It was effective enough to become known as the “Gurney flap”. And when the application of aerodynamic theory was still in its infancy among designers of racing cars, he created a raised edge of metal fixed along a car’s rear wing, increasing the available downforce without incurring a significant penalty in terms of drag. In 1968, he became the first driver to use a full-face helmet in a grand prix. It was not Gurney’s only lasting innovation. Gurney was handed the victors’ usual bottle of champagne but, instead of drinking it, gave it a shake before aiming a spray of foaming liquid at the spectators gathered to acclaim his triumph, thus inaugurating a style of celebration that became universally adopted. He was at the start of the most remarkable week of his career in the cockpit when, on a Sunday afternoon in June 1967, he mounted the podium at Le Mans alongside AJ Foyt, with whom he had shared the winning Ford GT40 Mk IV in the famous 24-hour race. The American racing driver Dan Gurney, who has died aged 86, was said to be the rival most feared by the great Jim Clark.
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