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. If were going to leave, lets leave the right way and not be spiteful, he said. This marks the second driving school in just over a. Between 1961 and 1963, he won 30 out of 32 races in Washburn's Corvettes. Were working through the proper legal channels to make the best choices for the long-term health and success of the school. It was in October 1965 that Bob drove a V-8powered Formula 1 Ferrari for the North American Racing Team entered by Luigi Chinetti, the U.S. Ferrari distributor. 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.". If you put it that way, I have to race. He drove for Carroll Shelby and teamed with Dan Gurney. When Pat Bondurant threw the petition from employees at Jason Bondurant on Nov. 12, he claimed, he typed out a resignation letter and told fellow employees what was going on. The school closed a month later, though, with no information as to why and no indication of whether it would reopenor how the closure would affect existing agreements, like Bondurants customer obligations to the brands it works with. The Scottish World Champion, Jim Clark, was on the pole with a time of 1:11.35 around the 2.3-mile circuit. Bondurant won 30 of 32 races in Corvettes from 1961-63, and he won the GT class at Le Mans in 1964, co-driving with fellow American Dan Gurney. 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. I said, 'OK if you let me ride your Harley', there was a vacant lot and we made an oval out of it which had some jumps. His mothers death left him inconsolable, which is where the seed of his fearlessness was realized. The Bondurant Racing School was founded in 1968 and has graduated celebrities for car movies like James Garner, Paul Newman, Tom Cruise, Nicholas Cage, and Christian Bale, along with over 500,000 graduates from around the world. Bob grew up in car crazy Southern California with a passion for anything on wheels. Driven by desire, Bondurant has always dominated. Bondurant won a world championship while racing for Carroll Shelby. His Bob Bondurant School of High Performance Driving has been responsible for training generations of American racing drivers. Located in the Catskills of New York, the Grand Prix was held at the "Glen" in 1961 and continued until 1980. COURAGE. 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. It was formerly located in Chandler, Arizona at the Wild Horse Pass Motorsports Park. The Bob Bondurant School of High Performance Driving was an American performance driving school, specializing in instruction for high performance driving, teen defensive driving, law enforcement and special forces driving, open wheel race car training, Grand Prix road racing, drag racing, go karts, and other courses using the copyrighted Bondurant Method. As a result, the schools assets, not the Bondurant name, were sold off in 2019. The body is made from fiberglass, just like the Ford GT40s, however its a slightly thicker lay up that was developed to stand the test of time, with no warping or spider webbing/stress cracking. This was an important race for the GT40 as it was the models first international victory, with GT40s finishing 1st and 3rd. 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. Pat Bondurant secured a 51-percent stake in the school in 2010, about two months after she married Bob Bondurant, their son told Jalopnik. "It wouldn't idle under 70 mph. 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. During his teens, Bondurant raced an Indian motorcycle on dirt ovals. 2023 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. At 62, Bob grabbed a Third place podium finish at Road Atlanta in a Saleen Mustang in 1995. Bob then approached Datsun, which immediately agreed to support his plans. That was the beginning of the Nov. 12 walkout, Jason Bondurant said. Bondurant relocated the driving school to Phoenix following the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake in California. "I didn't think about the accident until we were doing the cool-off lap at the end of the race," he recalled. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed, First published on November 14, 2021 / 2:02 PM. Santa Barbara Chevrolet dealer Shelly Washburn hired Bondurant in 1961 to drive his #614 1959 Corvette. This one is likely to attract plenty of additional attention thanks to its influential former owner. That's how I learned to ride motorcycles," Bob laughs. 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. 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. 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. Power is provided by a highly-tuned, period-correct Ford 289 V8 which sends power to the rear wheels via aZF five-speed manual transaxle. The allegations, which include belittlement, racism, unequal treatment and fears that they wouldnt get paid, come from a thorough report in the ClassicCars.com Journal substantiated by interviews with Jalopnik. Paul Newman and Robert Wagner were the third and fourth students to enroll in the Bob Bondurant School of High Performance Driving for the movie "Winning". The founder, Bob Bondurant, began his career as a racing driver . 1. He also said Bob Bondurant, 85, isnt in the physical and mental shape at his age to comprehend whats allegedly going on at the school or stand up to Pat Bondurant, who Jason Bondurant said is 63 years old. Some of the best Corvette racing duels were between him and David McDonald on the West Coast during the early 1960s. Bob was a special man who radiated his love for God and his beautiful wife Pat. After the fabled school was purchased in $1.7 million May 2019 out of bankruptcy from the legendary Bob Bondurant and his family by Stig Investments. The allegations revolve around Pat Bondurant, the schools president of eight years, CEO since 2017 and wife of founder Bob Bondurant. [citation needed], The famous Bondurant name has never been bought or sold. In 1968, Bob founded the Bondurant Racing School, located at 20000 South Maricopa Road in Chandler, that trained more than 500,000 people worldwide including celebrities like Nicholas Cage . From the age of 23 to 34, Bob became one of the most iconic race car drivers in the world. [citation needed], Within 5 months, enough financial and infrastructural damage had taken place to force the legendary racing school into Chapter 11 protection. ), "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. Bob was racing at Riverside Raceway when the crank broke in the Vette. Bob Bondurant, 88, has had some health concerns over the last few years and has stepped back a bit from the business. Bondurant had been in an assisted . The Bondurants intend to reopen their school under an all-new ownership and management structure, at an exciting new location, and are currently entertaining investor inquiries on opportunities to purchase the Bondurant Trademark License Rights. (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. 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. Bob Bondurant is a member of 10 Racing Hall of Fames and founded the famous driving school in 1968, teaching with his copyrighted Bondurant Method. Its the official racing school of Dodge and its SRT performance division. (Photo via Getty Images), Public File for KBCW-TV / KBCW 44 Cable 12. Bondurant left the Formula 1 race series to race the even faster Can-Am cars with best friend and team driver, Peter Revson, in the Lola T70 Mark II. I am leaving because I have to take a stand. Bob Bondurant excelled at the highest levels of sports car racing in the 1960s, with perhaps his greatest achievement coming in 1964 when he won the GT class at Le Mans 24 Hours driving with. Bob's father bounced back, becoming a surgical instrument sale representative once in California. He is survived by his wife, Pat, president and CEO of the Bondurant Racing School, who vows to continue the legacy of Bob's school. He taught . They might all wish to tip their hats to the founder, Robert Lewis Bondurant, who died Nov. 12 in Paradise Valley, Ariz., at the age of 88. Pat Bondurant, again, vehemently denied claims from the former employees about the management of the school. Full Film: The Opposite of Death Curtiss Motorcycle Co. He is survived by his wife, Pat, president and CEO of the Bondurant Racing School, who vows to continue the legacy of Bobs school. Porsche, after witnessing how the school increased Datsun's profile, supplied Bondurant with Porsche 911s and Porsche 914s. "I even tried selling insurance once, but that was boring. Here are allegations of more general derogatory comments, via the ClassicCars.com Journal report: Two years ago, on the advice of an external human relations company, Jason Bondurant said he sent his mother home for two weeks after a worker overheard her making racist comments. In 1968 Bob Bondurant founded the Bob Bondurant School of High Performance Driving and set out to establish one company, working as one team to be the best in the world. Bob Bondurant was born in Evanston, and moved to California with his family. As a resulting worse-case scenario, the schools assets were sold off in 2019. It's either me or the motorcycle.' He won his class at Le Mans and has been inducted into ten motorsports halls of fame. The only thing wrong with it was the head and manifold were off. The pair needed money to race so Bob and Don went to work for Peyton Cramer who owned Dana Chevrolet in South Gate, known for its high-performance Corvettes, as well Camaros. This marks the second driving school in just over. Bondurant sustained serious rib, leg, foot and, most seriously, back injuries in the subsequent accident in which his car flipped eight times. Not all of the alleged remarks were in relation to the school, though. The Bob Bondurant School of High Performance Driving, THE BOB BONDURANT SCHOOL OF HIGH PERFORMANCE DRIVING. The name Bob Bondurant is synonymous with the Shelby Cobra. He is survived by his wife, Pat. Bondurant is survived by his wife, Pat, who is president and CEO of the Bondurant Racing School. "I decided that when I went to Europe, I was somehow going to get a testdrive in a Formula 1 car. ", When Bob was 18 he started racing motorcycles at Carrell and Culver City Speedways: "In those days you didn't have brakes; you went faster without brakes on the bikes. Bob should be an inspiration to anyone who has a dream he followed his. I had learned how to ride the bike by now. Stay up-to-date with our upcoming events! He planned to give Pat Bondurant the ultimatum that day before he even knew about the petition, which he learned of when he walked in that morning, he said. He raced the Shelby Cobra CSX2345 through the 1964-1965 racing circuits and locked in more wins than anyone else on Shelby's team. He also has a position among the list of Most popular Formula One Driver. That's when other car owners took notice of Bob's driving ability. You're right, that's "tea bagger" stuff but wait! He was 88. Friday, November 12, 2021, the world lost an iconic American racing hero, Bob Bondurant. 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. He was 88. In 1966 his life would forever change the he was hired to serve as a technical consultant and driver trainer for the John Frankenheimer film Grand Prix. >> Read more trending news He is one of the Richest Formula One Driver who was born in United States. During the race it started to rain; it was cold with 40-mph winds. After 13 hours their lone Corvette packed it in with a broken wrist pin. Being new, he was unaware the drivers carried spare goggles around their neck. 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 won his class at Le Mans and has been inducted into 10 motorsports halls of fame. 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, champion driver and founder of the Bondurant Racing School, passed away Friday in Paradise Valley, Arizona, at the age of 88. The school did not directly respond to this claim. The Bondurant team graduated well over 500,000 students at his famous school, including Christian Bale, Paul Newman, Clint Eastwood, Nicolas Cage, and Tom Cruise, to name a few. Bondurant returned to race a Can-Am car at Watkins Glen a year after his crash. The Bondurant edition Shelby 289 FIA Cobra roadster in fiberglass will start at US$149,995.00 and the aluminum version will begin at $249,995. This is an ERA GT that was built for Bob Bondurant, it was driven by the famed American racing driver a number of times and kept in his private collection. "We get off the plane at the Paris-Orly Airport and there was just a small diesel truck but no trailer and an Opel waiting for us. Bondurant trackside with Carroll Shelby while racing for the Cobra legend's team in the 1960s . Right now, Bondurant's class sizes are about 60 percent full,. ", Bob made the big bucks$8 a night because he was in the novice class. 72 ERA GT40. You can call it character, you can call it determination, or you can just call it guts. Formula 1 came to the United States on a course steeped with racing history dating back to 1956: Watkins Glen. Bob formulated a plan to open a high-performance driving school. Since Bob has never stopped racing (he still enters vintage events), he still has some sneaky moves his experienced instructors have never seen before. / CBS San Francisco. The other dealers weren't racing like we were. Shelbys faith in Bondurant was quickly justified as he won his first race at theContinental Divide Raceway in Colorado. This week's reunion will be calmer, just a few minutes quietly recalling the life-changing event as . [citation needed], The Bob Bondurant School of High Performance Driving has graduated over 500,000 drivers since its opening in 1968. 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. 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. Please check your entries and try again. "We still finished 17th, we were that far ahead," Guildstrand laughs. Guildstrand set a record of 171.5 mph down the Mulsanne. She vows to continue the legacy of the school. What a career. Bob is definitely the kid who owns the candy story! I was taking my buddy around the track and said, 'This is really great isn't it?' The Bob Bondurant School of High Performance Driving, headquartered in Chandler, Arizona, filed a Chapter 11 bankruptcy petition on October 2. (Update: A Fiat Chrysler spokesperson said that due to the ongoing litigation, the company cannot comment on the claims in the bankruptcy documents.). In response to the claims that employees feared they wouldnt get paid without Jason Bondurant or Arvizu, Shaffer told ClassicCars.com Journal Bondurant never missed or were late on a payroll, citing school records. This team, driven to exceed all expectations, set out to bring the most exhilarating, inspiring, school of high-performance driving to motor sports fans around the world. He was a member of Carroll Shelby's team, racing the famed Cobra. Bob says, "Look for the burning Ferraris.". []. In Bob's case, not wearing a belt saved his life. We started winning races. Bob Bondurant was born in Evanston on April 27, 1933. 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. "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. This comes under the heading of "this stuff doesn't happen today!" A man who made his F1 debut in a Ferrari no less and won Le Mans in a Shelby Cobra Daytona alongside Dan Gurney. He put the motor back together and it ran strong. The ERA GT uses a bespoke chassis closely based on the design of the original except its made from thicker gauge stainless steel to protect it against rusting. 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. [Bob Bondurant] is a very good man, Jason Bondurant said, mentioning his adopted fathers stroke, knee replacement and other health problems. He won his class at Le Mans and has been inducted into ten motorsports halls of fame. The current operators of the formerly leased facility have renamed the facility and have no affiliation with Bob Bondurant or the Bob Bondurant School of High Performance Driving/ Bondurant Racing School. 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. He was 88. Bondurant raced cars in the 1960s with some success until a crash at Watkins Glen, in New York curtailed his career. He talked me into going to a sports car race at the Santa Barbara airport course. November 14, 2021 9:30 AM, By RACER Staff | Bob had trouble seeing but by turning his face into the wind, the goggles would stay pressed against his face as long as he kept one finger on them while shifting with his other hand and grabbing the steering with his knees. Bob's father owned a car dealership that sold fast cars in nearby Chicago; very fast carsCords to be exact. After 12 laps Bob moved up to Eighth from his starting position of 14th on a completely wet 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. [citation needed], The current operators of the formerly leased facility have renamed the facility and has no affiliation with Bob Bondurant or the Bob Bondurant School of High Performance Driving/ Bondurant Racing School. The family has requested privacy at this time. "The whole difference was the crowds who gathered around the Corvette with Dana Chevrolet on the door at the races and who sold cars. He said she appeared to avoid such language for a few weeks but made another remark after attending President Donald Trumps 2017 inauguration. In total, he recorded nine F1 starts over two years. He called me asking, 'Do you know how to drive?' 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. The pair went against Pat Bondurants wishes, informed employees and walked off the job. Answering the call, on February 14, 1968, Bob founded The Bob Bondurant School of High Performance Driving. Mini Bio (1) Bondurant raced cars in the 1960s with some success until a crash at Watkins Glen, in New York curtailed his career. Bob Bondurant, champion driver and founder of the Bondurant Racing School, passed away Friday in Paradise Valley, Arizona, at the age of 88. They met at a Russo and Steele auction. If youre not here, we know that were even more screwed, so we are leaving.. By 1970, the school relocated to the nearby Ontario Motor Speedway. The first was becoming a world champion driver. 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. Looking for something specific? [1][2][3]. I moved to Bishop, California, where I was living with my Aunt Ella. I said where am I? She changed the subject. []. Power is provided by a period-correct The 289 cubic inch Ford V8 mated to a ZF five-speed manual transaxle, and as you would expect suspension is independent all around with disc brakes front and back. This was said in a group of all my managers in a managers meeting: When she got back from Washington, D.C. for Trumps inauguration, she came back and said, Oh my god, when President Obama was elected all the black people must have followed him there because it was like going through Planet of the Apes, Jason Bondurant recalled. While driving a McLaren at Watkins Glen, the car's steering arm fails at around 150 mph, which . Only four have returned since, he said. 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, 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. Graham Hill won the event in a BRM. We barely got the spare parts in the truck. He was 88. Lying in the hospital bed with broken bones didn't break his desire to get back on track, in more ways than one. When he took the petition to Pat Bondurant, he told Jalopnik, she threw it at him and said, Fuck you. She did not respond to the individual allegations here or on ClassicCars.com Journal, with a representative for the school instead sending a statement similar to the one given to that outlet. Jalopnik has reached out to Dodge for comment on these alleged inconsistent payments and on the Vipers, and will update this story when we hear back. At age 8, his father introduced him to racing by taking him to Thursday night midget races. On Popular Bio, He is one of the successful Formula One Driver. 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. Bob Bondurant, a former champion race car driver who opened a high-performance driving school in Orange County in 1968 and taught numerous A-list actors how to drive fast for their movie roles,. 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. "I went to the Cal Club (California Sports Car Club) and said I wanted to go racing. They moved to Westwood Village, near Beverly Hills, when Bob was 3 years old. The second was teaching the world to become champions., "As the President and CEO of Bondurant, I have always known that being the best in the world isn't easy and isn't a fixed point. Doctors told him he would likely never walk again, but through courage and hard work he overcame his injuries. 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. In less than a years time, enough financial and infrastructural damage had taken place to force the legendary racing school into Chapter 11 protection. Me and my buddies drove all over in that thing. Bondurant is the only American to bring home the World Championship trophy back to the U.S. while racing for Carroll Shelby. 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, Transportation Department: Grand Prix. The Bob Bondurant School of High Performance Driving was the largest purpose-built driving school in the world. Bob's massive 60-acre complex in Arizona is designed to show students the fastest and safest way around the 1.6-mile road course. November 14, 2021 / 2:02 PM As funds dwindled leading up to the bankruptcy, the schools former financial controller Lavida Arvizu, who also walked out, said employees didnt trust they would get paid without herself or Jason Bondurant around to make sure it happened. 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. All Rights Reserved. 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. , bob bondurant stroke can call it determination, or you can just call character... Dealership that sold fast cars in the Vette, November 12, 2021 the. 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The most iconic race car drivers in the world motorcycles, '' Guildstrand laughs directly respond to claim... 34, Bob Bondurant, he said she appeared to avoid such for. Long-Term health and success of the successful Formula one Driver for anything on wheels in Bondurant born... Was somehow going to leave, lets leave the right way and not be spiteful he. Choices for the GT40 as it was the models first international victory, with GT40s finishing 1st and.. The 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake in California belt saved his life have to a! Its the official racing school Can-Am car at Watkins Glen, the world I tried. Bondurant & # x27 ; s steering arm fails at around 150 mph, which where...
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