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. I had learned how to ride the bike by now. 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. 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. 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. Bob Bondurant was born in Evanston, and moved to California with his family. While recuperating from a race car crash, he came up with the idea of a high-performance driving school. One little Gendarme (French police officer) was standing on a box directing cars at this traffic circle and saw us coming right at him in a cloud of dust you can imagine the noise. Bob Bondurant School of High Performance Driving. His school has had over 500,000 graduates, it said. Follow us online or subscribe to our mailing list for more info! 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 . Bob is the first and only American to bring the World SportsCar Championship trophy home to America in the legendary Shelby Daytona Coupe No. That's how I learned to ride motorcycles," Bob laughs. They met at a Russo and Steele auction. I learned to drive in my buddy's mom's Chrysler," Bob chuckles. According to his family and the Bondurant Racing School website, Bondurant died Friday in the Phoenix suburb of Paradise Valley. 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. "I talked my mom into letting me get a '32 Chevy roadster when I was in junior high; at 14 you could get a Junior Operating License. Many Formula 1 drivers felt it was better to be thrown clear than be in the car when it crashed; in fact belts weren't mandatory until 1972. The Bob Bondurant School of High Performance Driving was initially opened by World Champion and ten time hall of fame inductee Bob Bondurant at the Orange County International Raceway near Los Angeles, CA under the Bob Bondurant School of High Performance Driving name. Instead of being kept at the track garages, the Ferrari F1 cars were at a Chevy dealer in town. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed, First published on November 14, 2021 / 2:02 PM. Initially Bob worked for Carroll Shelby as a instructor before forming his own school in 1968 after his competitive career effectively ended a year earlier after a colossal crash at Watkins Glen in the US Road Racing Championship event there saw him break both legs and a shoulder. Being new, he was unaware the drivers carried spare goggles around their neck. Bob formulated a plan to open a high-performance driving school. ", After graduating from high school, Bob dug ditches and unloaded furniture trucks at Bekins Van Lines, then later on, sold Corvettes to finance his racing. 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. Bob Bondurant was born in Evanston, Illinois, in 1933. Located in the Catskills of New York, the Grand Prix was held at the "Glen" in 1961 and continued until 1980. 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. [1] In 1968, it was originally located at Orange County International Raceway in California, later moving to Ontario Motor Speedway in 1970, and to Sears Point International Raceway in 1973. Carol Bondurant (wife of G.T. 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. Be a part of the unmatched history and credibility of the legendary Bondurant Brands and copyrighted teaching methodology. "I even tried selling insurance once, but that was boring. When he made the decision to leave, he said, other employees went with him. [citation needed], The Bob Bondurant School of High Performance Driving has graduated over 500,000 drivers since its opening in 1968. The Bob Bondurant School of High Performance Driving, headquartered in Chandler, Arizona, filed a Chapter 11 bankruptcy petition on October 2. 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. 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. 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. You may have seen them at county fairs the vertical velodromes were originally built from old grain silos, leading to the name "silo-drome.". Jason Bondurant said the alleged petition, to the left, was signed by 22 of the schools 33 employees, and that eight more would have signed but had not been into work for their shift yet. 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. 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. ATS was formed by disenchanted team members who broke away from Ferrari, including Phil Hill. In 1965, Bob Bondurant takes the wheel of a Ferrari Formula 1 race car during the US Grand Prix. Between 1961 and 1963, he won 30 out of 32 races in Washburn's Corvettes. / CBS San Francisco. If I did well on the testdrive, I'd be driving the car the following year. Bondurant passed away at the age of 88 and is survived by his wife, Pat, President and CEO of the. [9], In late 2018, Bob Bondurant and wife Pat, found themselves embroiled in an unfortunate and unforeseen family business situation where they were victimized as a result of a power struggle and attempted character assaults perpetrated by certain close family members looking to take over the company. By 1970, the school relocated to the nearby Ontario Motor Speedway. 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. It's important to note that Bob was driving an eight-cylinder Ferrari while the factory drivers had V-12s. Bob might've thought, if just for an instant, if the guys at the Piccadilly could only see me now! WATKINS GLEN INTERNATIONAL, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA JULY 25: Bob Bondurant in his McLaren M8E/D Chevrolet Can-Am, leads Pete Revsons McLaren M8F Chevrolet at Watkins Glen in 1971. This story has been updated with allegations from the Bondurant schools former general manager, Tim Rose, and comment from FCA. [citation needed], Bob Bondurant School of High Performance Driving, Learn how and when to remove this template message, "Successful successions: Business owners plan for smooth retirement transition", "Last Year Firebird Raceway and the Arizona NHRA Nationals; In 2014 it's Wild Horse Pass Motorsports Park", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Bob_Bondurant_School_of_High_Performance_Driving&oldid=1137791074, This page was last edited on 6 February 2023, at 13:15. No cause of death was released. The first was becoming a World Champion driver. I raced that bike for a long time.". Robert L. Bondurant (April 27, 1933 - November 12, 2021) was an American racecar driver who raced for the Shelby American, Ferrari, and Eagle teams. "I didn't think about the accident until we were doing the cool-off lap at the end of the race," he recalled. 69-year-old suffers stroke in his N.C. home; Realtor showing house leaves him there. Over the next few years Bondurant would travel around the world, racing in Europe and the United States, competing in Formula 1, the Targa Florio, the 24 Hours of Le Mans, Spa, the Nurburgring, and helping win the 1965FIA Manufacturers World Championship for Shelby. He was 88. 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. 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. 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. A roadster set up to HTTP FIA specifications and for track use only starts at $289,995. "Then I thought, 'Wow, those trees are pretty tall!'". Always in the back of his mind was going to Santa Barbara to watch the sports cars races, so Bob decided to try racing sports cars. Pat Bondurant has denied the claims. Pat Bondurant, again, vehemently denied claims from the former employees about the management of the school. By 12 years old, his parents were divorced, and he persuaded his mother to purchase a Whizzer electric bike to deliver his newspapers faster. After 13 hours their lone Corvette packed it in with a broken wrist pin. Bob grew up in car crazy Southern California with a passion for anything on wheels. This one is likely to attract plenty of additional attention thanks to its influential former owner. He was going to a motorcycle shop in Glendale where Don Bachtold workedhe was a top motorcycle mechanic. I talked my mom into letting me get a Whizzer motor bike. He offered Bob a full Ford sponsorship of cars, parts, and marketing until 2003. He was a member of Carroll Shelby's team, racing the famed Cobra. After all, Bob Bondurant is the only American World Champion Driver, Le Mans winner, and inducted into ten Hall of Fames, so theres a reason theyve been around for 53 years, they know what it takes to succeed. Friday, November 12, 2021, the world lost an iconic American racing hero, Bob Bondurant. Everyone who walked through the Bondurant doors was taught the copyrighted Bondurant Method, developed by the most respected Racing School in the world. He talked me into going to a sports car race at the Santa Barbara airport course. In total, he recorded nine F1 starts over two years. Is a Ram 1500 TRX the Ideal Winter Vehicle? 72 ERA GT40. Its what gives you the confidence to be bold and to push harder. The Scottish World Champion, Jim Clark, was on the pole with a time of 1:11.35 around the 2.3-mile circuit. Bob and I are deeply saddened by the negative rumors that have been published around the Schools recent Chapter 11 filing, the statement from Pat Bondurant read. Bob Bondurant, 88, has had some health concerns over the last few years and has stepped back a bit from the business. 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. He was 88. He said she appeared to avoid such language for a few weeks but made another remark after attending President Donald Trumps 2017 inauguration. She vows to continue the legacy of the school. 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 was born in Evanston, Illinois, in 1933. Porsche, after witnessing how the school increased Datsun's profile, supplied Bondurant with Porsche 911s and Porsche 914s. Bondurant won a world championship while racing for Carroll Shelby. 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. He was one of a handful of Americans to compete in the Formula 1 Grand Prix series, and also raced at Le Mans. The family has requested privacy at this time. In 1967, a fateful race at Watkins Glen changed his entire career, and the Bondurant School was born. 2021-2022 Bondurant Racing School. The original was made from a lighter gauge mild steel. Full Film: The Opposite of Death Curtiss Motorcycle Co. 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. It's constantly changing; technology advances, drivers get better, and times get faster.
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