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. The school did not directly respond to this claim. Gregory was at Monza instructing Bob on the difficult course. Others followed suit, which forced the brief closure. He was 88. 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. 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. He was a member of Carroll Shelby's team, racing the famed Cobra. That's when other car owners took notice of Bob's driving ability. "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. Something went wrong. In 1965, Bob Bondurant takes the wheel of a Ferrari Formula 1 race car during the US Grand Prix. Bondurant once said, My life has been lived in two halves. He won his class at Le Mans and has been inducted into ten motorsports halls of fame. In 1967, a fateful race at Watkins Glen changed his entire career, and the Bondurant School was born. He initially approached Porsche for backing, but was temporarily declined due to the uncertainty of this being a new school. Bondurant), Jack Bondurant's daughters, Emmie Lee Gagni . Right now, Bondurant's class sizes are about 60 percent full,. During his teens, Bondurant raced an Indian motorcycle on dirt ovals. 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. Copyright 2021 Associated Press. My life has been lived in two halves. Bob's father owned a car dealership that sold fast cars in nearby Chicago; very fast carsCords to be exact. 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". During the race it started to rain; it was cold with 40-mph winds. By 14, he owned his first Indian motorcycle, and after the devastating death of his mother at 16 years old, he started racing flat track and even bigger Indians and Harleys. SAI teammates Dave MacDonald and Bob Bondurant co-drive Shelby Cobra Roadster CSX2136 - jointly entered by Steve McQueen & Carroll Shelby - to a 1st in GT & . Each will be built to order and delivered with a . A man who made his F1 debut in a Ferrari no less and won Le Mans in a Shelby Cobra Daytona alongside Dan Gurney. Free shipping for many products! Bob formulated a plan to open a high-performance driving school. He kept racing, too. The first was becoming a World Champion driver. Pat Bondurant secured a 51-percent stake in the school in 2010, about two months after she married Bob Bondurant, their son told Jalopnik. After he regained consciousness, Bob crawled out of the ravine, saw the hole in the hedge where the car went throughit was sitting with the windscreen and rollbar sheared off. The allegations revolve around Pat Bondurant, the schools president of eight years, CEO since 2017 and wife of founder Bob Bondurant. April 10, 2022 | Fort Lauderdale, FL | Friend. Bondurant is survived by his wife, Pat, who is president and CEO of the Bondurant Racing School. Bob Bondurant was born in Evanston, and moved to California with his family. Bob is living a hot rodder's fantasy; he can race anytime he damn-well pleases and the only red lights in his mirrors are the cop cars on the track taking his Law Enforcement training class. Bob Bondurant was born in Evanston on April 27, 1933. ), "I had never been to Europe before so it was exciting to be able to race there," Guildstrand continues. Since then, the school has taught the copyrighted "Bondurant Method" with its lineup of instructors. He said she appeared to avoid such language for a few weeks but made another remark after attending President Donald Trumps 2017 inauguration. 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,. "I hadn't seen Don in a few years and told him I'd parked the Vette because I didn't have the money to fix it. I learned to drive in my buddy's mom's Chrysler," Bob chuckles. Partner of USA Today Sports Digital Properties. With the wind, plus rain, Bob's goggles were blowing off his face; the elastic strap had stretched and at one point his goggles blew down around his chin with the wind gusts. Im telling you, I know this wouldve never happened.. Nissan Motor Company (under Datsun name in the U.S.) was Bondurant's sponsoring partner in his school from its beginning, and continued in that role at the Sonoma Raceway driving school. 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. Now thats doing your business in luxury. I lived in Bishop about a year. The second was teaching the world to become champions.. 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. 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. Bondurant, who passed away Nov. 12, at the age of 88, collected an enviable pile of trophies throughout the decades competing at tracks like the Nrburgring, Le Mans and Sebring, and in series including NASCAR CanAm and Formula 1. 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. 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. They moved to Westwood Village, near Beverly Hills, when Bob was 3 years old. Your use of this website constitutes acceptance of our Privacy Policy and Terms & Conditions. Bob Bondurant was born in Evanston, Illinois, in 1933. COURAGE. It turned out to be the ATS at Monza, Italy. Robert L. Bondurant (April 27, 1933 November 12, 2021) was an American racecar driver who raced for the Shelby American, Ferrari, and Eagle teams. She changed the subject. []. 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. Following a crash at Watkins Glen in New York, Bondurant opened the Bob Bondurant School of High Performance Driving in 1968. 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. I'd never been to one before and I really liked watching them race. He is one of the Richest Formula One Driver who was born in United States. PHOENIX The racing world is still mourning the loss of world champion Bob Bondurant. 1. From the age of 23 to 34, Bob became one of the most iconic race car drivers in the world. Please check your entries and try again. He was 88 and survived by his wife Patricia. ERA GTs often sell for six figure sums when they do come up for sale, such is the esteem in which they are held. Bob is definitely the kid who owns the candy story! Jason Bondurant also said employees are looking at their options for legal action in regards to the alleged hostile workplace environment, but that some fear retaliation from Pat Bondurant. Among the celebrities Bondurant instructed in road course driving for their movie roles were Paul Newman, Tom Cruise, Clint Eastwood, James Garner, Nicolas Cage, Robert Wagner, Tim Allen and Christian Bale, according to the website. 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. 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. For her part, [front desk employee Heidi] Johnson said she overheard Pat Bondurant say that staffers should tell female students to not dress like prostitutes. It's important to note that Bob was driving an eight-cylinder Ferrari while the factory drivers had V-12s. "A buddy's mother would go to the movies every Thursday night. 2021 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. He was thrown out of the car. 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. At age 8, his father introduced him to racing by taking him to Thursday night midget races. We vehemently deny the allegations that have been made by a handful of former employees about how the school was being managed. 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. By RACER Staff This is Bob Bondurant at Riverside Raceway with the Shelby GT350 Mustang prototype for testing in 1965. He is survived by his wife Pat. After 13 hours their lone Corvette packed it in with a broken wrist pin. 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. INSIGHT: Has Alonso finally landed on another winner? No cause of death was released. As Bob went through the corner the rear axle broke sending him off the course backward and down a ravine. This one is likely to attract plenty of additional attention thanks to its influential former owner. []. . Full Film: The Opposite of Death Curtiss Motorcycle Co. Shelbys faith in Bondurant was quickly justified as he won his first race at theContinental Divide Raceway in Colorado. 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. We started winning races. Bondurant, a member of 10 racing Hall of Fame classes, founded the driving school in 1968. Bob was then inducted as the youngest member of the Galloping Gooses, which eventually became Hells Angels. At 23 years old, he discovered that he had more control with four wheels than he did with two, and his racing career began in a Morgan Plus 4. In Bob's case, not wearing a belt saved his life. Born in Evanston, Illinois, Bondurant and his family moved to California when he was 2. 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. 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. 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. If youd like to read more about it or cast a bid you can visit the listing here. "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. 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. [2] In 1990 a purpose-built training facility was opened in Chandler, Arizona. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed in any form without prior authorization. His racing career began to soar in 1959, when he drove a Corvette in the Southern California region to the West Coast "B . Bondurant won a world championship while racing for Carroll Shelby. "There was a road on the outskirts of Bishop off Highway 2 where there was a dirt oval track that ran jalopy races. Bob Bondurant, champion driver and founder of the Bondurant Racing School, passed away Friday in Paradise Valley, Arizona, at the age of 88. Bob Bondurant America's uncrowned World Driving Champion (2007, Editions Cotty; Bob Bondurant Des Cobra la Formule1 la meme passion (2008, Editions Cotty; This page was last edited on 4 November 2022, at 15:49. Bob Bondurant, 88, has had some health concerns over the last few years and has stepped back a bit from the business. I am leaving because I have to take a stand. For 1967 he drove in the CanAm series and in a Corvette L88 Coupe at Le Mans. What Bob Bondurant started 22 years ago as a part-time business for a crippled race driver--a driving school at Orange County Raceway with three Datsuns and a Formula Vee--has turned into a . 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. In late 2018, Pat and Bob Bondurant 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. 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. I raced an Indian 101 Scout motorcycle at De Anza Park in Riverside. He was going to a motorcycle shop in Glendale where Don Bachtold workedhe was a top motorcycle mechanic. 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. 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. The founder, Bob Bondurant, began his career as a racing driver . [6], A statement on his death reads, in part, "Bondurant is the only American to bring home the World Championship trophy back to the U.S. while racing for Carroll Shelby. Bob had a faster qualifying speed than Pedro Rodriguez at 1:13.0 in the 12-cylinder Ferrari. Answering the call, on February 14, 1968, Bob founded The Bob Bondurant School of High Performance Driving. 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. If my dad was mentally there like he was [then], we would have never gotten to this place. 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. Bondurant had been in an assisted . 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 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. The interior is an almost exact replica of the original, with the exception of the Bob Bondurant signature on the glovebox of course. "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. Within a few years Bondurant had become one of the most promising drivers on the West Coast, between 1961 and 1963, he won 30 out of 32 races driving Corvettes for Santa Barbara Chevrolet dealer Shelly Washburn. Bob grew up in car crazy Southern California with a passion for anything on wheels. No one from the school, including Bob Bondurant himself, have issued a comment beyond the statement. We invite you to share . 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. 2023 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. 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. 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