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. She vows to continue the legacy of the school. "The whole difference was the crowds who gathered around the Corvette with Dana Chevrolet on the door at the races and who sold cars. 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. Legendary American racing driver Bob Bondurants name will be forever linked with the Ford GT40, a car he drove at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1965, helping the team win theInternational Championship for GT Manufacturers. If youd like to read more about it or cast a bid you can visit the listing here. ", 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. How many sharing the road with Bob that day did double takes to make sure they saw what they thought they saw? 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. He was inducted into the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America in 2003. But on Monday, the high-performance driving . A roadster set up to HTTP FIA specifications and for track use only starts at $289,995. Twice, Bob was badly injured, not from driver error, but from mechanical failure. 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. Of course since Bob was an experienced dirt racer he could have picked up a used Midget or Sprinter and gone that route. Be a part of the unmatched history and credibility of the legendary Bondurant Brands and copyrighted teaching methodology. Bob then approached Datsun, which immediately agreed to support his plans. 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. He put the motor back together and it ran strong. As Bob went through the corner the rear axle broke sending him off the course backward and down a ravine. He opened the school in early 1968 at California's Orange County International Raceway, then moved it to Ontario, California and later Sonoma, north of San Francisco. Bob says, "Look for the burning Ferraris.". Born in Evanston, Illinois, Bondurant and his family moved to California when he was 2. 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. Friday, November 12, 2021, the world lost an iconic American racing hero, Bob Bondurant. I talked my mom into letting me get a Whizzer motor bike. 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. 2021 is a year that called on Pat and Bob Bondurant to focus their new direction; to move boldly and do the right things to fuel their continued legacy. 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. Jason Bondurant is the son of Pat Bondurant and the adopted son of Bob Bondurant. 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. 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. 69-year-old suffers stroke in his N.C. home; Realtor showing house leaves him there. ", Dick Guildstrand of Guildstrand Motorsports in Burbank was the manager: "Dana was number one in sales on the West Coast because we were racing," Guildstrand states. 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. 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. 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. The only thing wrong with it was the head and manifold were off. I read later the axles were the weakest part of the ATS." Bondurant returned to race a Can-Am car at Watkins Glen a year after his crash. We vehemently deny the allegations that have been made by a handful of former employees about how the school was being managed. He taught . It was formerly located in Chandler, Arizona at the Wild Horse Pass Motorsports Park. Of course we're blowing dirt up in the air from the exhaust so you could see us coming. Bondurant had four NASCAR starts, all at Riverside International Raceway, with his highest finish of 18th in 1981. She said to me that we should stop hiring people from Chandler or Gilbert, Arvizu wrote. Bob was racing at Riverside Raceway when the crank broke in the Vette. I took his Jag up the mountain roadit handled really well, much better than my Ford. 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). 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. In the June 1969 run of the grueling offroad Baja 500 race, Bondurant with co-driver Tony Murphy took first place in the passenger car class driving an SC/Rambler for James Garner's "American International Racers" team that was sponsored by American Motors Corporation (AMC). They met at a Russo and Steele auction. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed, First published on November 14, 2021 / 2:02 PM. He was one of a handful of Americans to compete in the Formula 1 Grand Prix series, and also raced at Le Mans. 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. 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. 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. (Photo via Getty Images), Public File for KBCW-TV / KBCW 44 Cable 12. 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. 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 initially approached Porsche for backing, but was temporarily declined due to the uncertainty of this being a new school. We damn near blew him off the box but he gives us this great big French salute. . The Bondurant Racing School has helped over 500,000 students graduate from its high-performance driving course. America's iconic World Champion Bob Bondurant has passed away in Paradise Valley, Arizona. While driving a McLaren at Watkins Glen, the car's steering arm fails at around 150 mph, which . Bondurant once said, My life has been lived in two halves. 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. 'You qualified Expert, you were the quickest.' Bob Bondurant. I delivered the Hollywood newspaper on my Schwinn bicycle," Bob begins. Bob Bondurant, a race car driver and actor who coached actors as diverse as James Garner, Clint Eastwood and Heather Locklear through their careers, died at the age of 88. The interior is an almost exact replica of the original, with the exception of the Bob Bondurant signature on the glovebox of course. Motorsport Images. The Bondurant Racing School was founded in 1968 and . Were working through the proper legal channels to make the best choices for the long-term health and success of the school. He finished the Formula One season in North America in two races, driving an Eagle for Dan Gurney's Anglo American Racers. 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. That's when other car owners took notice of Bob's driving ability. 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. ), "I had never been to Europe before so it was exciting to be able to race there," Guildstrand continues. Image courtesy of the Bondurant Archives. Do you wear belts or not? "A buddy's mother would go to the movies every Thursday night. 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