[3][4], The Bob Bondurant School of High Performance Driving was the largest purpose-built driving school in the world. Pat Bondurant secured a 51-percent stake in the school in 2010, about two months after she married Bob Bondurant, their son told Jalopnik. The land limitations only allowed Bob to put the small version of his dream training facility in Chandler, Arizona at Firebird Raceway,[5] now known as Wild Horse Pass Motorsports Park. Bob was a special man who radiated his love for God and his beautiful wife Pat. What a career. 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. For 1967 he drove in the CanAm series and in a Corvette L88 Coupe at Le Mans. He was 88. The founder, Bob Bondurant, began his career as a racing driver . The interior is an almost exact replica of the original, with the exception of the Bob Bondurant signature on the glovebox of course. 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. A roadster set up to HTTP FIA specifications and for track use only starts at $289,995. "What a great feeling," was Bob's comment on the occasion. 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. 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. Lying in the hospital bed with broken bones didn't break his desire to get back on track, in more ways than one. . [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. The catalyst of the walkout was this, according to the ClassicCars.com Journals conversation with the schools vice president Jason Bondurant: Jason Bondurant said he and former financial controller Lavida Arvizu were instructed by Pat Bondurant not to tell employees the school was running out of funds as she mulled filing for Chapter 7, which would have immediately shut down operations. The Great Depression altered countless lives and maybe some for the better. Bondurant Racing School was founded in 1968 and has graduated celebrities for car movies like James Garner, Paul Newman, Tom Cruise, Nicolas Cage, and Christian Bale, along with over 500,000 graduates from around the world. He was a member of Carroll Shelby's team, racing the famed Cobra. Temperature-controlledHook up to both your hot and cold water so you can control the temperature plus it comes with a heated seat. 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. As with the others, Pat Bondurant didnt respond directly to this allegation, but denied all of the allegations about school management. 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. Your use of this website constitutes acceptance of our Privacy Policy and Terms & Conditions. Badly injured in a 1967 crash at the racetrack in Watkins Glen, New York, Bondurant drafted an idea for a high-performance driving school while recuperating. Bob Bondurant was a racing driver who founded the Bob Bondurant School of High Performance Driving, where he taught celebrities including Paul Newman and Tom Cruise. 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. From the age of 23 to 34, Bob became one of the most iconic race car drivers in the world. ), "I had never been to Europe before so it was exciting to be able to race there," Guildstrand continues. He finished the Formula One season in North America in two races, driving an Eagle for Dan Gurney's Anglo American Racers. Stroke 2023: A Change Has Come and Is Still Coming Session moderated by Bob Wachter For the non-neurologist, it may be hard to keep up with all the latest controversies, exciting advances, and paradigm shifts in the management of acute strokes. Formula 1 came to the United States on a course steeped with racing history dating back to 1956: Watkins Glen. "And I liked to talk to him a lot. They moved to Westwood Village, near Beverly Hills, when Bob was 3 years old. He raced factory Ferrari GTs and Porsche prototypes, had brief spells in. Robert L. Bondurant (April 27, 1933 November 12, 2021) was an American racecar driver who raced for the Shelby American, Ferrari, and Eagle teams. As a resulting worse-case scenario, the schools assets were sold off in 2019. Bondurant had been in an assisted . [citation needed], The famous Bondurant name has never been bought or sold. 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 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. But that was during a period when fatalities were commonplace it was a dangerous business. "It had Edelbrock heads and intake manifold, plus a light flywheel; it was a sleeper. There was a Harley motorcycle shop near where I lived and they wanted to ride my James motorcycle and do wheelies with it. I was going with a girl who I liked a lot, but she said, 'If we're going to get married you're going to have to stop racing motorcycles. All Rights Reserved. Its sad that in this stage of life, hes not competent or mentally there like he was 20 years ago. He initially approached Porsche for backing, but was temporarily declined due to the uncertainty of this being a new school. 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. This marks the second driving school in just over a. He is survived by his 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. Bondurant was actively at the track every day, enthusiastically greeting his new students until he was well over 85 years old. Jason Bondurant also told Jalopnik that he didnt lead the employee walkout, but rather gave Pat Bondurant a pre-planned ultimatum that Monday that either he was staying at the school or she was. In 1956 he switched to sports car racing with a Morgan and started to attract attention when he won the West Coast "B" production Championship, in a Chevrolet Corvette winning 18 out of 20 races. 1. Tim Rose, the former general manager of the school, also told the abovestory to Jalopnik. He offered Bob a full Ford sponsorship of cars, parts, and marketing until 2003. But on Monday, the high-performance driving . Now thats doing your business in luxury. 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. Though there have been many replicas of the Ford GT40 made over the years, none have been superior to the ERA GT. This particular ERA GT is finished to the specification of the car driven by Bondurant in the 1965 Daytona Continental. Silodrome was founded in 2010 as a website dedicated to Gasoline Culture and all it entails - We write about modern cars, classic cars, motorcycles, racing, gear, gadgets, clothing, boats, planes, airships and the occasional submarine.Read more Silodrome 2023. all rights reserved. Driven by desire, Bondurant has always dominated. In 1967 while driving a McLaren CanAm car at Watkins Glen, Bondurant was seriously injured in a horrific crash when the steering arm failed at 150 mph. Bob learned to drive in his buddy's mom's Chrysler that they sorta borrowed. There were no driving schools then," Bob laughs. 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. Bob had a faster qualifying speed than Pedro Rodriguez at 1:13.0 in the 12-cylinder Ferrari. November 14, 2021 9:30 AM, By RACER Staff | In 1965, Bob Bondurant takes the wheel of a Ferrari Formula 1 race car during the US Grand Prix. Image courtesy of the Bondurant Archives. 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. Bondurant passed away at the age of 88 and is survived by his wife, Pat, President and CEO of the. He kept racing, too. 2023 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. PARADISE VALLEY, Ariz. Bob Bondurant, a champion race car driver who later opened a driving school in 1968 and taught several top actors, died Friday. 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. While recuperating from a race car crash, he came up with the idea of a high-performance driving school. "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. [Bob Bondurant] is a very good man, Jason Bondurant said, mentioning his adopted fathers stroke, knee replacement and other health problems. Bob Bondurant was one of the most successful American racing drivers of his era, he also coached a slew of celebrities in the finer points of race car driving including James Garner, Paul Newman, Clint Eastwood, Tim Allen, Tom Cruise, and Nicolas Cage. 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. "I did a jump on my bike and the springer fork came off and I went end-over-end, put the fork back together, and rode home. Is a Ram 1500 TRX the Ideal Winter Vehicle? [citation needed], Within 5 months, enough financial and infrastructural damage had taken place to force the legendary racing school into Chapter 11 protection. Be a part of the unmatched history and credibility of the legendary Bondurant Brands and copyrighted teaching methodology. Of course since Bob was an experienced dirt racer he could have picked up a used Midget or Sprinter and gone that route. 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. Still, more significantly, he won his last race in this very car at Pomona Raceway at the age of 79 and frequently tracked the car at his world-famous Bob Bondurant School of High Performance driving track. Bob Bondurant School of High Performance Driving. All Rights Reserved. Complete Formula One World Championship results, Learn how and when to remove this template message, Bob Bondurant School of High Performance Driving, "Legendary World Driving Champion Bob Bondurant to Open New Location of Famed Racing School", "Bob Bondurant 'iconic American racing hero' dies at 88 in Paradise Valley", Bondurant Driving & Racing School Programs, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Bob_Bondurant&oldid=1120005560, North American Racing Team Formula One drivers, Anglo American Racers Formula One drivers, SCCA National Championship Runoffs participants, Short description is different from Wikidata, Articles lacking reliable references from November 2021, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0. It turned out to be the ATS at Monza, Italy. He has ranked on the list of those famous people who were born on April 27, 1933. When I was handed that petition is when it really hit home to me how bad it had gotten company wide, he said. I am leaving because I have to take a stand. As a result, the schools assets, not the Bondurant name, were sold off in 2019. "[4], (key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in italics indicate fastest lap). 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. The Bob Bondurant School of High Performance Driving, headquartered in Chandler, Arizona, filed a Chapter 11 bankruptcy petition on October 2. The Bondurant team, along with many friends, fans, graduates, journalists, celebrities, an. 72 ERA GT40. Bob Bondurant was born in Evanston, Illinois, in 1933. 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