Bob Bondurant
Encyclopedia
Robert Bondurant is an American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 former racecar driver who raced for Shelby American, Ferrari
Scuderia Ferrari
Scuderia Ferrari is the racing team division of the Ferrari automobile marque. The team currently only races in Formula One but has competed in numerous classes of motorsport since its formation in 1929, including sportscar racing....

 and Eagle
Anglo American Racers
All American Racers was an American auto racing team and constructor based in Santa Ana, California. Founded by Dan Gurney and Carroll Shelby in 1964, All American Racers initially participated in American sports car and Champ Car races as well as international Formula One events with cars named...

 teams.

During his teens, Bondurant raced an Indian
Indian (motorcycle)
Indian is an American brand of motorcycles. Indian motorcycles were manufactured from 1901 to 1953 by a company in Springfield, Massachusetts, USA, initially known as the Hendee Manufacturing Company but which was renamed the Indian Manufacturing Company in 1928. The Indian factory team took the...

 motorcycle on dirt ovals. In 1956 he switched to sports car racing
Sports car racing
Sports car racing is a form of circuit auto racing with automobiles that have two seats and enclosed wheels. They may be purpose-built or related to road-going sports cars....

 with a Morgan
Morgan Motor Company
The Morgan Motor Company is a British motor car manufacturer. The company was founded in 1910 by Harry Frederick Stanley Morgan, generally known as "HFS" and was run by him until he died, aged 77, in 1959. Peter Morgan, son of H.F.S., ran the company until a few years before his death in 2003...

 and started to attract attention when he won the West Coast "B" production Championship, in a Chevrolet Corvette
Chevrolet Corvette
The Chevrolet Corvette is a sports car by the Chevrolet division of General Motors that has been produced in six generations. The first model, a convertible, was designed by Harley Earl and introduced at the GM Motorama in 1953 as a concept show car. Myron Scott is credited for naming the car after...

 winning 18 out of 20 races.

Santa Barbara Chevrolet dealer Shelly Washburn hired Bob in 1961 to drive his #614 1959 Corvette. Some of the best Corvette racing duels were between Bob and David McDonald on the West Coast during the early 1960s. At the L.A. Times Grand Prix in October 1962, Bob drove Washburn's new 1963 Corvette Z06 Sting Ray. Between 1961 and 1963, Bob won 30 out of 32 races in Washburn's Corvettes.

In 1963 he became a member of Carroll Shelby
Carroll Shelby
Carroll Hall Shelby is an American retired automotive designer and racing driver. He is most well known for making Mustangs for Ford Motor Company known as Mustang Cobras which he has done since 1965...

's Ford
Ford Motor Company
Ford Motor Company is an American multinational automaker based in Dearborn, Michigan, a suburb of Detroit. The automaker was founded by Henry Ford and incorporated on June 16, 1903. In addition to the Ford and Lincoln brands, Ford also owns a small stake in Mazda in Japan and Aston Martin in the UK...

 Cobra
AC Cobra
The AC Cobra, also known colloquially as the Shelby Cobra in North America, is an Anglo-American sports car that was produced during the 1960s.-History and development:...

 team, winning his first race at the L.A.Times Grand Prix at Riverside Raceway. Bob's best-known victory was winning the GT class victory at Le Mans 24 Hours in 1964 in Shelby's new Cobra Daytona Coupe with Dan Gurney
Dan Gurney
Daniel Sexton Gurney is an American racing driver, race car constructor, and team owner.The son of a Metropolitan Opera star, he was born in Port Jefferson, New York, but moved to California as a teenager...

 co-driving. In 1965 Bob won the FIA Manufacturers' World Championship for Shelby American and Ford, winning seven out of ten races against the class dominating Ferrari GTOs in Europe. In the same year he drove a works Ferrari
Ferrari
Ferrari S.p.A. is an Italian sports car manufacturer based in Maranello, Italy. Founded by Enzo Ferrari in 1929, as Scuderia Ferrari, the company sponsored drivers and manufactured race cars before moving into production of street-legal vehicles as Ferrari S.p.A. in 1947...

 during the United States Grand Prix
1965 United States Grand Prix
The 1965 United States Grand Prix was a Formula One race held on October 3, 1965 at the Watkins Glen Grand Prix Race Course in Watkins Glen, New York.__FORCETOC__-Summary:...

 at Watkins Glen
Watkins Glen International
Watkins Glen International is an auto race track located near Watkins Glen, New York, at the southern tip of Seneca Lake. The facility is owned by International Speedway Corporation...

, and handled a Lotus
Team Lotus
Team Lotus was the motorsport sister company of English sports car manufacturer Lotus Cars. The team ran cars in many motorsport series including Formula One, Formula Two, Formula Ford, Formula Junior, IndyCar and sports car racing...

 33 for Reg Parnell
Reg Parnell
Reginald Harold Haslam Parnell was a racing driver and team manager from England. He participated in seven Formula One World Championship Grands Prix, achieving one podium, and scoring a total of 9 championship points.-Driving career:Before World War II Parnell was a very successful racing...

 at the following Mexican race
1965 Mexican Grand Prix
The 1965 Mexican Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Mexico City on October 24, 1965. The race, which was the tenth and final round of the 1965 Formula One season, was won by Richie Ginther who took his first victory and the first for the Honda team. after leading for the entire race...

.

In 1966 Bob Bondurant served as a technical consultant for John Frankenheimer
John Frankenheimer
John Michael Frankenheimer was an American film and television director known for social dramas and action/suspense films...

's epic film Grand Prix and trained the film's lead actor [James Garner] to drive Formula cars in the race sequences. Bob also drove BRMs in five Grands Prix for Team Chamaco Collect, finishing 4th at Monaco
1966 Monaco Grand Prix
The 1966 Monaco Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at the Circuit de Monaco on May 22, 1966. It was the opening round of the 1966 Formula One season, the first of a new era for Formula One, the 'return to power' as engine regulations were altered from 1.5 litres of maximum engine...

. He finished the Formula One season in North America in two races, driving an Eagle for Dan Gurney's Anglo American Racers
Anglo American Racers
All American Racers was an American auto racing team and constructor based in Santa Ana, California. Founded by Dan Gurney and Carroll Shelby in 1964, All American Racers initially participated in American sports car and Champ Car races as well as international Formula One events with cars named...

.

For 1967 he drove in the CanAm
CanAm
The Canadian-American Challenge Cup or Can-Am, was an SCCA/CASC sports car racing series from 1966 to 1986.-History:Can-Am started out as a race series for Group 7 sports racers with two races in Canada and four races in the United States of America . The series was initially sponsored by Johnson...

 series and in a Corvette L88 Coupe at Le Mans, and led the GT class until a wrist pin failed putting the car out in the early morning. Later that month while driving a McLaren, at Watkins Glen, the steering arm broke at 150 mph. Bob sustained serious rib, leg, foot and, most seriously, back injuries in the subsequent accident in which his car flipped eight times. Doctors told him he would likely never walk again, but through courage and hard work he overcame his injuries.

While recuperating, Bondurant drafted an idea for a high performance driving school borrowing from the experiences he had while training James Garner for "Grand Prix". The Bob Bondurant School of High Performance Driving
Bob Bondurant School of High Performance Driving
The Bob Bondurant School of High Performance Driving is an American driving school, specialising in racing and police driving education. It is located in Phoenix, Arizona....

 opened in early 1968 at Orange County Raceway then moved to Ontario
Ontario Motor Speedway
The Ontario Motor Speedway, located in Ontario, California, east of Los Angeles, was the first and only automobile racing facility built to accommodate major races sanctioned by all of the four dominant racing sanctioning bodies: IndyCar Series and USAC for open-wheel oval car races; NASCAR for a ...

 and later moved to Sears Point
Infineon Raceway
Infineon Raceway, formerly Sears Point Raceway, is a road course and drag strip located on the landform known as Sears Point in the southern Sonoma Mountains near Sonoma, California, USA. The course is a complex series of twists and turns that go up and down the hills...

, where he was an important figure in the track's development. Nissan
Nissan Motors
, usually shortened to Nissan , is a multinational automaker headquartered in Japan. It was a core member of the Nissan Group, but has become more independent after its restructuring under Carlos Ghosn ....

 Motor Company (under Datsun
Datsun
Datsun was an automobile marque. The name was created in 1931 by the DAT Motorcar Co. for a new car model, spelling it as "Datson" to indicate its smaller size when compared to the existing, larger DAT car. Later, in 1933 after Nissan Motor Co., Ltd...

 in the US) was Bondurant's sponsoring partner in his school from its beginning at and continued in that role at the Sears Point
Infineon Raceway
Infineon Raceway, formerly Sears Point Raceway, is a road course and drag strip located on the landform known as Sears Point in the southern Sonoma Mountains near Sonoma, California, USA. The course is a complex series of twists and turns that go up and down the hills...

 driving school.

In the June 1969 run of the grueling off-road Baja 500
Baja 500
SCORE Baja 500 is an off-road race that takes place on Mexico's Baja California Peninsula in early June. The Baja 500 is part of a series of races that include the Baja 1000, San Felipe 250 and Primm 300. The event includes various types of vehicle classes such as small and large bore motorcycles,...

 race, Bondurant with co-driver Tony Murphy took first place in the passenger car class driving a SC/Rambler
Rambler American
The Rambler American is an automobile manufactured by the American Motors Corporation between 1958 and 1969. The American was the second incarnation of AMC's forerunner Nash Motors second-generation Rambler compact that was sold under the Nash and Hudson Motors marques from 1954 and 1955.The...

 for James Garner
James Garner
James Garner is an American film and television actor, one of the first Hollywood actors to excel in both media. He has starred in several television series spanning a career of more than five decades...

's "American International Racers" team that was sponsored by American Motors Corporation (AMC) http://www.ramblerrogue.com/maverick.htm.

Bob Bondurant had four NASCAR
NASCAR
The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing is a family-owned and -operated business venture that sanctions and governs multiple auto racing sports events. It was founded by Bill France Sr. in 1947–48. As of 2009, the CEO for the company is Brian France, grandson of the late Bill France Sr...

 starts, all at Riverside International Raceway
Riverside International Raceway
Riverside International Raceway was a race track or road course in Riverside, California. The track was in operation from September 22, 1957, to July 2, 1989...

, with his highest finish of 18th in 1981.

Following the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake he moved the driving school to Phoenix
Phoenix, Arizona
Phoenix is the capital, and largest city, of the U.S. state of Arizona, as well as the sixth most populated city in the United States. Phoenix is home to 1,445,632 people according to the official 2010 U.S. Census Bureau data...

, Arizona
Arizona
Arizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...

, where he enjoys close ties to General Motors and Goodyear Tires.

Bob Bondurant was a driving instructor to actors James Garner
James Garner
James Garner is an American film and television actor, one of the first Hollywood actors to excel in both media. He has starred in several television series spanning a career of more than five decades...

, Paul Newman
Paul Newman
Paul Leonard Newman was an American actor, film director, entrepreneur, humanitarian, professional racing driver and auto racing enthusiast...

, Clint Eastwood
Clint Eastwood
Clinton "Clint" Eastwood, Jr. is an American film actor, director, producer, composer and politician. Eastwood first came to prominence as a supporting cast member in the TV series Rawhide...

, Robert Wagner
Robert Wagner
Robert John Wagner is an American actor of stage, screen, and television.A veteran of many films in the 1950s and 1960s, Wagner gained prominence in three American television series that spanned three decades: It Takes a Thief , Switch , and Hart to Hart...

, Tim Allen
Tim Allen
Tim Allen is an American comedian, actor, voice-over artist, and entertainer, known for his role in the sitcom Home Improvement...

 as well as Tom Cruise
Tom Cruise
Thomas Cruise Mapother IV , better known as Tom Cruise, is an American film actor and producer. He has been nominated for three Academy Awards and he has won three Golden Globe Awards....

 and Nicolas Cage
Nicolas Cage
Nicolas Cage is an American actor, producer and director, having appeared in over 60 films including Raising Arizona , The Rock , Face/Off , Gone in 60 Seconds , Adaptation , National Treasure , Ghost Rider , Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans , and...

.

Complete Formula One World Championship results

Year Entrant Chassis Engine 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 WDC Points
1965
1965 Formula One season
The 1965 Formula One season, which was the 16th season of FIA Formula One racing, featured the 16th World Championship of Drivers and the 8th International Cup for F1 Manufacturers. The two titles were contested concurrently over a ten round series which commenced on January 1 and ended on October 24...

North American Racing Team
North American Racing Team
The North American Racing Team was created by Luigi Chinetti to promote the Ferrari marque in America through success in Gran Turismo motorsport....

Ferrari
Scuderia Ferrari
Scuderia Ferrari is the racing team division of the Ferrari automobile marque. The team currently only races in Formula One but has competed in numerous classes of motorsport since its formation in 1929, including sportscar racing....

 158
Ferrari
Scuderia Ferrari
Scuderia Ferrari is the racing team division of the Ferrari automobile marque. The team currently only races in Formula One but has competed in numerous classes of motorsport since its formation in 1929, including sportscar racing....

 V8
RSA
1965 South African Grand Prix
The 1965 South African Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at East London on January 1, 1965.- Race report :Jim Clark celebrated Hogmanay by dominating the race, leading from pole and breaking the 100 mph barrier, winning by half a minute from Graham Hill and John Surtees and even had...


MON
1965 Monaco Grand Prix
The 1965 Monaco Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Monaco on May 30, 1965.- Classification :- Notes :* Pole position: Graham Hill - 1:32.5* Fastest Lap: Graham Hill - 1:31.7 on lap 82...


BEL
1965 Belgian Grand Prix
The 1965 Belgian Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Spa-Francorchamps on 13 June 1965. The race was won by British driver Jim Clark who led every lap of the race driving a Lotus 33.- Classification :-Standings after the race:...


FRA
1965 French Grand Prix
The 1965 French Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Clermont-Ferrand on June 27, 1965.- Classification :- Notes :* Pole position: Jim Clark - 3:18.3* Fastest Lap: Jim Clark - 3:18.9 on lap 34* Lap Leaders: Jim Clark 40 laps ....


GBR
1965 British Grand Prix
The 1965 British Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Silverstone on July 10, 1965.- Classification :-Standings after the race:Drivers' Championship standingsConstructors' Championship standings...


NED
1965 Dutch Grand Prix
The 1965 Dutch Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Zandvoort on July 18, 1965.- Race report :Honda capitalised on their long hours of testing at Zandvoort when Ginther claimed a front-row space with Graham Hill and Clark. He shot into the lead for the first 2 laps. Hill took the lead...


GER
1965 German Grand Prix
The 1965 German Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Nürburgring on August 1, 1965.- Race report :Graham Hill could still theoretically overhaul Clark for the championship. However Clark became Champion with a masterful performance, leading from pole to the flag and setting fastest lap,...


ITA
1965 Italian Grand Prix
The 1965 Italian Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Monza on September 12, 1965. The race, which was the seventh round of the 1965 Formula One season, was won by Jackie Stewart who took his first Grand Prix victory whilst driving for the BRM team...


USA
1965 United States Grand Prix
The 1965 United States Grand Prix was a Formula One race held on October 3, 1965 at the Watkins Glen Grand Prix Race Course in Watkins Glen, New York.__FORCETOC__-Summary:...


9
NC 0
Reg Parnell (Racing)
Reg Parnell
Reginald Harold Haslam Parnell was a racing driver and team manager from England. He participated in seven Formula One World Championship Grands Prix, achieving one podium, and scoring a total of 9 championship points.-Driving career:Before World War II Parnell was a very successful racing...

Lotus
Team Lotus
Team Lotus was the motorsport sister company of English sports car manufacturer Lotus Cars. The team ran cars in many motorsport series including Formula One, Formula Two, Formula Ford, Formula Junior, IndyCar and sports car racing...

 33
Lotus 33
The Lotus 33 designed by Colin Chapman, was a Formula One car built by Team Lotus. Its development was based on the earlier Lotus 25 model, taking the monocoque chassis design to new development heights. The 33 was again powered by the 1500 cc Climax engine. The 33 was almost identical to the 25,...

Climax
Coventry Climax
Coventry Climax was a British forklift truck, fire pump, and speciality engine manufacturer.-History:The company was started in 1903 as Lee Stroyer, but two years later, following the departure of Stroyer, it was relocated to Paynes Lane, Coventry, and renamed to Coventry-Simplex by H...

 V8
MEX
1965 Mexican Grand Prix
The 1965 Mexican Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Mexico City on October 24, 1965. The race, which was the tenth and final round of the 1965 Formula One season, was won by Richie Ginther who took his first victory and the first for the Honda team. after leading for the entire race...


Ret
1966
1966 Formula One season
The 1966 Formula One season was the 17th season of FIA Formula One motor racing. It featured the 1966 World Championship of Drivers and the 1966 International Cup for F1 Manufacturers which were contested concurrently over a nine race series that commenced on May 22 and ended on October 23...

Team Chamaco Collect BRM P261
BRM P261
The BRM P261, also known as the BRM P61 Mark II, is a Formula One motor racing car, designed and built by the British Racing Motors team in Bourne, Lincolnshire, England. The BRM P261 was introduced for the 1964 Formula One season, and its design was an evolution of Tony Rudd's one-off BRM P61 car of...

BRM V8 MON
1966 Monaco Grand Prix
The 1966 Monaco Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at the Circuit de Monaco on May 22, 1966. It was the opening round of the 1966 Formula One season, the first of a new era for Formula One, the 'return to power' as engine regulations were altered from 1.5 litres of maximum engine...


4
BEL
1966 Belgian Grand Prix
The 1966 Belgian Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Spa-Francorchamps on 12 June 1966. It was the second round of the 1966 Formula One season. The race was the 26th Belgian Grand Prix which to this point had only been held at the Spa-Francorchamps circuit...


Ret
FRA
1966 French Grand Prix
The 1966 French Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Reims-Gueux on July 3, 1966. It was the '60th Anniversary race' of Grand Prix racing, which had started with the GP of France in 1906. It was the third round of the 1966 World Championship...


GBR
1966 British Grand Prix
The 1966 British Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Brands Hatch on July 16, 1966. It was the fourth round of the 1966 World Championship. It was the 21st British Grand Prix and the second to be held at Brands Hatch...


9
NED
1966 Dutch Grand Prix
The 1966 Dutch Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Zandvoort on July 24, 1966. It was the fifth round of the 1966 World Championship. The race was the 16th Dutch Grand Prix since it was first held in 1948...


GER
1966 German Grand Prix
The 1966 German Grand Prix was a mixed Formula One and Formula Two motor race held at the Nürburgring Nordschleife on August 7, 1966. It was the sixth round of the 1966 World Championship. It was the 28th German Grand Prix and the 22nd to be held at the Nordschleife...


Ret
ITA
1966 Italian Grand Prix
The 1966 Italian Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Monza on September 4, 1966. It was the seventh round of the 1966 World Championship. The race was the 36th Italian Grand Prix and the 32nd to be held at Monza...


7
14th 3
Anglo American Racers
Anglo American Racers
All American Racers was an American auto racing team and constructor based in Santa Ana, California. Founded by Dan Gurney and Carroll Shelby in 1964, All American Racers initially participated in American sports car and Champ Car races as well as international Formula One events with cars named...

Eagle
Anglo American Racers
All American Racers was an American auto racing team and constructor based in Santa Ana, California. Founded by Dan Gurney and Carroll Shelby in 1964, All American Racers initially participated in American sports car and Champ Car races as well as international Formula One events with cars named...

 T1G
Eagle Mk1
The Eagle Mk1, commonly referred to as the Eagle T1G, was a Formula One racing car, designed by Len Terry for Dan Gurney's Anglo American Racers team. The Eagle, introduced for the start of the 1966 Formula One season, is widely regarded as being one of the most beautiful cars ever raced at the top...

Climax
Coventry Climax
Coventry Climax was a British forklift truck, fire pump, and speciality engine manufacturer.-History:The company was started in 1903 as Lee Stroyer, but two years later, following the departure of Stroyer, it was relocated to Paynes Lane, Coventry, and renamed to Coventry-Simplex by H...

 Straight-4
Straight-4
The inline-four engine or straight-four engine is an internal combustion engine with all four cylinders mounted in a straight line, or plane along the crankcase. The single bank of cylinders may be oriented in either a vertical or an inclined plane with all the pistons driving a common crankshaft....

USA
1966 United States Grand Prix
The 1966 United States Grand Prix was a Formula One race held on October 2, 1966 at the Watkins Glen Grand Prix Race Course in Watkins Glen, New York.__FORCETOC__-Summary:...


DSQ
Weslake
Weslake
Weslake Research and Development was founded by Harry Weslake, with premises in Rye, East Sussex, England. Weslake was a cylinder head specialist who had been instrumental in modifying the side valve standard engine used in the first SS sports car. He also worked on the larger SS engine: "The...

 V12
V12 engine
A V12 engine is a V engine with 12 cylinders mounted on the crankcase in two banks of six cylinders, usually but not always at a 60° angle to each other, with all 12 pistons driving a common crankshaft....

MEX
1966 Mexican Grand Prix
The 1966 Mexican Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez on October 23, 1966. It was the ninth and final round of the 1966 World Championship. The race was the fifth Mexican Grand Prix...


Ret

External links

  • Bondurant Racing School
  • Bondurant Kart Racing School
  • Bob Bondurant America's uncrowned World Driving Champion (2007, Editions Cotty; ISBN 0-9765247-0-8)
  • Bob Bondurant Des Cobra à la Formule1 la meme passion (2008, Editions Cotty; ISBN 978-0-9765247-3-1)
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