Ask any race car driver and they will tell you, on the edge, exceeding the limits, is where harmony is found. I delivered the Hollywood newspaper on my Schwinn bicycle," Bob begins. I took his Jag up the mountain roadit handled really well, much better than my Ford. When Bob stepped up to the Big Bore crowd and purchased a '57 Vette with a fuel-injected, 190hp, 283 ci that had been successfully raced by Arcadia resident Jerry Austin, that's when his racing career took off. This car become one of Bondurants most prized possessions after it was bought for him as a Christmas gift by his wife, you can read the story of this below: Bob Bondurants wife Pat searched for months and found her husband the best GT40 replica money could buy, a right-hand drive ERA GT40, almost identical to the GT40s he raced for Carroll Shelby back in the 1960s., Bob rubbed his eyes in disbelief when the transporter dropped this car off in the Bondurants driveway on Christmas morning. Guildstrand asked Bob how to tell when he was approaching the Tertre Rouge corner at the end of the long (4381 feet) Mulsanne Straight at night. 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. He was inducted into the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America in 2003. You're right, that's "tea bagger" stuff but wait! "Bob is under care in an assisted facility," Pat Bondurant said, "but. PARADISE VALLEY, Ariz. (AP) -- Bob Bondurant, a former champion race car driver who opened a high-performance driving school in 1968 and taught numerous A-list actors for their movie roles, has died. Powered by Gasoline and Caffeine. Bob later had a '40 Ford he drag raced at Santa Ana, but Bob, ever the hot rodder, was ready to slow down the pace a bit with one cool street cruiser, a tail-draggin' '41 Ford custom. In 1965 Bondurant won the FIA Manufacturers' World Championship for Shelby American and Ford, winning seven out of ten races against the class dominating Ferrari 250 GTOs in Europe. Tim Rose, the former general manager of the school, also told the abovestory to Jalopnik. 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. Silodrome was founded by Ben back in 2010, in the years since the site has grown to become a world leader in the alternative and vintage motoring sector, with well over a million monthly readers from around the world and many hundreds of thousands of followers on social media. Of course it would take some laps before he would build his confidence not to lift. Robert Lewis Bondurant was born on April 27, 1933, to John Roper Bondurant and Ruth Williams Bondurant of Evanston, Ill. His father owned two luxury car dealerships named Bondurant Motors. When Bob turned two years old, the family moved to Westwood Village, Calif. Bob began his fascination with speed as a three-year-old on his first tricycle with playing cards clothes pinned on his spokes for the sound of the rush. His steering arm broke at 150mph, and, lying in traction at the hospital, he vividly remembers his conversation with God explaining to Bob that he was needed more on Earth and to start a driving and safety school to save thousands of lives of those otherwise dying on the highways and in motorsports. There were also claims of derogatory comments about employees, pressure not to hire too attractive of women [sic], withholding important information from employees, and outright racism by Pat Bondurant, according to the report. Bondurant was one of the most famous drivers to emerge from the Southern California road racing scene in the 1950s, and achieved success in North America and in Europe. A roadster set up to HTTP FIA specifications and for track use only starts at $289,995. It featured a 15-turn, 1.6-mile road course, an eight-acre asphalt pad for advanced training with more than 100 race-prepared vehicles, sedans, and open-wheel cars. 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, after he almost lost his life in a race when the steering arm of his McLaren MARK II CanAm snapped at 150 mph. 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. After five decades of training racers of all skill levels, the Bondurant High Performance Driving School in Chandler, Arizona has new name, the Radford Racing School. Bob realized his dream, opening the Bob Bondurant School of High Performance Driving at Orange County Raceway on Valentine's Day 1968 with a Vee-Dub van (minus the peace signs and daisies), a Datsun 510, and a Formula V for starters. Funeral plans were not immediately available Sunday. 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. Oh sure! Bondurant taught stunt driving, competition driving, police pursuit driving, evasive driving for chauffeurs and bodyguards, plus other skills, according to the website. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed, First published on November 14, 2021 / 2:02 PM. 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. He kept racing, too. Click here to view Vintage Motorsports appreciation of the amazing life of Bob Bondurant. A statement on his passing reads, in part, "Bondurant is the only American. Bob Bondurant School of High Performance Driving. Bondurant was a driving instructor to actors James Garner, Paul Newman, Clint Eastwood, Robert Wagner, Tim Allen, Tom Cruise, and Nicolas Cage. Bondurant's closing, the details and terms of which are still unclear, comes after serving the industry for 50 years, following a filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in October of 2018. "Bob Bondurant has had a worldwide impact on the motorsports industry, and his legacy will live on eternally as the Bondurant Racing School moves forward into the future," Phoenix Raceway President Julie Giese said in a statement. Though there have been many replicas of the Ford GT40 made over the years, none have been superior to the ERA GT. The pair went against Pat Bondurants wishes, informed employees and walked off the job. Temperature-controlledHook up to both your hot and cold water so you can control the temperature plus it comes with a heated seat. He offered Bob a full Ford sponsorship of cars, parts, and marketing until 2003. 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. The copyrighted Bondurant teaching method caters to professional drivers, military, law enforcement, and actors. Legendary American racing driver Bob Bondurants name will be forever linked with the Ford GT40, a car he drove at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1965, helping the team win theInternational Championship for GT Manufacturers. Our. He also said employees stayed around for so long despite the alleged environment because he treated them like family., When the school filed for bankruptcy on Oct. 2, a statement said it planned to stay open and emerge from this [bankruptcy] process as a stronger company.. Follow us online or subscribe to our mailing list for more info! You may have seen them at county fairs the vertical velodromes were originally built from old grain silos, leading to the name "silo-drome.". My dad took me to Gilmore Stadium when I was 7 to watch the races and that got me interested in racing. In 1973, Bob moved his already famous school to the track he purchased, Sears Point International Raceway (now Infineon Raceway) near Sonoma, CA in 1973. 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. I was taking my buddy around the track and said, 'This is really great isn't it?' Me and my buddies drove all over in that thing. 69-year-old suffers stroke in his N.C. home; Realtor showing house leaves him there. "I decided that when I went to Europe, I was somehow going to get a testdrive in a Formula 1 car. I moved to Bishop, California, where I was living with my Aunt Ella. Masten "Kansas City Flash" Gregory, another American who drove in F1, once stood up in the seat of his car and jumped out just before impact. When the transporter to take Bob's car to the circuit didn't arrive, it was decided that Bob should drive the Ferrari to the track. Bob should be an inspiration to anyone who has a dream he followed his. This marks the second driving school in just over. He taught . He was 88. ERA GTs often sell for six figure sums when they do come up for sale, such is the esteem in which they are held. 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,. Image courtesy of the Bondurant Archives. Bob Bondurant stepped back from the school's daily operations because he wanted to do "the fun stuff" later in life, Jason Bondurant said. [1][2][3]. Santa Barbara Chevrolet dealer Shelly Washburn hired Bondurant in 1961 to drive his #614 1959 Corvette. He is survived by his wife, Pat. Partner of USA Today Sports Digital Properties. Bob Bondurant was a motor racing icon, a name synonymous with Carroll Shelby's globetrotting Cobras and Daytona Coupes. World Champion, Bob Bondurant, passed away on November 12th, 2021. The Great Depression altered countless lives and maybe some for the better. I handed them $5, they handed me a Competition License and said, 'Now you can go racing.' By the mid-1950s he was racing on four wheels in a British Morgan before switching to a Corvette and winning theWest Coast B Production Championship, taking victory in 18 out of 20 races. The 7,880-square-foot custom home of Pat and Bob Bondurant welcomes family, friends and racing associates with tinsel and gingerbread, garlands, glittering wreaths, food and festivity. INSIGHT: Has Alonso finally landed on another winner? It was boring because you'd run down the dragstripthat part was great, but then it took a half-hour before you got to do it again.". The Bob Bondurant School of High Performance Driving, THE BOB BONDURANT SCHOOL OF HIGH PERFORMANCE DRIVING. "I figured the ATS wasn't as fast as the Ferraris and after a few laps I began taking the corner flat-out at 150 mph. Privacy Policy - Terms of Service - Contact Us, Sculpture: An Original Ferrari Testarossa Side Mirror, A Rare Tommykaira ZZ: The Japanese Sports Car Made Famous By Gran Turismo, Theres A Rover Vitesse SD1 TWR Group A Spec Touring Car For Sale, The Most Beautiful Car Ever Made A Jaguar E-Type Project Car, For Sale: An Italian Corvette The Iso Rivolta IR 300, An Original 1980s Sega Super Hang-On Arcade Machine. 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. This as around the time he caught the attention of Carroll Shelby, who was looking to hire the best drivers he could find for his new Ford Cobra team. Bob Bondurant was born in Evanston, Illinois, in 1933. >> Read more trending news But that was during a period when fatalities were commonplace it was a dangerous business. When I was handed that petition is when it really hit home to me how bad it had gotten company wide, he said. This marks the second driving school in just over a. His Bob Bondurant School of High Performance Driving has been responsible for training generations of American racing drivers. 26. The Bondurant Racing School was founded in 1968 and . The Bondurant team, along with many friends, fans, graduates, journalists, celebrities, an. 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. In 1967, Bob led the GT Class at Le Mans with co-driver Dick Guldstrand in a stock L88 Corvette Sting Ray until retiring at the 15th hour. PARADISE VALLEY, Ariz. (AP) -- Bob Bondurant, a former champion race car driver who opened a high-performance driving school in 1968 and taught numerous A-list actors for their movie roles, has. After 50 years, the Bondurant brand has risen to prominence on the international racing stage, our best measurement for victory has become our own stunning success. November 14, 2021 / 2:02 PM When the Bondurant school did reopen, new chief restructuring officer Timothy H. Shaffer said the school was working to reschedule classes from the closure period. It's either me or the motorcycle.' We had a meeting with Peyton Cramer and he wanted to go to Le Mans in 1967 and I said we gotta get one of the new L88s." Bob Bondurant, a former champion race car driver who opened a high-performance driving school in 1968 and taught numerous A-list actors for their movie roles, has died. She said, 'You can't do that.' In a bankruptcy document signed by Pat Bondurant, the school mentioned Dodge and SRT as one of four factors that led to the bankruptcy-protection filing. Copyright 2021 Associated Press. He was one of a handful of Americans to compete in the Formula 1 Grand Prix series, and also raced at Le Mans. This story has been updated with allegations from the Bondurant schools former general manager, Tim Rose, and comment from FCA. She had a Chrysler. (You can judge by this account how quickly the safety crews got to Bob.) Bondurant sustained serious rib, leg, foot and, most seriously, back injuries in the subsequent accident in which his car flipped eight times. After all, he tutored the likes of actor James Garner during the filming in 1966 for his role in Grand Prix, and enjoyed passing on what he'd learned driving race cars to Rockford (who became a gifted race car driver in his own right), and the other actors in the film. Bob Bondurant was a racing driver who founded the Bob Bondurant School of High Performance Driving, where he taught celebrities including Paul Newman (1925-2008) and Tom Cruise. He was 88 and survived by his wife Patricia. For 50 years, the Bondurant Racing Schoo l was a place where car enthusiasts and regular drivers could satisfy their need for speed on a closed track. Bob had never driven a Grand Prix Ferrari at all, and now he was about to go cruising not only through town, but out through the countryside to the track in a full-blown F1 car. Free shipping for many products! Her feeling was that was why we were attracting lower-caliber people I asked whats wrong with Gilbert and she said that is where the poor people live. He drove for Carroll Shelby and teamed with Dan Gurney. Legendary racecar driver Bob Bondurant's name is no longer on the school he started more than 50 years ago and moved to Chandler in 1990, but he and his family are looking to open a new high . He had won the National Corvette Title, Le Mans GT, the World Championship, and the Baja 500 Between 1961 and 1963, he won 30 out of 32 races in Corvettes. 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. "I even tried selling insurance once, but that was boring. Doctors told him he would likely never walk again, but through courage and hard work he overcame his injuries. At 62, Bob grabbed a Third place podium finish at Road Atlanta in a Saleen Mustang in 1995. There was a Harley motorcycle shop near where I lived and they wanted to ride my James motorcycle and do wheelies with it. It was really cool because I could do wheelies with it. No one from the school, including Bob Bondurant himself, have issued a comment beyond the statement. 72 ERA GT40. ", Bob acquired the ultimate for any hot rodder, a severely chopped '34 Ford three-window coupe: "I found a chopped-and-channeled '34 coupe on a used car lot and I went drag racing with it at Santa Ana. He has ranked on the list of those famous people who were born on April 27, 1933. Friday, November 12, 2021, the world lost an iconic American racing hero, Bob Bondurant. Bondurant enjoyed this experience and it led to him starting the Bob Bondurant School of High Performance Driving, over the years that followed he would train a slew of other celebrities, some of whom went on to become championship-winning racing drivers in their own right. He was a member of Carroll Shelby's team, racing the famed Cobra. Graham Hill won the event in a BRM. The next thing you know, he's driving a Cobra down a dark straightaway at 190-plus mph in France, not once, but for hours. In this Grand Rounds, S. Andrew Josephson, chair of the UCSF Department of Neurology and illustrious neurology educator, will bring us up-to-date on . 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. Bob formulated a plan to open a high-performance driving school. Bob competed in 36 different events after his crash up to 2004, which included Daytona, 24 Hour of Le Mans, Nurburgring, Germany, and the Sebring 12 Hour. In the June 1969 run of the grueling offroad Baja 500 race, Bondurant with co-driver Tony Murphy took first place in the passenger car class driving an SC/Rambler for James Garner's "American International Racers" team that was sponsored by American Motors Corporation (AMC). Now thats doing your business in luxury. Articles that Ben has written have been covered onCNN, Popular Mechanics, Smithsonian Magazine,Road & Track Magazine,the official Pinterest blog, theofficialeBay Motorsblog, BuzzFeed, Autoweek Magazine, Wired Magazine, Autoblog, Gear Patrol, Jalopnik, The Verge, and many more. The Depression caused Mr. Bondurant (and Cord) to fall victim to hard times when he lost his business, telling the family, we're going to move as far west as we can. Bob Bondurant has had a worldwide impact on the motorsports industry, and his legacy will live on as the Bondurant Racing School moves forward into the future. Now thats doing your business in luxury. 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). Bob Bondurant is an American former racing driver and a founder of the famous Bob Bondurant School of High Performance Driving.. 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. And that got me interested in racing. 69-year-old suffers stroke in his N.C. ;. 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