Bob Bondurant

Former F1 driver


image-size = 150
pixels = 150
Name = Bob Bondurant
Nationality = flagicon|USA American
Years = F1|1965 - F1|1966
Team(s) = North American Racing Team, Reg Parnell, non-works BRM and Eagle
Races = 9
Championships = 0
Wins = 0
Podiums = 0
Points = 3
Poles = 0
Fastest laps = 0
First race = 1965 United States Grand Prix
First win =
Last win =
Last race = 1966 Mexican Grand Prix

Robert Bondurant (born 27 April 1933 in Evanston, Illinois) is an American former racecar driver who raced for the Ferrari and Eagle teams in Formula One.

During his teens, Bondurant raced an Indian motorcycle on dirt ovals. In 1956 he began sports car racing with Morgan and started to attract attention when he won the West Coast "B" production Championship, in a Chevrolet Corvette. In 1963 he became a member of Carroll Shelby's Ford Cobra team, in which he took the GT class victory at Le Mans 24 Hours. In 1965 the team won the Manufacturers' World Championship, winning seven out of ten races. In the same year he drove a works Ferrari during the United States Grand Prix at Watkins Glen, and handled a Lotus 33 for Reg Parnell at the following Mexican race.

In 1966 he served as a technical consultant for John Frankenheimer's film Grand Prix, and he also drove BRMs in five Grands Prix for Team Chamaco Collect, finishing a fine 4th at Monaco. He finished the Formula One season in North America with two races driving an Eagle for Anglo American Racers.

For 1967 he moved to the CanAm series in a McLaren, but hurt his arm in a huge accident, in which his car flipped eight times. Bondurant opened the Bob Bondurant School of High Performance Driving in Ontario and moved it to Sears Point, where he was an important figure in the track's development. Ford Motor Company was Bondurant's sponsoring partner in his Sears Point driving school. A longtime helicopter pilot, Bondurant sometimes flew his chopper above the Sears Point track to follow his erstwhile students.

In the June 1969 run of the grueling off-road Baja 500 race, Bondurant with co-driver Tony Murphy took first place in the passenger car class driving a SC/Rambler for James Garner's "American International Racers" team that was sponsored by American Motors Corporation (AMC) [http://www.ramblerrogue.com/maverick.htm] .

Following the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake he moved the driving school to Phoenix, Arizona, where he enjoys close ties to General Motors. He had four NASCAR starts, all at Riverside International Raceway, with his highest finish of 18th in 1981. He occasionally competes in vintage events.

Bob Bondurant was an early driving instructor to actor Paul Newman as well as Tom Cruise.

Award

He was inducted in the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America in 2003.

Complete Formula One World Championship results

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External links

* [http://www.bondurant.com/ Bondurant Racing School]
* [http://www.bondurantsuperkarts.com/ Bondurant Kart Racing School]