicCars.com Journal, emphasis theirs: Multiple employees said Pat Bondurant made derogatory comments about people who lived in certain Phoenix suburbs. Bondurant returned to race a Can-Am car at Watkins Glen a year after his crash. A man who made his F1 debut in a Ferrari no less and won Le Mans in a Shelby Cobra Daytona alongside Dan Gurney. By the time he was 18; he was racing an Indian Scout motorcycle, and moved to sports cars in 1956 at the wheel of a Morgan. You're right, that's "tea bagger" stuff but wait! PHOENIX The racing world is still mourning the loss of world champion Bob Bondurant. By 12 years old, his parents were divorced, and he persuaded his mother to purchase a Whizzer electric bike to deliver his newspapers faster. Since February 14th, 1968, Bondurant has been the premier driver-training destination for everyone from racing professionals looking for that winning edge to daily commuters seeking to become more proficient behind the wheel. Twice, Bob was badly injured, not from driver error, but from mechanical failure. Bob's first entry into Formula 1 was one that almost took his life in the ill-fated ATS Grand Prix Car he was about to drive on one of the deadliest tracks in racingMonza. He was going to a motorcycle shop in Glendale where Don Bachtold workedhe was a top motorcycle mechanic. Bondurant passed away at the age of 88 and is survived by his wife, Pat, President and CEO of the. Lying in the hospital bed with broken bones didn't break his desire to get back on track, in more ways than one. There was still no real comment about the closure itself until last week, when multiple employees of the Arizona driving school told the Arizona-based ClassicCars.com Journal about the claimed walkout a month after it happened. 2023 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. Its a car that was developed to be indistinguishable from the original, despite the fact that it has a stronger chassis, a more heavy duty body, and even optional air-conditioning. The document said the primary factor was the schools inability to pay rent in September without jeopardizing its ability to do payroll and expenses, and others were a training contract from the U.S. government canceled with little warning, inconsistent payments from primary sponsors Dodge and Fiat, Dodge requiring the school to return its Vipers for safety and regulatory reasons, and a potential investor agreement that hasnt been reached yet. Ask any race car driver and they will tell you, on the edge, exceeding the limits, is where harmony is found. Pat and Bob Bondurant intend to reopen their school under an all-new ownership and management structure, at an exciting new location, and are currently negotiating opportunities to purchase the Bondurant Trademark License Rights. This entire matter has broken Bobs heart. In Bob's case, not wearing a belt saved his life. Bob Bondurant, champion driver and founder of the Bondurant Racing School, passed away Friday in Paradise Valley, Arizona, at the age of 88. (But this was Formula 1, it's supposed to rain, be windy, and cold.). He offered Bob a full Ford sponsorship of cars, parts, and marketing until 2003. At 62, Bob grabbed a Third place podium finish at Road Atlanta in a Saleen Mustang in 1995. If my dad was mentally there like he was [then], we would have never gotten to this place. By 14, he owned his first Indian motorcycle, and after the devastating death of his mother at 16 years old, he started racing flat track and even bigger Indians and Harleys. 2021 is a year that called on Pat and Bob Bondurant to focus their new direction; to move boldly and do the right things to fuel their continued legacy. All Rights Reserved. Bob's time was 1:12.9, which put him on the outside of the seventh row next to Jochen Rindt from Germany (Rindt was killed at Monza in 1970). This marks the second driving school in just over. [Bob Bondurant] is a very good man, Jason Bondurant said, mentioning his adopted fathers stroke, knee replacement and other health problems. Bob had a faster qualifying speed than Pedro Rodriguez at 1:13.0 in the 12-cylinder Ferrari. From the age of 23 to 34, Bob became one of the most iconic race car drivers in the world. Shelbys faith in Bondurant was quickly justified as he won his first race at theContinental Divide Raceway in Colorado. Bondurant is the only American to bring home the World Championship trophy back to the U.S. while racing for Carroll Shelby. Former employees of the Bob Bondurant School of High Performance Driving, an Arizona-based racing school thats been around since 1968, said they walked out of work last month in protest of a hostile environment. ), "We got there two days before the race and the GT 40 Ford guys opened up their great big trailers and let us use the machine shop to make stuff and weld they had a huge effort. "Then I thought, 'Wow, those trees are pretty tall!'". Bondurant is survived by his wife, Pat, who is president and CEO of the Bondurant Racing School. Guildstrand set a record of 171.5 mph down the Mulsanne. (That was the 427 with solid lifers, aluminum headsjust one bad-glass, 500-horse Vette capable of 170-plus mph down the Mulsanne Straight at Le Mans. Bondurant trackside with Carroll Shelby while racing for the Cobra legend's team in the 1960s . He didn't have the money to fix it but his motorcycle mechanic friend Don who built the hot motor for his 101 Scout came to the rescue. I talked my mom into letting me get a Whizzer motor bike. Bob Bondurant, who went from winning races on the international stage to teaching others to win races at his famous driving school, has passed away at age 88. Of course it would take some laps before he would build his confidence not to lift. Racer Media & Marketing, Inc., 17030 Red Hill Avenue, Irvine, CA 92614, 949.417.6700 Though there have been many replicas of the Ford GT40 made over the years, none have been superior to the ERA GT. The Bob Bondurant School of High Performance Driving opened in early 1968 at Orange County International Raceway then moved to Ontario and then to Sonoma, where he was an important figure in the track's development. Bondurants ERA GT40 is now being offered for sale on Bring A Trailer, it has just ~7,000 miles on the odometer and its being sold out of Chandler, Arizona. Bob happened on a used car lot where Don was working. Bob is the first and only American to bring the World SportsCar Championship trophy home to America in the legendary Shelby Daytona Coupe No. Bob Bondurant is an American former racing driver and a founder of the famous Bob Bondurant School of High Performance Driving.. All Rights Reserved. This racing school is still going strong today and you can enroll for training here. This is a Porsche 959 tool kit containing all the items you might need for roadside repairs and tinkering though its perhaps doubtful, This is an original Ferrari Testarossa side mirror thats been mounted to a black carbon base, and signed by Gervadino Design. Please check your entries and try again. The original was made from a lighter gauge mild steel. Driven by desire, Bondurant has always dominated. Friday, November 12, 2021, the world lost an iconic American racing hero, Bob Bondurant. The walkout came just one month after the schools October bankruptcy filing and caused an abrupt but temporary closure, which the new head of the school called a disruption in service. But former employees claim it was far worse than that. I was going with a girl who I liked a lot, but she said, 'If we're going to get married you're going to have to stop racing motorcycles. I was riding motorcycles but I hadn't driven a car yet. In the same year he drove a works Ferrari Formula 1 car during the United States Grand Prix at Watkins Glen, and handled a Lotus 33 for Reg Parnell at the following Mexican race. How many sharing the road with Bob that day did double takes to make sure they saw what they thought they saw? Jason Bondurant said one of the more hampering parts of working at the school was how badly things were going when he felt like there was a solution to the math problem the whole time. 2021 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. In 1967 while driving a McLaren CanAm car at Watkins Glen, Bondurant was seriously injured in a horrific crash when the steering arm failed at 150 mph. [3][4], The Bob Bondurant School of High Performance Driving was the largest purpose-built driving school in the world. Jason Bondurant told Jalopnik that about a week after the walkout, the schools accounts wouldnt have had enough money to make payroll as things were, but that he had a plan to get the school through Jan. 1hence the fears about payroll. Bob Bondurant was one of the most successful American racing drivers of his era, he also coached a slew of celebrities This is Bob Bondurant at Riverside Raceway with the Shelby GT350 Mustang prototype for testing in 1965. Silodrome was founded in 2010 as a website dedicated to Gasoline Culture and all it entails - We write about modern cars, classic cars, motorcycles, racing, gear, gadgets, clothing, boats, planes, airships and the occasional submarine.Read more Silodrome 2023. all rights reserved. Bob was a special man who radiated his love for God and his beautiful wife Pat. He said you buy the crank and I'll put the motor back together, and for every race you win I won't charge you. Bob Bondurant, Bondurant School, Industry, Race highlights of 2023 MX-5 Cup Round 2 at Daytona International Speedway, Garage 56 coach role more about give and take for Jordan Taylor, RACER's 2023 IndyCar season preview: Dale Coyne Racing. . 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